Manager on Friday

11/12/09: "We were letting too many crosses come into the box so we need to get back to doing the basics well and I am confident that they will do that."

Manager Jim McIntyre hopes that last Saturday's poor result at Ayr will turn out just to be a minor blip in his team's season. Talking on Friday he said he was also hoping that the fans would choose to support the Pars before Christmas shopping or seasonal partying:-

"It is great to get back to East End Park and hopefully we can continue from where we left off. We have had some good results in our last few home games against good opposition and so we want to continue that.

"Obviously we want as many fans backing us as possible but we appreciate how expensive it is these days in the current financial climate. We want the fans behind us in the way they have been behind us in the last few games.

Macca was still dwelling on the causes of defeat last Saturday:-

"It was very disappointing because in the first half we had all the play up to the final third but our final ball just wasn't there. As I have said before the boys have been excellent so hopefully it was just a one off. Ayr didn't have any of the game in the first half but they got an early goal in the second half that gave them something to hold on to.

"Ross County drew down at Ayr, Dundee drew down at Ayr. It is not an easy place to go, we didn't do enough with the ball in the final third and ultimately that cost us the game. If we had scored first we would have won the game but we never.

"We tried to change things about to spark something but we weren't as bright as we have been; we just didn't perform in the second half. We gave them too much room in the second half as well whereas in the first half we didn't give them any space and we were dominant without looking like scoring. Ayr were allowed to turn us and get us into positions that we didn't want to be in. We were letting too many crosses come into the box so we need to get back to doing the basics well and I am confident that they will do that."

The Pars boss is hopeful that his injured players will all have a chance of starting against Ross County but longer term injured - Stephen Glass and Greg Fleming are definitely out of the reckoning. Happily the goalkeeping slot has been ably filled by the player on loan from St Mirren:-

"I thought Chris Smith was excellent and he did really well. His kicking was good, his handling as well and he comes and punches. He is a big boy, has good presence and fills the goal."

Keeping goals out is going to be ever important as Dunfermline take on Ross County, Inverness and Raith Rovers at home and Airdrie United away on Boxing Day.

"There is an important period coming up; we have three home games out of the next four - a derby and two against teams beside and above us. It is another crucial period where we need to put together another run of results to keep in the pack."

It is little consolation that a great many opposition fans have singled out the Pars as playing the division's best football:-

"The bottom line of that is, we need the result to go with it, earlier on in the season we weren't playing any different from what we were playing during the eight game unbeaten run. It was just that we weren't ruthless and we were also culpable at the back gifting goals. We cut that out and started taking more of our chances. That's what gives you the platform to go and win games. We have got to get over last week and get on."