Stephen Kenny Comments pre Stirling

"We have got to dust ourselves down, work hard and come back strong this weekend

Stephen Kenny told the Courier:-

"I'm not just in my first year of management, I've been doing this for eight years. I've seen different situations, and I've a proven track record. I've only been here 10 months and we've reached two finals (Scottish Cup and Challenge Cup).

"We're not where we want to be in the league, but it's only 10 games.  It's still early in the season. It hasn't gone to plan, but we just have to concentrate on playing this game and trying to get a victory against Stirling. We need to work hard, roll our sleeves up and show what we're made of. That's what you have to do when things go against you."

"I'll do a good job here given time, without a doubt, I have every confidence in that. When things go against you, you have to rally round and you have to produce. We've come in for a lot of criticism, and you have to accept that?but it can make you stronger as well."

"It's a quarter of the way through, it's a long way to go and I think we know that. This team won our previous three; we are capable of winning four or five on trot and we know that. Last Saturday was a dark day, it happens to the best at times and you have to bounce back in a resolute way.

Stephen Kenny told BBC Radio Scotland's Brian McLaughlan:-

"We didn't want to be fifth at this stage; we wanted to be further up the table. You can't deny that but it is ridiculously early. We know what we have given ourselves, there are a lot of good teams - Dundee, Hamilton, St Johnstone are doing really well. From our point of view we have just got to concentrate on winning matches.

"We have Stirling this week. We are away from home and we have to try and make sure that we win that game. When you lose on Saturday and you lose well - I don't remember ever losing so heavy at home in a game in my career, but when you lose like that of course.

"My own record speaks for itself. From my point of view we have had a start that I didn't want to have. We wanted to have a better start but it is only ten games into the season, there is an awful long time to go. I think it happens to the best of teams that you lose well at times in a game like that. We are not taking anything away from Hamilton, they were fantastic. We have got to get our act together for this week and three points."

On the rumoured links to the manager's job at St Patricks, Stephen replied:-

"I don't laugh these off - they are just absolutely not true, it is as simple as that. I am the Manager of Dunfermline, that's the reality of it. The Manager of St Pats is a personal friend of mine, so that's nonsense. That is very unhelpful that kind of stuff."

What needs to be done to take Dunfermline away from where you are at the moment and back up the league?

"We have to try and beat Stirling Albion this week and we are capable of doing that. We have got to get another win. We have won our previous three games and we have got to go to Stirling this week and win the game. Get another three points and look to the following week which is at home to Livingston. We have got to dust ourselves down, work hard and come back strong this weekend."

Asked 'are you confident that you can still do it this season'?

"We have a lot to do but there is a long, long way to go so rather than being worried about winning the league and getting paranoid about I am going to concentrate on winning matches. We have to get three points on the board, win as many matches as we can starting with Stirling."