Stephen Kenny Post Kilmarnock

We will continue to work hard and try to win every game to see if we can narrow the gap. We are far from finished.

Manager Stephen Kenny agreed that his team missed on a great opportunity to take all three points from the match against Kilmarnock.

 "We started well today and took the game to Kilmarnock.  Jim O'Brien and Adam Hammill were very bright for us in the first part of the game. We found ourselves a goal behind but I felt we played alright in the first half and we got our reward.  We got the penalty and got back into the game.  That should really have been an impetus to go on and win the game against ten men.

"Kilmarnock changed it a little and defended deeper but that's their prerogative. With ten men they had to do that, it is up to us to break them down. We had chances with Stephen Simmons and Scott Wilson - a couple of very good chances - but in the end we had a lot of crosses into the box but Kilmarnock defended it well and we probably have done a bit better than we did. That's the way it went."

Stephen was asked how he viewed the contribution of his wide players, Adam Hammill and Jim O'Brien:-

"Both did fine for us today.  I am not saying that they are both the finished article but certainly they both gave us an impetus. We didn't look like a team playing who are bottom of the league. When Kilmarnock scored there was a nervousness about us; a tension in our play that was evident.

"We had some decent spells in the match and I would have liked to have created more in the second half."

Dunfermline at least broke their dreadful run of 14 hours 15 minutes without scoring an SPL goal, Kenny commented:-

"It is not like we went every week without scoring a goal, we got four in the two cup games in the interim, it was more about the win really than the goal. We got the goal that will stop all the intros into the opening paragraphs, maybe next week's one will be so many goals from play.

"We are disappointed with the result at home, not that Kiklmarnock aren't a really good side, they are and are in the top six because they are a good side. They were down to ten men and the two wingers we had gave us a bit of an edge, we just didn't capitalise in the end, that's the bottom line.

"Away to Aberdeen maybe it was different but we were always going to go for it.  We always like to play that way but again there is no point in talking that up if you are not scoring goals. That's a contradiction."

Stephen Kenny acknowledged that Dunfermline need wins:-

"Ten draws will not do us, we need a few wins.  The Aberdeen game last week was a one off in the last six to eight weeks - only a goal in every game and the games have been very tight. We have definitely improved only we are not doing the business in front of goal. I can't tell you otherwise.

"At the back we look OK, in wide positions we look like we have a cutting edge to us but we are not getting on the end of stuff and not taking the chances. Confidence is a part; it is one of the main things."

Asked how Dunfermline have played well against teams in the top six yet struggle to beat teams in the bottom six, Stephen replied:-

"In the last series we drew against St Mirren and Inverness but we do need a win under our belt in the league.  We had two excellent wins in the Cup against Rangers and Hearts but I can't hide.  We are disappointed today, we wanted to do better than we did.  When we are 1-1 at half time we said 'let's get at Kilmarnock and go and win the game.

"We had a few chances but maybe not as many as I would have liked and we didn't capitalise on the opportunities that we had. Can we do better when the split happens?  We will have to. I think we don't want to give ourselves too much to do and we need to get a result.  Our next league game is away to Celtic then we are into the last nine games eight of which are against the bottom six.

"We have given ourselves a little bit of a mountain to climb we can't deny that, but we will continue to work hard and try to win every game to see if we can narrow the gap. We are far from finished there are still thirty points to play for but the sooner we get a win or two under our belts it will give us a better opportunity."

Killie boss Jim Jeffries said:-

"We got a great early strike and I think the players thought that this was going to be a walk in the park against the team at the bottom of the league.  What we didn't do in the first half was compete well enough; we didn't win tackles, they were quicker to the ball than us and I thought it was just a matter of time before they would equalise.

"The way they got the equaliser was unbelievable really.  He (Simon Ford) came out with the ball, had the opportunity to play it or pass it and clear it up the pitch.  We are in the 44th minute, 1-0 up - you take that in and you re-group.  It was like it got stuck to his foot and got caught in possession. He put himself in trouble and didn't get away with it. It was just an incredible goal to lose.

Simon Ford takes down Adam Hammill for the penalty

"Last week it was very harsh for him (v Rangers) but this week, if it was inside the box it was a definite penalty for me. He was last man so he had to go, that's the rule.

"We told them at half time it was just a matter of time before Dunfermline won.  So we set up with the two banks of four and said that if we got it forward we would just hope that maybe Naismith and the rest could join in from the wide areas.  The most important thing was to make sure that we competed and make it more difficult for Dunfermline.

"Dunfermline for all their crosses and balls in really we dealt with it, competed and they were just hoping for a break from a knock down.  Combe has not really had a lot of saves to make. Most of the things have been wide of target.

"When you think of the players we have out, we are delighted with a point away from home in the Premier League when you are fighting against a team that is fighting for their life with games running out for them.  They are putting a lot of effort into it but not scoring goals."