Manager on Thursday
Thursday, 3rd Dec 201503/12/15: AJ - "We just have to find solutions no matter what other teams do here to try and frustrate us. We have to be patient ..........
Allan Johnston is expecting to have a greater number of players to choose from for Saturday's home match against Brechin City. Ryan Wallace and Mickael Antoine-Curier are back in training so in addition to the two long term injured - Ryan Williamson and Callum Fordyce - only Andy Geggan is unavailable as he serves his one match suspension for his six yellow cards.
The Pars manager feels that Saturday's opponents Brechin City are totally changed team from the one they fielded at the start of the season when Dunfermline won 6-1 at Glebe Park:-
"I know that one of their centre halves broke his leg last weekend so I don't know what system that they will play but they have been a lot better recently. You just need to look back a couple of weeks ago to the point they won against Ayr. That shows you how much they have improved."
Brechin City manager Darren Dods could fill the vacancy by fielding himself.
"He has a lot of experience and has obviously played at a high level. I am sure that playing at the back he will be able to talk to the players alongside and organise better than he could from the side of the park. I am sure that he will be a big influence."
Brechin's approach to the game may well be the same as others when they come to East End Park, the manager continued:-
"We just have to find solutions no matter what other teams do here to try and frustrate us. We have to be patient and wait for that opportunity. When it comes along we have to make sure that we take it."
Last week it was Dunfermline who took their chance and knocked Ayr United out of the William Hill Scottish Cup. AJ reflected:-
"It was a difficult game in the conditions but I thought we coped with it as well as we could. It is not easy to play football when the wind is like a hurricane. The boys did well and it was important that we got the win especially when we play them in just over a week's time.
"That gives the boys a lot of confidence. If we had got beat in that game it would have been difficult for the players going into a game knowing that they had been beaten twice this season by Ayr. We got the result and now we just need to make sure that we win on Saturday. The next game is always the most important game."
Asked if he thought that his side should possibly have scored more goals at Somerset Park, AJ said:-
"We had a couple of good opportunities but to be fair Sean (Murdoch) had some good saves as well. They didn't cut us open with great play, it was from setpieces, good delivery and some hard to defend but Sean made some really good saves. It was a clean sheet so it just shows how important that is as well."
Jim McIntyre returns to East End Park
The cup win put Dunfermline into the hat for the Fourth Round of the Scottish Cup where they have been drawn at home to a Premier League club. The Pars manager described playing against Ross County as a difficult draw but this is not likely to be a tie in the 'glamour' category:-
"It is still a big opportunity for us to go and show ourselves against Premier League opposition. It is at home, that's important and I am sure that Jim McIntyre will be desperate to come back here and get a result."
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