Thommo up for Rovers game

"Hopefully I don't get another wee smack on my nose."

After sustaining a broken nose six minutes into the second half of the match at Starks Park in November, Ryan Thomson is looking forward to playing for longer in the derby day match against the Pars big rivals.  He told the website:-

"Raith Rovers is always a good game, the atmosphere always makes it. The last game was quite a heated one; a few wee stupid things led to things that shouldn't have happened. Hopefully I don't get another wee smack on my nose."

Ryan before his nose was broken!

Ryan reckoned you just don't know what to expect in derby matches and of course it could be that the battle could start off from where it finished:-

"I am sure that they will be wanting to avoid doing anything silly to get themselves down to ten men and give themselves it all to do. We are not going to do anything stupid like that either." Speaking from the experience of Dunfermline finishing with ten men themselves in three out of their last five games, Ryan claimed that gives you too much to do.

"A few of the boys who play for Raith - Pat Clarke and Jason Thomson - were here before and I get on very well with them. We just need to keep our cool and the atmosphere will get you through the game.  It was a good game last time and I was enjoying it last time before my injury. Things like that happen in football."

Ryan missed out on the first game at home against Raith and he hopes that the Pars will bounce back after what he described as a 'sticky' patch:-

"You need to get out of this as quick as you can and start picking up points again. Raith have experienced boys and are a big physical side but we feel that we are good enough to win.  We were playing so well earlier in the season and so it is frustrating to do not so well after that. We need to put in a better performance."

Last Saturday Ryan came up against his team mate and travelling companion from previous seasons - Martin Hardie.  He added:-

"He kept on trying to get me but it was all good banter. He is still a good player for his age.  It just shows how to use your experience well, he is clever and the fans loved him when he was here. It was good to play against him but hopefully next time I play against him we will win."