Manager Post Raith

16/03/10: JM - "We had the keeper to thank for a couple of good saves and timely blocks and they might be feeling they should have scored. I can only applaud my players and say that they were magnificent."

Pars boss Jim McIntyre described the 2-1 derby result as fabulous three points and he was rightly proud of his players who gave him everything:-

"They showed some character and battling qualities. I felt we were excellent in the first 25 minutes. Steven McDougall scored from a fantastic ball in from Willie Gibson to cause the problems initially and he has put away the rebound well.

"We then had a couple of opportunities when we broke on them and a better final pass could have resulted in another goal. It wasn't to be.

"Rovers came back into the game in the final 15 of the first half as we knew they would. They made it difficult when we lost a man and then it was all about the character. We still managed to score a quality goal when we were down to ten men. We told them not to be panicked into lumping the ball; try to keep passing it and you will get your opportunity to hopefully catch them on the counter.

"We stayed brave and went 4-3-2. We kept the two upfront because we felt it important to make sure that the ball wasn't coming back all the time and we could have had a third with Holmes' chance as well."

Raith clawed a goal back and the Pars gaffer admitted that changed his approach:-

"Then I went more defensive, put the four back in midfield and left the one up. Raith are a good side, they created a few opportunities tonight and we rode our luck at times which you need to do when you were under the cosh and lose a man so early. We had the keeper to thank for a couple of good saves and timely blocks and they might be feeling they should have scored. I can only applaud my players and say that they were magnificent."

The Manager who is confident that Calum Woods red card from last Saturday will be rescinded at appeal on Friday, had no quibble with referee David Somers decision to send off Steven Bell just before half time:-

"He left the ground with two feet so it's a red card. OK he played the ball but by the laws of the game you cannot leave the ground so I have no complaints."

The result takes Dunfermline into third place just five points behind Dundee whose manager, Jocky Scott, watched the game but Macca is keen just to take it one game at a time:-

"We will try and do as well as we can. We have put a wee run together, we will not get carried away - in this league as soon as you start getting any sights above yourself then it has a habit of kicking you in the teeth.

"We have another tough game on Saturday against Raith, you can see that they are a good side.  They have done fantastically well in this league and the cup run proves that."

Raith manager John McGlynn

"I am not particularly happy to lose a game that I felt we deserved to take something out of. We created enough chances to take something out of it but probably didn't force their goalkeeper to work as much as we would have liked him to have worked.

"We had a couple of balls across the face of goal that didn't get contact with a proper header. Johnny (Russell) had one he should have scored with in the first half and Robert Sloan was right through with a chance to score. It could have maybe been level at half time but then it was disappointing to lose the second goal in the manner that we did considering it was a long ball over the top. We ended up giving away a throw in from it cheaply and then from the throw in they do quite well to get the goal from it but it was not a good goal from our point of view to go 2-0 down.

"We got the goal back and there was still plenty time but it was really huffing and puffing. We got chances from crosses but didn't take them. I thought we deserved a draw."

McGlynn conceded that his side possibly suffered from their elation on Saturday when they knocked Dundee out of the cup to reach the semi final:-

"We had to address the physical and mental issues. We were on such a high on Saturday and it is quite draining as well."

The Raith boss added that he was scared to talk to his physios since Thierry Gathulessi and Graham Weir incurred hamstring injuries in the match.