Jim Jefferies on Friday

07/11/14: With an under 20s match planned for Thursday night manager Jim Jefferies altered the players' schedule again this week.

Following Sunday's cup tie against East Stirlingshire, Monday was a day of rest, the players trained Tuesday and Wednesday before returning on Friday.

The previous league match against Peterhead at East End Park was eventful with the Blue Toon playing the whole of the second half was just eight men. JJ preferred to consider that game as "done and dusted" and look forward to Saturday.

"They complained about the first two sendings off but when they saw them on the video they didn't appeal them. Maybe they felt the decisions were justified but that is water under the bridge. It wasn't Dunfermline that sent the players off or got involved. The referee deemed them to be rash and reckless and worthy of a red card.

"It was nothing to do with Dunfermline. The video clearly showed that Josh didn't dive in any of the incidents. We will go up there and if they feel hard done by that just makes them tougher opponents. I don't think there is any bad feeling, just they felt hard done to.

"If they felt that they had a case I am sure they would have appealed it but they never did and that tells its own story. Their gripe was with the referee and not with the Dunfermline people.

"No team finds it easy up there. I keep repeating myself saying that it is all about us. We need to go and play to the potential that we can. We dominated that game without scoring but there task was made difficult with getting three players sent off. It became a farce really and just a matter of how many. They had something to hang on to but when they lost the first goal it was just about keeping the score as low as they could."

Josh Falkingham was the Pars player who was in the midst of the incidents in the match in September but since he had his tonsils out ten days ago he will miss out on the return. His manager explained that it was nothing to do with what happened the last time.

"It was always the case that Josh could not dictate when he could go in to have his tonsils removed. It affected him badly during the winter last year so we didn't want that to happen again.

"There is nothing sinister in that he is not playing this time, it is just that his date came around and he had to take it or maybe wait another six months.

"We have a good strong squad if anybody is not available. The boys have coped very well in the game that Josh has missed and played really well."

Like Allan Smith who had a similar operation earlier this season, Josh got an infection and he attended A&E on Saturday night with a problem with his throat. Having been given antibiotics he returned home to Leeds and is not expected back at Pitreavie until next week.

Ryan Wallace was having a scan today (Friday) to see if he can get back into training. Lewis Martin was hoping to test his back in the under 20s match on Thursday night but that was postponed. He is expected to be in the squad for Peterhead though.

Lewis Martin and Ryan Wallace

The journey up the A90 to Peterhead is one that Jim Jefferies took in August 2007 as manager of Kilmarnock to win 3-0 in the Scottish League Cup. He recalled:-

"It is a good pitch and a good set up there. Nice people who look after you well so we are looking forward to it. My only concern that it is a very early start for us, it would have been nice if we could have stayed overnight in Aberdeen. The Glasgow boys are going to have to be up about six in the morning so they can travel to the pick up places for the coach.

"It is a good three hour journey from here and once you make that journey you need to give yourself time for a pre match meal. It is a lot earlier than going to Stranraer because the difference is that the Glasgow boys can be picked up en route."

Related Stories

• £5 Risk Free Bet from McBookie on 1st Goalscorer
• Preview Peterhead
• Gary Riddell remembered
• Pars and Tesco team up