Jim Jefferies on Thursday

29/08/13: JJ - "Probably every team that we have played this season have had more senior players ...

Jim Jefferies is trying hard to find out as much as he can about Saturday's opponents because there has been no spying missions or reconnaissance for financial and logistical reasons.  Speaking exclusively to the website the Pars gaffer claimed the distance had resitricted a fact finding mission:-

"I know its a very long way away but we do our best through contacts at teams who have played them to see if we can get as much information as we can. It is all that we can do because it is very difficult to get someone to do a match report for nothing. They have been at home for the last three games so the travelling costs down there would have been significant. There has just not been any opportunities to watch them near here.

"When we went into administration an overhead cut was reports from somebody who could go and watch games. We are trying to use a couple of contacts that we have for example big Kevin Kyle who is doing his badges did us a wee turn last week on the Falkirk v Livingston game. It was a good experience for him as he is trying to get back into the game."

Several Stranraer players will be no strangers however - Mark Corcoran at 32 has a career that spans Hamilton, St Mirren, Partick Thistle and Ross County. Martin Grehan has over 100 appearance while playing with Stirling, Partick and Alloa, likewise Scott Robertson has topped the ton in appearances at Stirling, Partick and Arbroath. Chris Aitken, a veteran of Stirling, Ayr United and Hamilton will make his 350th league appearance if he plays against the Pars. The Manager recognised this as a pattern:-

"This is what we are up against this season. Stranraer have been down the divisions for a few years but have experienced players, some of them who have even played at a level a little higher. They have good solid ex pros who over the years have done a terrific turn for them. They have players who have scored a fair number of goals in this division and that is something that our side has to contend with.

"Probably every team that we have played this season have had more senior players. Not a lot of our boys have experience, only Ryan has played in the Premier League for us and Josh briefly while at St Johnstone. I am not saying that we will be up against players with Premier League experience but what we face is teams who have found their level and are good players at that level.

"As Rangers found out last season, sometimes it is a different kind of football that you get. You just need to concentrate harder, keep playing the same way and cut out the mistakes. Then we will be capable of beating anybody.

"We have got to earn the right to win the game, we have to make it difficult for Stranraer, get them concentrating on keeping us out as opposed to us worrying about keeping them out. We have bundles of energy and pace. You can see that sometimes when we break we do it at pace - Martyn Corrigan (Stenhousemuir manager) paid us that compliment last week - he said it was a problem for them.

"We have got to work on these things. We have young fresh legs that can keep up the tempo of the game. If you let it slow down and go at the opposition's pace that is when their experience and ability can hurt you."

The Manager has got over the disappointment of Tuesday night's cup exit at the hands of Falkirk. Not just because of the local rivalry but also because he felt that, given what he saw, there was an opportunity against the Bairns.

"We played really well but we shot ourselves in the foot with a bad goal that could have been avoided and the second one was even more avoidable because it was from play on the edge of the box. The frustrating thing for me is that we warned them about what the runner would do but if you do not stick with him, he will punish you.

"We were the better team up until Callum Morris put the ball in his own net. The goal gave them a lift and settled them down. It took the heat off them a little bit but we bounced back and there was very little in the first half. For 25 minutes of the second half Falkirk were just keeping us out. They got a few breaks and we missed chances.

"The home team is always going to be dangerous especially with the front two that they have got. With good confident form they would always be a problem on the break but we dealt with it alright except for a couple of occasions. Late in the game the steam went out of us a little bit when we were looking to push up and put them under pressure."

Jefferies revealed Shaun Byrne missed training on Thursday because of a virus, Kerr Young was back in training however and Chris Kane is available for selection again. Josh Falkingham missed trained on Thursday as well but merely as a precautionary measure following a knock sustained on Tuesday night.