Gerry McCabe on Monday

19/03/12: GMc - "Disappointed but I should not be surprised since these things happen in football.

Pars Assistant Manager Gerry McCabe said he was shocked and disappointed to be taking training on Monday without Jim McIntyre, his close colleague for the last 50 months.

"Disappointed but I should not be surprised since these things happen in football. The disappointing thing for the Manager and myself included was the timing but these decisions are outwith our control and we just need to get on with it.

"He thought that he had until the end of the season and was up for eight cup finals to stay in the league. It is not easy, we are close friends and have built up a good relationship. I owe him a lot for giving me the opportunity to come back into football and give me the chance to come to a club like Dunfermline. It was great for me to come in and work with the boys we have worked with."

The management team had never wavered in their belief that they could stay in the SPL, Gerry continued:-

"I can honestly say that the players have not wavered either. The spirit has been great. We had a meeting on Saturday when the manager said 'cheerio' to the players and you could see they were on a downer. Now we just have to get ourselves focussed on Saturday. It is a massive game for the Club - if we are going to stay in this league, it starts on Saturday."

Gerry confirmed that he is still under contract:-

"They will tell me what, when and if what's happening to me. Whether I am going to be here for the next few weeks or to the end of the season. I will just carry on until I hear otherwise. I have a job to do here, I am the Assistant Manager and I had a duty to the players to get them ready and focussed on Saturday."

The squad will play in a bounce game at Lennoxtown on Tuesday. Kevin Rutkiewicz is not ready for that but will train and work with the physio for the rest of the week to hopefully be available for selection on Saturday. Mark Kerr, Joe Cardle, Andy Kirk and Andy Barrowman will feature to give them game time. Steven McDougall will be involved as will Paddy Boyle and Kyle Hutton.

"It is looking much healthier; four or five players back which makes a massive difference to us. If we get through this game tomorrow without injuries then we could have a near full complement of players to choose from on Saturday."