Manager Ahead of Aberdeen

26/01/12: JM - "There is only a point between the teams and so there is that opportunity every week to move above Hibs.

Jim McIntyre was pleased to report that Austin McCann joined back in training on Thursday but Andy Barrowman who sustained a calf injury was absent for a scan on the injury. The Manager would not speculate when his striker might return until new of that scan was clear. Further bad news on the injury front is that Paul Burns is still out.

Although former Dundee United and Aberdeen player Stuart Duff has been offered training facilites at Dunfermline following his return from Malta. Jim McIntyre did not conceal the fact that he is a player he likes and a player that he'd like to sign but the ability to sign him is hard:-

"Right now we don't have money for that. Until money is made available then we will just have to wait and see. We are still talking about that though."

Duff joined Maltese Premier League side Qormi in November of last year after his contract ran out at Inverness and then playing three matches for Ayr United as a trialist earlier this season. The 30 year old is an Aberdonian and it is to the Granite City that attention is focussed this weekend.

Facing Craig Brown's Aberdeen again kindles memories of two contrasting performances against the Dons:-

"The game at Pittodrie was probably our lowest performance of the season. Aberdeen were excellent and we were equally as poor; they gave us a thrashing. It was a far closer game the last time we played when we had a great chance to go 4-1 up. We never took it and Aberdeen came back to their credit to get a draw out of the game.

"They have good players and have added a couple of bits of real quality in Reynolds and Anderson."

The gaffer was willing to agree with comment that the defeat on Tuesday night had not really changed anything:-

"There is only a point between the teams and so there is that opportunity every week to move above Hibs. That is how we will approach the game and try and go there and get a win.

"It is too early to say that any other teams could be dragged in to threat of relegation. It depends upon us and Hibs putting a bit of a run together and it depends obviously on other teams collapsing a wee bit.

"People have us down as relegation favourites simply because of the budget we have and the size of club compared to the likes of Hibs. That is only natural; I don't think anybody is out of order thinking that. They are a much bigger club that us but that doesn't mean to say that things are going to pan out the way they should."

Macca doesn't enjoy losing football matches but he claims despite the difficult challenges that he faces that he loves the job and that doesn't change;-

"Results like the other night hurt, if they don't hurt you are in the wrong job."