Jim Jefferies ahead of Falkirk

15/02/13: JJ - "We were stretched before that game and we will be stretched even more now.

On Saturday Jim Jefferies and Steven Pressley take their teams into the derby encounter both on the back of conceding four goals each in the process of losing to Cowdenbeath at Central Park.

"We have beaten them twice comfortably this season but they have improved by bringing in three or four boys in. They are fighting for their lives to keeping a resurgent Dumbarton, then Airdrie you can never count out - they are capable of getting results. Cowdenbeath had a desire about them on Tuesday night that we should have had."

Yet it had looked so much better as Dunfermline came from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 with 15 minutes to go. The Pars gaffer speculated that it was possibly down to lack of experience in his team..

"We missed Stephen Jordan and people who would have dealt with it better. We will take that on board and try and put it right this week.

"They got a pretty stern rollicking after the game and could have felt sorry for themselves but they agreed that it was needed and that they deserved it. You look for a response in the next game. Looking at the training today, I think we will get it,"

Falkirk might be saying the same thing after their going over by Cowdenbeath. The atmosphere of a derby against the West Fifers is always one to raise the Bairns fans and motivate their players. Jim Jefferies described Falkirk versus Dunfermline as the biggest match in the league:-

"I know that from past experience so this is the right game and if they weren't up for it, you would have to ask serious questions because this is a game that the fans like to win whether you are bottom of the league, middle of the league or top of the league.

"We will have to go into it in the right attitude but I am sure Falkirk will be saying the same. It has the ingredients to make it a cracking game, it was that on Boxing Day and although we got beat that day, we got applauded off the pitch. We played most of the game with ten men and over the ninety minutes there is no doubt that we were the better side.

"Falkirk played well as well, we cannot deny them. They got the break, maybe just on chances not pressure we maybe just shaded it."

Jefferies' Dunfermline side has more than the Cowdenbeath factor in common with their opponents:-

"Falkirk are getting the same as us with the inconsistency of young players. There is no doubt about it and I knew that when we were flying at the start of the season. I said the time will come when you are affected by injuries -we have had a fair share. We have not been too bad with suspensions - just the odd one here and there but there are dips in form and we have hit hard times.

"It is how they deal with hard times now, it is about the learning process for young players. When Falkirk went down they went with a decision like ours. They went with youth and they sold a couple of players out of it but they have never been promoted. They know when you put the emphasis of your squad on youngsters it is difficult. You have players who have not played at this level very much

"Falkingham, Wallace and Geggan have all come up from lower divisions and we have young boys coming through. You get inconsistencies throughout the season and that is what Falkirk have. Some day on their day those young players will beat anybody and it will be frustrating for Steven. With young boys you have highs and lows with them."

Jim Jefferies watched Falkirk game from the stand

Against Cowdenbeath injuries continued to be incurred so the Pars gaffer will need to reassess his starting eleven to face Falkirk:-

"When Shaun Byrne was injured we missed his wee bit guile and that was a turning point for us. His game at Hamilton was his best game for us, he was excellent and I thought he was going to start kicking on from there.

"Chris Kane was injured just after half time. We were stretched before that game and we will be stretched even more now. Andy Barrowman has an outside chance of making the bench because he has not trained with us.  Andy Geggan will be out, Stephen Jordan will be out, Shaun Byrne will be out and I will have to rely on young boys because we do not have the experience. "

It is hoped that Kane might recover from his ankle injury, he will go through a fitness test because the physio has said not to rule him out altogether, he is improving fast after going over on his ankle.

Shaun Byrne is likely to be out for between six to eight weeks with his ankle injury and Jefferies commiserated with the 19 year olds plight:-

"We picked the right moment even though it surprised everybody when we picked him for the Fife Derby against Raith Rovers. He was excellent for an hour, he missed one game when he was away in Cyprus, returned against Livingston and did well against Hamilton. "

Youth is the way that Dunfermline have been forced to go and 18 year old Ross Millen has also come in since Stephen Jordan and Andy Geggan are both sidelined. Jefferies continued:-

"He has never let us down but to expect those young players to push you forward for the title is asking a lot. As long as we are up there challenging and trying to do the right things. We will have bad days as well as good days but the one positive thing to come out of this is if the Club get through, survive this and get a chance to improve with experience, a lot of ground work had been done this season for the years ahead."

The Manager confirmed that Preben Erland has returned to his own club, but has been invited back for pre-season training when his team has a mid-season break.  He also confirmed that 21 year old midfielder Ivan D'Angelo who joined Dunfermline in August 2012 has decided to return to Italy.