Jamie Harris Post Dundee
Saturday, 1st Dec 2007"I was hoping for a win and three points. You want to come in and put your stamp on the team.
Jamie Harris has waited a long time for his place in the starting line up but with Dunfermline skipper Scott Wilson out with a back injury the opportunity came for him on Saturday. Defeat at the hands of Dundee was not his perfect day:-
"I was hoping for a win and three points. You want to come in and put your stamp on the team. I thought it was a better performance all round from the team. Again it is frustrating not taking any points at all but hopefully that will come.
"It was a new formation as well today and that takes a bit of getting used to. Hopefully now in the next week or two we will start pucking up points.
"I was looking for probably two or three reserve games until I was fully ready. I spoke to the Manager yesterday and he told me that there was a good chance that I would be playing.
"I was delighted to play because it is a while since my arrival here. That is my first game so hopefully things will get better now for me and the club."
The long wait enforced through injury has not been easy for the 28 year old Welshman:-
"It is frustrating watching and everybody sees it differently. There's a lot to do with certain areas and at the moment confidence is quite low in the team. We just need a lucky break. Burchy's effort today was cleared off the line, if that went in it would have lifted the whole team. Individuals don't get tired when you are winning; when you are losing it puts a downer on the whole thing. It is up to us to get stronger mentally. Players have to be confident and not scared to make mistakes on the ball.
"With the new formation we have players who can play in positions that can deliver. We have toyed with 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and now its 3-5-2 and I think the performance overall was a stronger one today.
"I have always played in a 4-4-2 as a defender. You know your role as a central defender - you are marking your man - it's two against two really with the full backs. Equally I feel as comfortable with 3-5-2 as well."
Having joined Dunfermline from Shelbourne in January 2006, Jamie compared his League of Ireland experience with what he has seen in Scotland:-
"The First Division is a similar standard in terms that it is quite an aggressive league. Teams play with one big man and one small man and it seems to be route one. Teams in the First Division seem to have mastered playing there; they have got their team built around certain areas. We haven't quite adapted to that formation and personnel and we have to just got to tinker a little bit."
Having watched so much from the sidelines Jamie has been aware of the discontent coming from supporters:-
"You hear a lot more when you sit in the stadium than when you are on the pitch. On the pitch you have that level of concentration and focus on the game but we understand that it is frustrating for supporters. The team has been relegated down from the Premier Division and with the squad of players we have got, we should be doing better.
"At the moment results are just not going right for us but we have the players and mentality to turn it around. We have got to show that now in the next few weeks. Lack of confidence is a big part. When you go a goal down that tiredness sets in, yet when you are winning 2-0 you can go on and on. Players who have been around, they know the story, they have to dig in, be big and stronng and say 'right, we can dig in here' . If it means nasty or horrible defending for a few games to get a point or get three points that's the way it has got to be."
Jamie started his playing career at Swansea City and the Welsh team have gained several supporters from the Kingdom of Fife since Pars Dutch keeper, Dorus de Vries chose to leave East End Park in the summer to join the Football League One team. Dorus has been ever present as the Swans have risen to lead their league:-
"I watched them last night, following Dorus and have spoken to a few boys about Dorus. They said that he has done really well down there and they speak highly of him. I keep in touch with him."
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