Managers Post St Johnstone

07/04/09: Macca - "I have got to say what a terrible, scandalous decision, how it was not a penalty I will never know. It was two hands right in the back of him

Jim McIntyre had to adjust his team following two substitutions within the first thirteen minutes. The Pars Manager had to regroup and he felt that allowed St Johnstone to get the better of the first half.

"There wasn't a lot between the teams and I felt that we had the better of the second half. I have got to say what a terrible, scandalous decision (when Graham Bayne was pushed by Kevin Rutkiewicz), how it was not a penalty I will never know. It was two hands right in the back of him at a long throw. It looked as clear as day from where we were.

"Some you get, some you don't. It is a hard place to come and play against a good side. With the changes forced upon us, the boys did well. We are really pleased with them. In the second half you could see that there were a few who had not played a lot of football lately. They were out on their feet towards the last five or ten minutes."

The gaffer confirmed that Nick Phinn had damaged his ankle ligaments, Scott Thomson took a severe blow on his calf in the first few minutes and Jamie Mole felt his hamstring.

"Jamie has had a slight hamstring complaint but has trained the last three days and looked sharp. He has been well and truly tested and sometimes these things happen. Stephen Glass' ankle is in a bad way and he will struggle to be fit for Saturday. He took three stitches right on the bottom of his shin on the bone which is the poorest place for healing purposes according to my physio.

"We just have to go with what we have got. They did well tonight and I was very pleased with the second half."

Looking further into his injury list Macca revealed that Kevin Harper has bone bruising in his knee that will possibly rule him out for the rest of the season. Graeme Holmes is "still in the swimming pool" and Simon Wiles will take until July or August. Of the suggestion that there might need to be a return to the boots for Jim McIntyre he described it as "a scary thought" but added "if I could play wide, no bother!"

St Johnstone Manager Derek McInnes thought his team were terrific in the first half:-

"Their approach getting on the front foot, taking the initiative, asked a few questions and got in plenty shots and crosses.  There was just nobody going in to grab that goal that we were all desperate for.  The first half performance I was very pleased with and even the beginning of the second half but I just felt we fizzled out a bit in the last half hour.

"We were just looking for that bit of quality that was going to go and win us the game. It wasn't to be.  Dunfermline are a good side, there is no getting away from it.  We all expected them to be up there - for one reason or another they are not but they have shown their quality in the cup.  At times they showed their quality tonight with a couple of chances towards the end.

"We are disappointed naturally, we had stressed that we wanted the game in hand to count. With five games to go, every other club in this division would swap places with us.  We are in a very strong position, it could have been stronger."