Jim McIntyre Post Rovers

07/11/09: "It is important to win derby games for the fans first and foremost. We deserved to win because we were the better team on the day.

Jim McIntyre described the victory at Starks Park as a great win and no Pars fan is going to argue with that:-

"I thought we were the better side. Obviously we missed a couple of good chances in the first half and for me its a mistake for the goal. So you go in one nil down at half time having been the better team. I thought after the Rovers scored they had 15 minutes where they dominated but in terms of goalscoring opportunities we definitely had the better.

"We said to the players the way you ended the half to keep playing like that, keep getting the ball wide and creating chances and you will score and just to keep having that belief to keep going and keep knocking on the door, and they did that.

"I am so proud of them because we heard the boos coming off and I hope the fans weren't booing at us because the effort today was fantastic. I hope they were booing the officials at half time. If it was us, it was out of order because the boys gave their all today.

The half time team talk yet again seemed to pay off but the Pars manager would only say that he had asked his side to step it up a gear.

"We finished the half strongly and that was the impetus for the team talk to say listen keep doing this and keep improving upon the way you finished the half and you will have a good chance of winning the game. Rovers are a good side, they are up on there on merit and they have had some good results. Credit to John (McGlynn) and his team. This is never an easy place to come.

"What a fantastic atmosphere here today, it was great to be part of it.

Graham Bayne scored an important equaliser ten minutes into the second half and the Manager commented:-

"We had three headers, Andy Kirk and Graham Bayne had two; the keeper had a great save from one of them. We knew if we kept moving the ball quickly and get it out to our wide players then we could cause problems. That paid dividends with another great ball in and a fantastic header from Graham (Bayne).

"He had a couple of earlier chances and we said to him that if you get another one like that you need to bury it. He was true to his word, he stuck it away and was unlucky with another glancing one that fell on the wrong side of the post.

"It would have been a travesty had we not won" claimed the Pars boss but the Pars left it late to score the winner. Macca was full of admiration for a superb move:-

"It was a great footballing move - intricate stuff down the right and a great ball in. These are so so hard to defend and wee Davie (Graham) got the final touch. He has that in his locker - the boy can play wide, he can play up front and they just looked a little tired so we put his pace up there. We put an extra midfielder on and I thought all the subs did well. Nick Phinn and Graeme Holmes did well as well giving us extra kick for the last five minutes.

"Willie Gibson has now been superb for the last three weeks in a row ever since I left him out for the home game against Morton. He came on that day, responded and been superb every since. That's wide players for you, they can dip in form but the good thing is that we have four of them so we have a choice to make changes.

"It is important to win derby games for the fans first and foremost. We deserved to win because we were the better team on the day. In my mind we deserved that result.

"We have had so many games where we have deserved to win, but maybe just taken a point or got beat. The longer that goes on and the more that happens then it drains confidence but that's six games undefeated, a draw a win, a draw a win, a draw a win. If you keep going that kind of form we will soon be up the table."