All's well that ends 'Well

Feast of Stephen? Let's hope it's all Pars goals.

With 20 of the 38 match league programme gone Scott Wilson still feels that there is plenty time to turn around the Pars season but a win over Motherwell would be a great help:-

"Motherwell beat Kilmarnock on Saturday, St Mirren lost but there is still a long, long way to go. If we can keep getting clean sheets and it turn for us at the other end and get a roll. We feel that we are one win away from going on a wee run, it is getting that win. At the minute it is not happening for us."

There have been better Christmases for Pars fans. The inability to score in the last two games has meant that the points total only rose from 12 to 14 while those above have regularly add to their tally. The Boxing Day fixture against Motherwell is of great importance if the Fifers are not to be left isolated at the foot of the SPL. What is clearly needed by Mr Kenny is a veritable Feast of Stephen!

Going into the game on the back of two shut outs, not having conceded a goal in the last 200 SPL minutes, it is likely that Manager Stephen Kenny will give a vote of confidence to his back four of Greg Shields, Phil McGuire, Scott Wilson and Darren Young. Scott highlighted that it is at the other end that things must improve:-

"We are confident in that area of the park. It is two points gained but it is four points lost because in the last two games we could have seriously picked up points. We haven't down that but we have to be positive with the clean sheets. If we keep fighting for one another we are bound to get a break a some point, hopefully it is on Tuesday."

The greater resistance of the Pars defence has been quite marked since letting in five at Rugby Park:-

"At Kilmarnock we were a shambles, we were all over the place. They probably had six attacks and scored five goals but we have got that end of the park worked out now. We look pretty solid as a unit with a lot of experience in the back four. Although Darren has come in and played left back he has done very well. He has been about for a while and he can play in that position. We have steadied the ship at the back, now we can concentrate on getting goals at the other end."

As well as Darren Young, his former Aberdeen team mate Phil McGuire has returned from injury, Scott feels that the vast experience of the SPL has been Phil's greatest asset:-

"Getting Phil back is massive. We now have an experienced back four now, guys who have played a lot of games in the SPL and we will need that for the games coming up."

The players returning from injury now boost the numbers in training:-

"We have a big squad and can nearly have eleven-a-side games against each other. Last year we were struggling to get a five-a-side game with each other. It is encouraging and it is up to the guys who are not playing, guys on the edges of the team to start pushing to the guys who are playing. It can only be good for the team.

"The bench is stronger. Freddie did alright when he came on against Inverness and had a couple of good runs."

While acknowledging that the matches against St Mirren, Inverness and Motherwell were extremely important, the management haven't set any targets. That has not been the case with the players:-

"Everybody individually had targets in their head for what they would like to achieve. Motherwell had a big result on Saturday and they will be looking to beat us on Tuesday to make the gap massive. They will be thinking that is them away from us. The games against Motherwell recently have been very difficult but having said that Inverness have been sticky but before Stevie got sent off I think we could have got something on Saturday.

"Motherwell will be a similar game. It will be nothing pretty or dazzling football because of the situation we are in. There will be the same effort and hopefully get a break in front of goal."

Dunfermline lost to an 84th minute winner from David Clarkson in the first fixture between the clubs this season. Clarkson was red carded on Saturday at Kilmarnock so he will be missing. Scott points out that the match is a much more important game for Dunfermline and that they might miss their goalscorer at Fir Park too:-

"It was harsh but we are in a position now with a big squad. Stevie will have to sit out the game but we maybe have Mark Burchill ready to come back. The situation last year where we lost strikers we were looking at young boys to come through and do a job for us. Even big Toddy was going on and doing a job for us. We have a quality replacement for Stevie in Mark so we are alright that way."