Managers Post Partick

18/08/12: JJ "If that is how close we can run them then we are not that far away.

Jim Jefferies found the game against Partick Thistle frustrating:-

"I thought we started the game really well. We were up on them but then Partick came into the game really well. They kept possession well and during that spell they scored. It was too easy for them but we seemed to control it after that and then we came away in the last ten minutes of the first half.

"In the second half I thought we were the dominant side. The only danger we faced were breakaways. Partick Thistle are a very good team and I said before the game that this would be a massive pointer to finding out just how good a side we are. It is a new team, they have not had many games together and there is a lot of inexperience.

"Jackie's team have a head start on us there; they are a good team and I think the result last week against Falkirk proved it. This was an indicator of how we would fair. If we had lost this game three or four nothing then you would have said that we have a lot to do but based on the second half performance, apart from the last third, when we got into the last third the decision making, the quality of the final ball was very poor.

"When Andy Barrowman did fantastically well to spin the centre half and he was homing in on goals and of course you are looking for that killer pass to be the right one. Like a lot of his team mates when they got into that area they have fluffed that opportunity. Paul Willis had a golden opportunity to equalise but he mis-kicked it. The last third wasn't clever but the attitude and the way that they went about it in the second half was and I think we were the dominant side. All we had to make sure was that we didn't get caught on the break. Having said that I thought we dealt with it really well.

"We pushed forward to get an equaliser but we didn't work their goalkeeper enough and that came because the final pass was just not good enough to create a chance."

The Manager claims that he doesn't know how good his new side is yet and said ahead of the game that it would be a pointer:-

"We have probably taken on the favourites today and I thought in the second half we were the better side apart from being caught on the break which might happen because we have young players who are niaive. All it needed was a killer pass in the final third; we had plenty of opportunities to do that but it just did not fall for us.

"I can look back now without taking anything away from Partick, if that is how close we can run them then we are not that far away. This is a long season, we will get better. Partick are a good side and will be up there but Dunfermline is not that far away and I think our second half performance showed that today. That is the biggest thing that I can take from the game.

"It was me getting to know if this team would be good enough to be up there challenging. We have never shouted that we are going to be winning the league because the expectation levels take care of that itself. This is a new team, still learning, still developing and it will get better and better. Hopefully we will get better soon and if they do we will be up there challenging as well."

The Thistle manager Jackie McNamara was in a happy mood when he spoke after the game.

"I think the players showed a lot of desire this afternoon and real team work in terms of getting the ball back. Even in the last minutes of the game the left back is up at the other end trying to get the ball back. The players displayed a lot of energy today although I could have done with a second goal to ease my nerves.

"Credit to Dunfermline they came at us in the second half. There was the physical aspect to worry about with second balls but I'm delighted to get the three points. Dunfermline are going to be up there come the end of the season."

Asked if there any danger of the players getting carried away with the start they've made to the season the former Dunfermline player replied:-

"No, I don't think the players will get carried away at all. We are at home to Dumbarton next week and that game carries three points just like today's and that's what we will be telling the players every week. There is a long, long way to go. We've still to be against  Falkirk and Dunfermline another three times and everyone else four times. What it is, is a good start and hopefully we can keep the momentum going. Today was a good result  but we start to focus now on next week's game against Dumbarton. We've a lot of tough games coming up.

"I think everyone and every team wants to win promotion. You don't start the season with the ambition of just wanting to survive. The way I was brought up was that no matter what I do I want to succeed and hopefully that is something that I can install in my players. There are signs there that they have the required desire and tenacity."