Jim Leishman Post Ayr United

They can shout what they want at me, they can do what they want I am not caring because I am fed up with negative people.

After the penalty shoot out Jim Leishman was relieved that his team had won through to be in Thursday's CIS Insurance Cup Draw. Last season in the Second Round, Dunfermline scraped a win against a Gretna team that really deserved to win. At Ayr the make shift team including some players not fully fit survived to fight in Round Three. Leish rattled off his injury list that includes Greg Shields, Scott Thomson, Freddie Daquin, Stephen Simmons, Mark Burchill, Noel Whelan, Jim McIntyre, Scott Muirhead, Scott Morrison, Aaron Labonte after stating:-

"60% of my team are sitting in the stand watching. I am not disappointed going through, the boys are disappointed with the way they played. Gretna pummelled us last year down there and we got through. That was the only thing that we were here to do.

"What pleased me is when I saw 18 year old Calum Smith go up and taking a penalty. What an experience that is? Andy Tod working his socks off just to get us through this period.

"They can shout what they want at me, they can do what they want I am not caring because I am fed up with negative people. Why be negative? We are through and we had young kids on the bench.

"I felt pressure for the players because I am asking them to go and do something. Wide right we got Freddie Daquin, wide left Scott Muirhead to change the game but they are sitting in the stand. Not through injuries at training but through match injuries - broken jaw, hamstring - and they will not be playing on Saturday."

Dismissing suggestion that we are at least better off than Aberdeen who got knocked out by amateurs Queens Park:-

"I only care about Dunfermline. It wasn't pretty but the rules are, if it goes to penalties the one who scores the most penalties goes through."

The match was taken to extra time and penalties thanks to a penalty saved by Dorus de Vries four minutes from the end of the 90 minutes. Leish admitted that he had feared the worse:-

"You think there is no recovery from that but Dorus saved it. He gave us the second chance, so lets go and take it. Robert Connor will be pleased with their boys because they worked their socks off and worked very well. They were going for a hattrick of good results - Morton away and Livingston here last Tuesday and they were going for the hattrick today. We have come down here the last twice and got humped and Ayr United weren't in the Premierleague. In 2002 we were in the Premierleague and we got beat 3-0."

Leish commented on speculation of signings before the end of the transfer window:-

"It is a necessity to me but to other people it is not. We tried to get Marc de Vries, we thought it was going to happen but no - it is not going to happen. We are trying to get other people and it has not happened."

Asked if there was any significance in Jim Hamilton sitting in the stand with Mark Burchill?

"Was he? Well it is not rocket science that we are trying to get him but the ball is not at my foot. I have to wait until somebody says 'yes you can'. It is frustrating for me, I have to stand there and take the stick but I will tell you I would take all the stick that they give me if I had my first team squad playing. Then I will get judged."