Kevin warns of sticky opponents
Friday, 22nd Jul 2022“Every game against Alloa is difficult because they have got good players, even though they are part time they have players who could play full time.
On leaving Falkirk Kevin O’Hara spent the 2019-2020 season at Alloa Athletic. He made 35 appearances for the Wasps, scored 14 goals and was credited with 10 assists. His achievements attracted Stevie Crawford to bring him to Dunfermline and to date he has scored 20 goals in his 76 Pars appearances.
Kevin was able to give an insight into how Alloa treat their 14 mile trip to East End Park:-
“I wouldn’t say they treat it as a local derby but because we are a full time team and they are a part time team they don’t want to get turned over. They want to be one’s going away with the win, they like beating full time teams. Even when I was at Alloa I feel that they were a sticky team for Dunfermline to play.”
Kevin’s memory was spot on with Alloa winning three and drawing one of the four league and cup games played between the clubs that season. He maintained:-
“Every game against Alloa is difficult because they have got good players, even though they are part time they have players who could play full time. They will be ready for Saturday” he warned.
Although Alloa Athletic will be the opponents in the first League One fixture of the season Kevin is focussed on the Premier Sports Cup. The 23 year old has never come across back to back fixtures against the same club at the same venue:-
“To be fair, it is new to me. It will probably be quite strange but obviously we just take it one game at a time.”
A victory on Saturday would give Dunfermline a good chance of progressing to the next round of the competition and that would be a good early boost after the disappointment of last season. Kevin continued:-
“Last season was a difficult time for everybody involved at the club but as the manager has said, we want to progress in this group and get the season started well. It has gone well so far apart from the Ross County game but we do want to get through to the next round.
“Ross County are a Premiership club who finished in the top six last season and I don’t think we looked out of place. I think we caused them problems as well as they caused us. It was a good game, a narrow defeat and it was disappointing to lose the game but there is plenty of positives to take away from that game.”
Permutations are currently hard to plot but assuming Ross County take at least two points from their final group match at home to East Fife on Saturday, Dunfermline would be hoping to qualify for the next round as one of the three best group runners up.
“It is quite confusing how it all works” said Kevin “but we are just going to go out there to win the game and see where it takes us. All we can focus on is winning the game.”
He is looking forward to seeing some of his team mates from his time at Alloa but given he smashed in a hattrick for Dunfermline in his first match against them in October 2020, they might not be so keen in seeing him!
“The first time I went back to play Alloa I scored a hattrick, I actually started on the bench that day so from being frustrated at the start of the day it ended well.
“It will be good to see some of the boys again who were there when I was there. Obviously a lot of the players have changed since I was there but there are still a few boys that I know and keep in touch with. It will be good to see them.”
James McPake praised Kevin’s work rate after the Buckie game but the striker acknowledged that his starting place is no certainty:-
“There is healthy competition, it pushes you every day in training. Your place in the team is no certainty so you have to train hard every single day.
“When we lose the ball try and win it back higher and just react as quick as I can when we lose it. Because I’m playing wider now than I am central, he wants me to try and stretch the game in behind from a different angle. It adds an extra to my game if I can play through the middle if need be or play on the wings.
“I have played there a few times, even when I was at Alloa. More in away games probably for my work rate but I don’t mind, it is new and I am learning the position. I’m working on it every day, it is a bit different but I’m enjoying it so far.”
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