Manager on Friday

26/03/10:- JM "We are severely stretched - we are missing our main two strikers, we are missing key players ...

Jim McIntyre hopes that his side can get back to their winning ways when they return to Dumfries to play Queen of the South on Saturday:-

"We know that it will be a difficult game; they had a great result during the week especially after going down to ten men so early. They are a good side and they have good players."

Queen of the South have had an eventful week after losing 3-0 at Ayr they then lost their manager Gordon Chisholm to Dundee and then as fate would have it Tuesday night's fixture was against Dundee. The Pars boss did not read too much into those changes:-

"With the new manager having his first game against their ex manager and it all happening so quickly, would have helped them raise their game. Queen of the South have a shout in winning the league so they will be looking to win all their home games. Like us the last time we played them, they will be wanting to reverse their home results against us like we were against them."

Queens last win over the Pars in Dumfries is almost 24 years ago but as usual Macca was only contemplating the next game:-

"It is all about on the day, we have got to be at our best and not give cheap goals away to be in with a chance of winning the game. It is crucial that we take our chances, they have been good over the last month or so and we must get back to that. We are into the stage of the season where draws are no good. We need victories because we have played the most games.

"I am not looking too far ahead, we just need to win the game that is in front of us and see where that takes us. Some challengers will be faced with games Monday, Wednesday, Saturday but we are not worried about anyone else. We will just be thinking about ourselves and really concentrating on the next game. That's the way we have been doing it over the last wee while. It was working well for us, we deserved to beat Thistle but we never - it is all about putting the ball in the net. We didn't do that and they did."

It was a major disappointment that the Pars did not take any points from Tuesday night's fixture against Partick Thistle:-

"Everybody in the stadium knew and their manager said that we deserved to win it. But we need to score goals."

According to his manager David Graham has 'no chance' of returning at present:-

"It is not as bad as we first feared - we thought it was a muscle tear and that would have been his season over because that's a six week job but it is not. We are hopeful that at its worst it will be two weeks.

"Holmes and Burke are struggling and are no better than 50-50. We are worse off than we were on Tuesday but we will get on with it. It will be a chance for the boys who haven't played and I have confidence that they can come in and do a job for us. We are severely stretched - we are missing our main two strikers, we are missing key players and it makes it very difficult but we will approach the game in a positive manner and go there to win. That's the only way we know."