Manager on Thursday

20/03/14: JJ - "We're a couple of victories away from clinching that second spot with the gap we've got.

For Saturday's match versus East Fife, Danny Grainger is suspended following his red card against Rangers but Jim Jefferies is hopeful that both Ryan Scully and Ryan Wallace will be fit to feature in. He was happy to reveal the good news to the media at his weekly Thursday lunchtime briefing:- 

"We're actually better than I thought we would be because Ryan Wallace has had a good week and is training with us, and the big surprise is that Ryan Scully has recovered well. You would think earlier in the week we would rule him out but every single day he's got better and better - Monday he was limping, but Tuesday he was fine and he's really keen to give it a go. He's done a lot with the physio and it's not really his kicking foot either, so it's good news, he's got a chance for Saturday.

Ryan Goodfellow ready if required

"We wouldn't play him if there's any doubt at all. Young Ryan Goodfellow will probably be disappointed after coming on at Ibrox. He did everything right last week, although he'll not get many easier games at Ibrox than he got at there last week because they didn't really cause us many problems. But I think Scully is keen to declare himself fit.

"I've been going there many times and I didn't expect us to have as much of the game as we did but it's credit to the boys. It was always going to be a tough game but I thought we did great up until the last third, and that's what caused our downfall.

"It took something special from Rangers to get in front and when they got in front they had something to hold on to, and we just didn't do the right things in the last third. But defensively and football-wise up to a point we did great. Midfield played well we attacked and got plenty men forward but we need to get that final ball right. To be honest, I didn't think we created a lot of clear-cut chances, but there was a lot of good build-up play. Hopefully they will save them up for Saturday."

The Manager felt that the 2-1 defeat to East Fife in October at East End Park was daylight robbery:-

"At 1-0 and pushing for a second goal we had so many chances, we were dominant, and one mistake they cashed in on it which gave them a lift.  Liam Buchanan has come up with a shot from 20 yards which could have gone anywhere, but it's gone in the top corner, and you find yourself scratching your head thinking: 'How did we lose it?'

"But we've played them since and won comfortably at East Fife in difficult conditions. Every team that comes to East End Park, and I've said it many times, they lift their game because it's a good stadium to play in and they are not used to playing on parks like that. They tend to sit deep, make it difficult and frustrate you, but that's something the players have got to overcome."

JJ will find himself in a familiar position up against a team managed by a player who played under him:-

"I've had it many times. I've come up against Mickey, John Hughes, Stephen Pressley - there's a whole list of players who have gone on to do things. But Gary has been on the phone a couple of times and I try to help him out if he needs a wee bit of help with reports. Not everybody can get people who can go down and watch the games so he's phoned me a couple of times.

"I was with him last Friday actually when we played the 20s at Hearts - he was at the game and told me that night he had a few injuries, so maybe that was one of the reasons they lost heavily last week. He won't want that to happen again so that tends to give the players a wee bit of a jolt, so we're expecting a tough game. What we've got to do on Saturday is, we know how they'll probably play, so it will be about being patient - the players and the supporters.

Liam Buchanan leads the celebrations v Dunfermline

"We're a couple of victories away from clinching that second spot with the gap we've got so if we play like we did against Ayr United and Arbroath then we'll be OK.
I thought we played well against Stenhousemuir and it's funny because they never looked like scoring that day, but they had scored four goals the week before and then they got another four goals on Saturday. So it shows the respect they had going to East End Park.

"That's something you have to deal with and we know there's a lot of teams who tend to do that - we've just got to learn to overcome it. You tend to find when it is full-time against part-time that if you keep the tempo high you can cash in in the last half an hour / 20 minutes because you've worked them hard. When you break you've got to catch them quick as opposed to letting them take the time to get behind the ball, because that's what they'll endeavour to do. Most teams do that against us."

Asked if there was any movement on the Callum Morris contract front, Jim said:-

"The only way it will be resurrected if Callum chaps on our door and says he wants to talk. It's his now as far as we're concerned. We made our statements and some papers put out a story that I 'blasted' Callum - I never blasted Callum, I just said I was really disappointed considering what the club has done for him that he didn't take the same option as Josh Falkingham and Andy Geggan.

"But everybody is different, and I've said as long as it doesn't affect his form like any other play then we'll be fine. He's been fine so far. He's made his decision and we've tried to speak to him a couple of times about it, so the ball's in his court now. He's the only one who can resurrect it and we'd be open to that, obviously, although we'd have to start the negotiations again."

His Manager felt that Callum has got the potential to go and play in the Premiership:-

"There's no doubt about that. Whether he's ready for that now or not, he's been let go at an early age and he has one or two faults that he's improving on.  When he's on his game he's a good player, it's just sad, as I said at the time, that we've resurrected his career and gave him an opportunity.  All we were looking for was something back.  We'd never ever stop him if things didn't work out for us and he wants to move on, then fine. All we were asking for is to make sure that we got a little bit back in return.  The other boys have agreed and he's not, but that's his prerogative to do that.

"We're not blasting him for that, what we're saying is that we're just disappointed but so would any manager be - given how we've looked after him and gave him a great opportunity here. He was playing at Morpeth.  We got tipped off and we said we'd have a look at him and we know what path his career has taken.

"He was a youngster and was linked to Newcastle for a long time, then he lost his way, was let go and tried various things including the Glenn Hoddle Nike Academy I believe.
Then he ended up at Morpeth, but Dunfermline gave him a chance and we liked what we saw. He came in and because of the way we were going forward he fitted the bill as a young player coming in.

"All we were looking for was a bit in return but, as I say, it's his prerogative to do that. We gave him a bit of a security along with an option to move on, and I think what we were happy to accept was way way below the value of what we would put on him if we had him on a longer-term contract.  But that's life and you get on with it.  We've got a cracking young player in Lewis Martin who will turn out to be every bit as good."