No Easy Opponents

“We were disappointed with the result on Saturday. Coming into the game on Friday we knew it could`ve been in our own hands.

Unbeaten at East End Park since Boxing Day, Dunfermline need to a victory to give themselves the best possible chance of avoiding the Championship play offs. The lack of confidence that existed before his arrival has been transformed into a strong belief but manager John Hughes acknowledged that Friday’s final league match is a pressure game:-

“We are where we don`t want to be, at the bottom end of the table, and we need to handle it. We need to be at our best and handle situation a lot, lot better than against Ayr United. But, even in that game, they showed a bit of character and a bit of togetherness to go and get the result. It`s going to have to be like that on Friday.”

John Hughes has got to know the road to Dumfries rather well in recent weeks and he feels that from what he has seen of them, Queen of the South a good, good side:-

“Willie`s done a right good job down there, he`s got them going, he`s galvanised them. They`ll be hurting, they`ll be disappointed, they`ll have the freedom to play, but also they`ll have their pride to come here and get the result.

"They`ll want to go out with a bang, like everybody else does, so all the ingredients are there. We need to be at it, take care of business, look no further, have our mindset right on the game, and hopefully we can do the business.

"I`ve never found football easy. No matter the opponent you`re playing against, I`ve never found it easy, from the top boys right down. Everybody`s always got an agenda and got something to do, that`s what makes football intriguing.

"We`re given ourselves a right good fighting chance. We were disappointed with the result on Saturday, coming into the game on Friday, we knew it could`ve been in our own hands. But, we still need to take care of business because, you never know, we might get a favour."

Hoping for another chance to play a part is 24 year old Leon Jones. The defender’s season has been peppered with bad luck and his start last Saturday was just his second for the club since signing in August last year.

His first start against Raith Rovers in August was erased from the records as the match was abandoned due to power failure and his debut came the next month against Ayr United. Covid caused his next planned start to be postponed but despite the lack of appearances his manager was full of praise for the player who came through the Hearts Academy:-

"Leon`s probably one of the best professionals at the club. They could all follow Leon`s attitude and example, he`s an unbelievable professional.

"He was unlucky, he was in the team, six weeks ago, and then he pulled out with Covid. Lewis Martin is another one that`s injured, so we just felt going into that game last Saturday that, to put either Leon in with Efe, or Rhys in with Efe, with the back four, it might`ve been a difficult task when not having played much first team football.

"I`ve been there, you`re using your own experience in being there. We just felt it was only fair on him if we went a five at the back, with the experience of Efe in between them, plus being away from home. If Coll doesn`t make it, that might be a different option that we have to go with on Friday.

"But in Leon, you can`t ask for a better professional. If they were all like Leon, this club would be in a great, great place, because I can`t speak highly enough of him and the way he conducts himself."

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