Manager on Tuesday

14/05/13: JJ - "I am looking for a good reaction from them on Wednesday and not give us such a tough task in the second leg.

Jim Jefferies is well aware that his team's next opponents challenged Queen of the South for a long period of the Second Division season:-

"It speaks volumes for the job that has been done there. Reports are that they are a decent side and again we will be on astroturf which we didn't handle very well last Wednesday.

"I said to the players that if they got through last Saturday that it would stand they in good stead for this game; they would know what to expect and know that they have to go and do better. I am looking for a good reaction from them on Wednesday and not give us such a tough task in the second leg.

"We have to go out and make sure that we compete better, focus better and concentrate better because we didn't do these things and allowed ourselves to be overpowered. Alloa have one or two more experienced players than us but they try and play good football so it should be a good game."

Dunfermline needed extra time to get through against Forfar but Jim Jefferies felt that the Station Park side were victims of their midweek exertions that allowed the full timers to cash in towards the end of the second leg. The Manager is hoping that his players will take great heart and mental boost from Saturday's victory but he is no doubt that a football manager's role is getting tougher:-

"I do not want to wish my life away but I am glad that I'm not starting out now because it is harder for managers now. You can see from Saturday in both ties, the pressures on managers to get involved. The pressure is getting greater.

"People react especially people like Paul Hartley who has played at a high level. He probably could have gone down the divisions and continued playing but he has given up a playing career to concentrate on the management side. Every time he played for Scotland he was always one of their better and most consistent players. I was interested in taking him to Hearts in my first spell there but he came to Hearts in a round about way after that from St Johnstone. His career blossomed at Hearts ."

The well respected young manager has chosen well in cutting his managerial teeth at a lower division club:-

"I went to Berwick Rangers and made mistakes, Paul will make mistakes but the good thing about these clubs is that there are not too many people find out but you learn from them. When you do move up to a higher level, which he will do one day, he will know like me that he shouldn't have done that.

"Paul has done the right thing. I know him well because he goes off to Portugal at the same time as me and we had a game off golf a couple of years ago. I tried to sign him for Hearts a second time but because the deal dragged on Aberdeen stepped in and signed him. Had he not taken it he would have been at Hearts for a second spell under me. We laid the foundation for it on the golf course in Portugal."

The Pars Manager is hopeful that only Ryan Wallace will be missing for Wednesday night's game although Chris Kane went over on his ankle and caused a short scare.