Manager on Thursday
Thursday, 4th Dec 201404/12/14: JJ - Ayr United can be a bit of a hit or a miss at times.
Jim Jefferies will be in the dug out when the Pars take on Ayr United on Saturday. Following his dismissal to the stand in added time at Stranraer last Saturday he has received confirmation from the SFA that no further punishment will be handed out. The manager discussed the contents of the email that had come back from the authorities:-
"They had examined the circumstances and concluded that they saw no reason to proceed with any disciplinary action. It requested that I try and conduct myself better.
"I think they had looked at it and asked how can we possibly do anything. There was no bad language - which is most unusual, I was not arguing with anybody, I was just trying to get a message to Faissal - 'don't try and beat people just pass it and hold on to the ball for the last few minutes'.
"When I turned round the linesman had his flag up signalling to the referee. I admit I was on the pitch, a couple of paces on the pitch, it wasn't five yards. The game was dead, it wasn't as if I was getting in the way of play. At the bottom end I think somebody had hooked it out the pitch and it takes ages to get it back.
"I took the opportunity to tell him, which I am sure people have done in the past. The thing is that Stranraer's pitch between the line and the dugout means that you are talking about one step and you are on the pitch. You do not look at these things when you are trying to get a message across to a player.
"We were under the cosh a bit after they had scored a bit of a freak goal that put them back into it. It gave them a lift and suddenly the momentum swung to them."
The manager felt it was clearly a misunderstanding to send him from the dugout:-
"To be sent to the stand - I said at the time I have never been sent off or spoken to for talking to one of our own players. They have obviously looked at that and decided that there is nothing to charge me with. I was not being aggressive, arguing with a player or referee or linesman. I did not expect any further action and the email has confirmed that."
As a former Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies is never popular with Ayr United fans but he has the greatest respect for the team:-
"They are a team that are a bit of a hit or a miss at times. They have actually played quite well in some of their defeats, been a wee bit unlucky to lose or drop points. When we went down there earlier in the season I thought we had a great first half performance. At 1-0 they came at us, put us under pressure but we defended well and we got away with a great win.
"Over the last couple of years we have always had the advantage. We knocked them out of the cup last season and in the 5-1 game, Ayr played well that day but everything that we hit just went in the net.
"They have one or two decent experienced players but it is an opportunity for us to build on the last two games where the changes have done us well. It has taken a wee bit of pressure off some of them. We weren't playing badly but six goals in two games is the kind of return that we are looking for."
JJ feels that the team has just got to continue from where it left off. He promised few changes. The scan on Ryan Williamson shows no real damage whatsoever. The knee cap bruising will go down. "He will be out for a few weeks but at least there are no operations required or months on the sidelines."
Gozie Ogwu trained longer on Thursday:-
"We will see how It goes. We have to think about Tuesday as well. We might not start him, just get him on the bench. Hopefully we will get him a wee run to test it out for the game on Tuesday."
The league schedule means that you play everybody four times but when you get a couple of cup ties thrown in like Stranraer this season and Ayr United last season there can be a fair amount of familiarity in encounters. The gaffer expanded:-
"You have to play well to beat them because on their day they are capable of beating any team in the league and they know it. We really played well against Ayr last time but they will sit in and make it difficult. They have some good players on the break - Donnelly and Beattie is still there, he is a handful. - but we have been playing well in the last two games. If we can get results out of these games on Saturday and Tuesday then we might have turned the corner.
"We are looking forward to these two games and it is just a case of continuing the good play that we have shown. We must continue the work rate, and the effort that has been put in as well."
Commenting on the Board statement that means the football club will be leaving Pitreavie, the manager said that this is outside his control. "We have to make sure that the facilities are right wherever we go."
"I don't think that, we will get something sorted out as a future base. Unless something drastic happens that allows us to stay at Pitreavie, we will wait on the board to instruct us."
It would seem that the Pars might be looking at moving out in mid to late January. Options for alternative training grounds are being considered. JJ admitted that he would be more concerned if he did not have options.
"A lot of other clubs have to do that but Dunfermline are a bit fortunate here that we have good facilities round about us."
Squad availability has not changed much from last weekend. Stuart Urquhart had been ruled out of both the League One match and the SFA Youth Cup on Sunday (v St Johnstone) that he is eligible for. Chigozie Ugwu has improved and has trained. Michael Moffat is the only other concern in that his wife is expecting their first child and that birth might coincide with Ayr's visit to East End Park.
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