Managers Post Hamilton

09/02/13: JJ - "The team was set up perfectly with the two wide, one through the middle and three natural midfield players.

Jim Jefferies thought that his team put in a terrific performance to win at New Douglas Park for the second time this season. He was especially pleased because apart from Paul Gallacher, Andy Dowie and Andy Kirk the remainder of the side were relatively young and some lacking experience at this level. Stephen Jordan did start the game but he had been subbed in the first half by 18 year old Ross Millen

"For a lot of that game we have played with eight youngsters. That is what is great about it. Ross Millen has had to come on into only his second first team appearance. Shaun Byrne was outstanding, Chris Kane has waited patiently but I felt that we needed a bit of aggression in the middle of the park in comparison to what we have been doing.

"He gave that in abundance today. He put himself about and picked up all the scraps. We said before the game that sometimes you have to go and win ugly but we were better than that today. the only thing was that you worry with a young team, if they get a goal back fairly quickly with time to go."

Ryan Wallace and Ross Millen

That was exactly what happened as Grant Gillespie struck just three minutes after Dunfermline had gone into a 2-0 lead with 27 minutes remaining of regulation time.

"We dug in and were dangerous on the break. The team was set up perfectly with the two wide, one through the middle and three natural midfield players. They all did their jobs.

"We suffered a bit after they scored their goal and we had to take a bit of pressure which I felt we dealt with. Then it came back in our favour before those last five minutes which were a wee bit hairy. They were pushing everybody forward and we got the breaks. Nobody could deny us that Dunfermline deserved the break because for large parts of that game they were far better than Hamilton.

"It must be great for supporters to look forward with a young side like that. I have said often that they will improve. Some of them are coming up to a different level. It speaks volume for them and the future of the Club. When you consider what they have been through with their wage delays, they went out there and put on a show.

"Before the game I said to them that it doesn't matter what the Club's plight is - subconsciously it does affect you but at the end of the day you have to be professional and give your best because even if things do not work out for you people are always watching. You have to keep your level of performance up and you get more credit out of that than blaming the situation that we are in.

"It is not easy for them. Psychologically you get dragged down by all the things that are going on. It is not easy for them financially but they showed today that they gave us their all and that was their best performance for a good three or four weeks.

"We let ourselves down last week. The boy May hit one terrific hit for the first goal and we let our heads go down. Then we lost a second and put pressure on ourselves because of the financial situation. These are just young boys and it is a lot to ask them considering what they have gone through.

"We put that aside after a good chat after the game last week and got back to ourselves. They were dominant in the first half; we had three shots in ten minutes with great build up play. I don't think we had three shots in the last three weeks before that. The two wide boys got the ball into the box and we had some great moves, just lacked that final shot on target. There were plenty fizzing over the bar, but that will come because the build up play was excellent today.

"The young boys in the middle of the park - Kane, Byrne and Falkingham were excellent. They made three changes and brought some fresh legs on and getting a goal gave them a lift. You need to dig and grind it out and they did that. They deserved that break in the end because before that Hamilton were well and truly out of it."

When Andy Kirk scored the first goal getting a header on a free kick, the Manager was screaming 'don't shoot just whip,it in' Jim Jefferies recognised good ability in Ryan Wallace;-

"We put him on the free kicks today and it was a great ball in and a great header. To be fair to the wee man I don't think he was going to shoot. He said that he was just going to play the ball in so we were just making sure.

"Ryan was tiring a bit because he had been up and down that wing . Ross was getting a bit over run there when the fresh legs came on, so fresh legs with Thommo who is a bit more physical was an attempt to get us through the last ten to fifteen minutes. Ryan Wallace did well and Kirkie was up there to support him well."

Never one to single out players Jim Jefferies was delighted with the performance of Chris Kane. The former Hearts U19 captain made just his second first team start for the Pars in the game at New Douglas Park:-

"I thought Kane was outstanding today and I was looking for someone just to get in about people, set the tone, pick up scraps and he did the job brilliantly. He got his goal where he was brave. He has waited and he has been patient so to give him an opportunity was deserved. "

Kane had one previous start filling in at Firhill in a game that Thistle overran the Pars but the match at Hamilton was a different proposition for the 19 year old given he was starting in his preferred position in midfield:-

"He was always in my thoughts from last Monday morning. We needed his tenacity in there. The players in training know that he is a difficult guy to play against. Alright he maybe gives away the odd free kick because he is trying to be a winner. That is not a bad trait to have."

Stephen Jordan felt a recurrence of the injury that had kept him out of last week's cup game meaning his early substitution. Dunfermline had started the game well, pressing their opponents and they weren't going to make this one loss create any difference:-

"We were pressing them well and weren't letting them see as much of the ball as we did last week. We were on top of them and played our own game. Falkingham for me was outstanding especially in the first half. He was driving forward from the middle of the park. Byrne was good and got the ball out wide."

Ryan Wallace proved a hit on set pieces after trying a number of different options:-

" He has been great in training so we put him on them because we knew that he had good delivery. He came up with the goods today because he played the ball in for the opening goal and he also played in the corner for Kane to score.

"He had a good one in the first half as well when Andy Dowie could have scored with a header. It was a great opportunity. We have gone through a few set piece takers but we have maybe found the right one eventually."

Hamilton manager Billy Reid felt that it was a strange game and freely admitted that his side were second best for more than the first hour:-

"We did not win a header, we were inept going forward in the first half. At half time the players knew that. I didn't have a go at them because our form of late has been fantastic. Of our last eleven we have won seven and drawn two. It was just a case of sitting them down and telling them that was miles away from where we are.

"Was it complacency from last week? I am not too sure but we went two behind from two set pieces . I think it was our player, Andy Ryan, who headed the ball from the second one.

"Most managers will tell you that you will not make a change at a set piece but we where forced into it. Darian Mackinnon had pulled up with his hamstring and we had to throw Andy Ryan to pick up his man. He was caught cold and I think it glanced off his head into the net.

"We went 2-0 down but for the last thirty minutes or twenty five minutes of the game I thought we bombarded them. We got our goal, we had the best chances, we hit the woodwork , it bounced off the line and their goalie had three or four good saves.

"One move from Grant Gillespie and Jon Routledge cut them open and Grant could have scored. We created a lot more in the last thirty and over the ninety minutes chance wise I thought we deserved a point.

"Gary Fisher came on and won battles all over the park; as soon as he did that it allowed Grant Gillespie, Jon Routledge and Louis Longridge who had all been totally inept before that back into the game. At that stage I thought Dunfermline were running on empty. We were pounding their goal and could have got it.

"It wasn't to be. We pushed Mikey Devlin upfront as a centre back to try and score with a header. He got on the end of one and his header hit the bar and bounced on to the line. It was just not to be our day."