Scott Wilson Post Dundee United

"Sooner or later teams are going to score goals against us and if we are not doing it at the other end then we will be down the table."

Scott was full of praise for his fellow defenders concluding through his comments that the main problem lies at the other end of the park:-

"Defensively we have been looking pretty sound. Obviously we just let it go against Rangers, against Hearts it was maybe slack but generally we have getting there. Phil (McGuire) has come in and done very well and if we can stop Bamba's wee mistakes that can be costly against better teams then he has the makings of a great centre half because he is athletic and strong.

"We cannot expect to go away from home and defend all the time. Sooner or later teams are going to score goals against us and if we are not doing it at the other end then we will be down the table. There will be no easy games if we cannot score goals."

Like most of his colleagues the 29 year old who is now in his fifth season as a Par, is not willing to sight injuries as an excuse for lack of achievement:

"We have been through this at Dunfermline many a time. We lost two players against Dundee United and we have a difficult cup tie on Tuesday, it is one of those ones. We will have players coming back soon but all we can do is dig in at the moment.. What else can we do? We cannot go on and moan about it; its easy to say this is doom and gloom, we are missing players and that could be used as an excuse for a defeat. We have to be mentally strong; these guys will come back eventually - it is a case of getting on with it. It has happened at Dunfermline the last two years.

"Everybody knows the money has been tight in the last two years but I feel that this year we have a really good squad and players. When we get everybody back and there's talk of players coming in this week that will be very good for us, so it is just a case of luck if we get these players back there is no reason why we cannot finish in the top six."

That would certainly be different experience, Scott added:-

"We talked about it before, we are sick of being in the dogfight - that's twice we have been down there, it could easily have gone the other way and we could have been in the First Division. Sooner or later your luck is going to run out, so this is the year that we don't want to be in a dogfight, be mid table and not let fate get its hands on us."

Fate is not something that Scott's current central defensive partner, Souleymane Bamba has let into his play. Scott does recognise that the big Ivory Coast man might still have some polish to be put on to his game:-

"I think he is very raw at the minute. When he came in he was outstanding. He has massive potential but for every ten good things that he does there's always one you go ... Jees. If he makes a run good luck to him although I'd rather he stayed where he is. It is something we can work on and if we can eradicate his mistakes I'm sure he will turn out to be a fine player for us."

Because of injury the captaincy this season has not yet been taken up by Scott Thomson, Greg Shields led the team out in the first two matches and Andy Tod in the third and fourth. Scott was vice captain in season 2005-06 but he has not felt the urge to take the armband this season feeling the position was more deserved by others:-

"I just think Greg deserved it for his performances last season. I think he earned and merited it more than me last season. Ever since then I have said I'm not touching it, I'm just keeping away from it. I was never captain of my boy's club or my school team; it has never bothered me."

Scott agreed that his style of play is more like a captain's but he sees that as advantage:-

"If I can do that without an armband on and somebody else is doing it with an armband on then there's two of us doing it."