Managers Post Morton

13/04/13: JJ - "In all the circumstances to get that result was for me, the result of the season.

Jim Jefferies described the victory at Greenock as the best result of the Pars season. He was in good form when he spoke to the media after the match:-

"I said to the players at half time that if they keep doing what they are doing, and with no disrespect to the other boys who had some great results earlier in the season, but in all the circumstances to get that result was for me the result of the season.

"When I filled in the team sheet today, I had to put down all the ages of the players of 21 and under and there were only three outfield spaces that weren't filled and that included the subs.

"They got their goal and the team was set up right; we didn't play with a back three, we played with a back five. We worked on it on Thursday morning and we never gave very much away. Any balls that were played through, there were no gaps. We resorted them to try and get the ball wide where hopefully we could deal with the balls in.

"It became difficult in the second half when they were playing downhill and picked up a bit. They put so many balls into the box but we dealt with it. The goalie dealt with some difficult balls in the wind and the centre halves did not give away any free headers like we did last week that cost us. Morton had to work hard to get a chance. They were reduced to getting the ball in to put us under pressure thinking we were a young inexperienced team and you can't blame them for that.

"Our boys were just magnificent today. We never had a passenger, they all worked their socks off and when you consider what we were giving away in experience today, I think that is the best result of the season."

The Manager praised his young side who started, even with John Potter at the ripe old age of 33 years and 118 days, at an average of 21 years 202 days. A hamstring injury caused central defender Callum Morris to miss out but he was not alone.

"I was without Callum Morris - he was in the team until this morning but it was too risky because it could have put him out for a while. Andy Geggan and Ryan Wallace who have played most of the season were also missing through injury and on top of that Stephen Husband who has been playing regular was suspended. So to come here with the bunch of boys I had just speaks volumes for what they have gone through, their spirit and determination.

"Hopefully the Club will get out of this and whoever is in charge when they come out of administration has a crop of good young kids. They will need help and they will need a bit of experience. Where we are going to get experience when we can't sign anyone over the age of 21 is the hard part!

"This win will give everybody at the Club a lift and I just cannot speak highly enough of them today. Craig Dargo was telling me that one of the papers had us at 9-1 to win today. 9-1 away from home, Dunfermline Football Club? That just shows you the task we had in front of us.

"We got something to hang on to early. There was a long way to go but they were magnificent. We were always a threat and you probably saw me having a wee go at Allan Smith in the warm down. He did great to rob the boy, he was in but had he got his head up he had Josh and Ryan Thomson just waiting to pick their spot. He is a young striker who wants his name on the scoresheet I suppose. We will forgive him but I said to him that it was a good job that it finished 1-0."

The Manager praised his Slovakian goalkeeper who at the age of 22 has never let the side down:-

"Sometimes your heart is in your mouth a wee bit but there were some difficult balls coming in from headers at corners and you could see that the wind was having an effect. It wasn't easy for him but you have got to say that he was magnificent. He got awkward balls that you thought were going over and then oh no it is going in to deal with. We didn't have a passenger from the goalie out.

"We brought on a 19 year old when Whittle went off. Alex is a left winger who we had playing left back but he is getting better all the time. The laddie Ross Drummond came on for him and when Smith had run his race a 16 year old, Lewis Martin, came on. They were terrific."

The win, their first after a run of ten without one, takes Dunfermline to within three points of Dumbarton. The Sons were without a match due to Falkirk's involvement in the William Hill Scottish Cup at Hampden and due to Cowdenbeath's 1-0 win over Raith Rovers, the Blue Brazil are three ahead still as well. This sets up an important Fife Derby against Colin Cameron's team at East End Park next Saturday.

"Hopefully there will be a good atmosphere next week. We have a young team going in against them and we will have to do it next week because if we can get level with them then we have a superior goal difference. We cannot go into any game thinking that because it is Dunfermline Football Club that we automatically have the right to win.

"We have almost a full team of kids, seven of this team today can play in the Youth Cup Final. It shows you how well they have done this season. Some are coming through to the first team a lot earlier than planned; we thought we might get two or three through but we have eight or nine. This is because needs must, but it is terrific.

"It will be a big game next week but if the fans can get behind us who knows, we could get level with them. If Partick can win the league by that time, we will have a difficult away game against them. Then we meet Airdrie at home so there is all to play for. If it means we have to go into the play offs then we will have to do that as well. Right now the most important thing is that the Club survives, hopefully that is going to happen."

Morton manager, Allan Moore warned the press before he spoke that they did not have to print every word he says because there would possibly be a few swear words!

"It was a major disappointment and a poor performance. At this stage of the season we asked the boys not to let it peter out. We were missing a couple of players today (Michael Tidser and Martin Hardie) and we gave players opportunities that they had not been given over recent weeks.

"We gave ourselves a mountain to climb by conceding a poor first goal. We left ourselves two v two at the back and lost the first goal. The way Dunfermline set up (5-3-2) it was always going to be difficult because they were playing five at the back. There weren't a lot of spaces.

"Losing the first goal in this league, there are not many teams that come back and win. It looks like we have handed Partick Thistle the league on a plate and that is what disappoints me.

"We started on the ball in the first half a bit too much and thought 'this is going to be easy' but we got caught by that. We were too slack playing a ball in our half of the pitch. Dunfermline got a lot of bodies behind the ball but it was our job to break them down. Fair doos to Dunfermline they defended really well and got in about us.

"We put on a better show in the second half but we didn't look as though we wanted it enough today."

SFA Youth Cup Final has been confirmed Dunfermline v Celtic
Wednesday 1st May 2013, 7.30pm kick off at Hampden Park