Jim Jefferies on Thursday

23/10/14: "We knew the young boys would improve; the proof is there - seven out of ten clean sheets ...

Jim Jefferies has always maintained that the three games in October against Ayr United, Forfar and Morton would be tough ones. He is also acutely aware that Morton were the last side to defeat his team just five weeks ago. He told the website:-

"The bottom line is, we are on a good run and there should be no despondency at all. Against Forfar we just didn't do enough; we had enough of the ball but we didn't do enough in the last third to create chances to win the game.

"It was a combination of that and the experience of the players in their back line and goalkeeper. It is always going to be difficult and in the second half I thought we played into their hands. We maybe pushed too far forward at times but that is just enthusiasm to get a goal.

"They were very dangerous on the break and we had to thank Scully for saving us a couple of times. I don't think we were outplayed or that it was all Forfar, it was far from that. Half the chances that they did get were gifts from us in terms of pass backs. They had one or two decent moves and when they caught us on the break we had Scully to thank.

"I thought the penalty was a bit soft but we got a golden opportunity. You get games like that; maybe Forfar didn't deserve to lose the game but we didn't take it. So we go again and try and balance it up after the performance against Morton the last time.

"We need to try and square it. We are at home this time and hopefully we will improve. We have been working this week in the last third with midfield players getting in positions as well as trying to create more clear cut chances.

"At the start of the season we were doing that but for the last two games I could not say that, I think that we have been guilty of making the wrong decisions. That is something we can work on. It is not for lack of effort or the way we set up, it is nothing to do with that.

"Sometimes when you get out there and into situations where you have got to make the right decision - whether pass it, shoot or lay it off. We just have not done that so well in the last two games. Credit to the opposition but it was partly our own fault."

JJ wants his team to attack as a team and defend as a team, he continued:-

"The defensive side of things has improved greatly because we have had as many clean sheets as we had in 30 last season. It means that the young boys have learned from their mistakes, Gregor Buchanan has come in and obviously helped that cause but we have a good balance there.

"We knew the young boys would improve; the proof is there - seven out of ten clean sheets. If you tell me that in the next ten games that I am going to have seven clean sheets I will take your hand off now."

When Morton defeated the Pars in September it toppled the Pars off the top of the league but at the time it was a big game for Morton.

"We were there to be shot at, we didn't deal with it but nearly got away with it. For all their domination they were just 1-0 up and we got a penalty. We were the team looking more likely to score but we switched off at two occasions and got punished.

"We had no complaints because over the 90 minutes they didn't deserve to win. Hopefully over the next 90 minutes we win and we deserve to win.

The squad is strengthened by the addition of Allan Smith (pictured below), Ryan Thomson and Stuart Urquhart, all of whom came through Tuesday night's under 20's match against St Mirren.

"We only really have Ryan Wallace unavailable. Whether these boys have trained enough in the last two or three days to warrant selection I don't know. It is nice to have them available because there are places on the bench to fill as well.

"Ryan Wallace's scan showed that there wasn't sufficient improvement to get him back into it. The stress fracture was still there, it had improved slightly but not enough to bring him back. The instruction was another two to three weeks of complete rest, doing nothing.

"Next week he will be due back in. We will send him back in for a scan and see if we can come in and do some light training. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we can have him available for the second half of the season, that is the target now. He maybe wants back quicker; if it has cleared up he might be back a lot quicker. Realistically by the time he gets match fit if we can have him for the Christmas period that would be a bit of a bonus."

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