Manager on Thursday
Thursday, 22nd Jan 2015John Potter is looking forward to taking his team to Cappielow on Saturday even though they face one that has a 100% record against Dunfermline this season.
"Down there we were really poor. We never really performed and they did. To be fair they were the better team on the day and we didn't deserve to win.
"Back here we were good for 65 to 70 minutes and probably should have been more than one up. The game turned, we went too deep and then they scored two in the last fifteen minutes. Two defeats; one through a bad performance and one through an okay performance but just sat too deep at the end.
"We have got an improvement in the last couple of games that we have played. Performance has not been good enough and we need a big improvement this weekend.
"I think we have shown good spirit in the last wee while. We have maybe not played as well in the last two weeks but we have at least shown desire to get back in the game. That was probably missing five or six weeks ago. We have played to the final whistle and looked fit in the last two games.
"We know that we have to start the game better; we cannot give teams a lead against us and when we do go in front we have got to see it out."
At the start of the season Dunfermline and Morton as full timers were hotly fancied to contest the leadership but the manager conceded that League One is hotly contested with Stranraer at the top and the Angus clubs, Forfar Athletic and Brechin City in contention for play off places. Potter continued:-
"Even the teams that started the season at the bottom have improved big time. Stranraer are out in front and then there are still three or four teams that all think that they can win this. Then nearly everybody else thinks they can get into the play offs.
"It is a difficult league, we are full time and so are Morton so we are expected to be up the top. We are not which is disappointing but there are other teams who are full of experienced part time players. Brechin, Stranraer and Forfar have all gone on good runs.
"We have not gone on a long run which is disappointing and we are going to have to do that quickly if we are going to start climbing the league."
John Potter is well aware that Saturday's opponents Morton have been freshening up their team. Michael Tidser (25) has returned on a two and a half year deal after leaving in July 2013 to join Rotherham Athletic and then experiencing life as a loanee at Ross County and Oldham Athletic. Peter MacDonald (34) has returned to the club after 18 months at Dundee and former Hibee, Ross Caldwell (21) has been signed from St Mirren. This all gives them experience although it is a plus that Declan McManus loan to Morton has expired and the player who scored in both matches against the Pars this season has gone back to Aberdeen.
"It will be a competitive game; they have height and strength at the back, now they have experience and a threat around the box and in midfield. We know that it will be a difficult game but we have threats as well that they will have to worry about and we will just concentrate on that."
Ross Forbes and Andy Barrowman have changed camps and so there will be a fair understanding of the opposition in both teams.
"We have spoken to Andy about how he thinks they will play and line up. They have signed players that might be a bit different. I am sure Ross Forbes will have done the same for Morton, he will have told Morton about a few of our boys and how they play."
The match has a 5:30pm kick off since it will be televised live by BBC Alba. Whatever the crowd the Pars gaffer expects a good atmosphere due to proximity of the fans to the playing surface at Cappielow.
The squad will be missing Gregor Buchanan who serves a one match suspension but Andy Geggan returns from his suspension. Ryan Williamson is not back in training yet.
"We have an idea of a team but with two or three niggles we will have to wait and see how they are before we can make a selection. You want to win games and I have not done that yet; we have not been losing which is a positive but we need to start winning if we want to climb the league. It is a big game but it is one that I think we can take three points from."
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