Jim Jefferies on Thursday

We are on a good run and have home advantage. Hopefully we can take our chances on Saturday.

Jim Jefferies is preparing his team for a test on Saturday when they meet league leaders Forfar Athletic at East End Park. He reflected that Forfar had probably surprised a few people but he was not one of them.

"They have a few experienced players, players who have played at a higher level. They have done extremely well and have used their knowledge to start the season well.

"Both teams are in good form and it should serve up a good game. Nothing will be decided on Saturday, there is a long, long way to go after that. If both teams are in that position with half a dozen games to go then it will be massive but on Saturday both teams will be trying to win the game and either they will remain top, or we will go top.

"We are on a good run and have home advantage. That worked for them last time when after we missed a couple of good chances, they punished us for that. Hopefully we can take our chances on Saturday."

The chances missed at Station Park in August still annoy Jim Jefferies, he lamented the 2-0 defeat:-

"Page missed a sitter in the opening five minutes for a header.. Gozie was through twice one on one with the goalkeeper and didn't finish. Obviously he had just arrived at the club then, it was his first start and a bit rusty but you have to take these chances or teams come back and cash in. That is what Forfar did to their credit.

"It was a pretty windy day and on the AstroTurf. Their boy hit one from 25 yards that on that surface can skid off and go past. It didn't give Scully much of a chance. The problem was at source when we allowed the boy to hit the shot. We didn't close him down and we spoke about that at half time.

"The other goal was from a set play. Gozie realised after that game just how important it is to pick up your man. He was told in no uncertain terms that you just cannot give free headers away, especially to Darren Dods. We made two mistakes that Forfar were good enough to take advantage of them. Other than that there was very little in the game.

"Since then they will have gained confidence, we have gained a bit of confidence soon as we bounced back from that defeat. Just like them we are on a good run, going well and although the expectations are more on us than on them. We have got to deal with that."

The manager was especially pleased with the most recent match against Ayr United at Somerset Park:-

"Apart from probably against St Mirren in the cup, in an attacking sense away from home, at a difficult place against a team coming off a couple of wins, it was the best we have played. It was a difficult type of game but we did extremely well.

"My only criticism was at half time, when you are that far in front, playing well, dominating the match, having created three or four good opportunities we should have come in with two and possibly three goals ahead.

"We had glaring opportunities that if you don't take them then the game remains tight at 1-0. We knew that Ayr would change their tactics in the second half. Five minutes into it they shoved Craig Beattie on and he gave them more presence. He knows the game, knows how to drop off and cause problems.

"We were not 'battered' as I read in a report this morning or even under the cosh. Apart from free kicks and corners where they saw that as their opportunity down at the end they like in front of their own supporters, there weren't that many clear cut chances for them.

"Dunfermline still had some good chances and Faissal (El Bakhtaoui) was unlucky with an attempt that can off the underside of the bar. We actually thought that we had a good claim for a penalty when it came back off the underside of the bar and caught the boy who reacted with a hand.

"We had two or three good chances. I wouldn't say that they dominated the second half as much as we dominated the first. It was a more even game in the second half and I wouldn't say that any team dominated apart from a late flurry which always happen.

"You have got to remember that we had to make two changes in the second half. That can upset the balance a wee bit. Andy Stirling had to go off with a knee knock and we lost big Stuart Urquhart, who was having a good game.

"We moved Ross Millen in to centre half, Alex Whittle who had come on for Stirling dropped back and we took off Michael Moffat to see it out. We put Faissal through the middle on his own.

"It was important that we got the result and the result could have been a lot more convincing had we cashed in on the first half dominance. At the end of the day it gave us three points away from home to keep our run going.

"The thing to admire in the second half was the resilience of the team. With the inexperience we had, maybe a year ago we might have drawn that or even lost it from that position."

For Saturday the manager is pleased to welcome back Lewis Martin, Andy Geggan came through 65 minutes against St Johnstone on Tuesday night in the Development League and Allan Smith is now back in the squad.

"We have lost big Stuart but we have gained with those others being available."

Ryan Thomson is still out with a hamstring tear and Ryan Wallace remains sidelined.