Lee happy to take road to Dundee
Saturday, 30th Jul 2016Tannadice is a good place to go. There is always a good atmosphere and Dundee United are always a good team.
Lee Ashcroft sees Sunday`s Betfred Cup match against Dundee United as a perfect opportunity to bounce back from the horror of Tuesday night`s defeat to Inverness Caley Thistle and the chance to show a live television audience that Dunfermline Athletic are a good side. Speaking to this website Lee said:-
"With losing on Tuesday night in the way that we did, Sunday becomes a massive game for us, it was going to be anyway. They have a lot of players that they had last year so I know a few of the boys and they have brought some in who I have played against before.
"It will be hard game. It is always a good place to go and play but both teams need to win to get through so I think it will be an end to end game. Nobody will want to lose the game so it might be a bit tight at times. I am looking forward to it and a lot of the boys are keen to make up for Tuesday and get playing again as quick as we can to put that result behind us. It was a bit harsh on us to be honest but that`s football sometimes go like that.
"We had had a good call for a penalty, we could have gone 1-0 up and it felt like we were on top for the first twenty minutes. They scored but we got an equaliser and we felt that we were on top again when Iain Vigurs scored with a great free kick. There is nothing you can do against that.
"At half time we were still confident that we could get a result but they got a very lucky third goal and you start thinking `is it going to be our night`?
"We were pushing trying to get back into the game when they got a fourth and a lot of the boys heads went down. It is hard when that happens."
Lee has been ever present in a Pars back four that has almost picked itself so far this season. Other than Jason Talbot and Lewis Martin swapping about the remainder of the back four has been cut and pasted on to Allan Johnston`s team lines right from the start of pre season. Obviously Callum Fordyce is fighting his way back to match fitness and when that happens then selection might not be so automatic.
The 22 year old defender signed from Kilmarnock in May is disappointed to lose five goals in a match after registering two clean sheets in the previous Betfred matches. "Some of the goals were harsh on us. We need to go back out on Sunday and keep ourselves tight. Hopefully when things do go against us we will get a bit of luck."
As hinted above by Lee, Tannadice is a ground that most players enjoy visiting:-
"Personally there are grounds that I like going to because in the past I think that I have played well there. There are others places you don`t like going because you feel that they are hard places to go, but Tannadice is a good place to go. There is always a good atmosphere and Dundee United are always a good team. Even though they were relegated last season, they are still a good side.
"Hopefully our support will be a big away support and we can give them something to cheer about."
Last season Lee faced United three times as a Kilmarnock player and all the effort in these matches was to avoid the drop. This season he hopes that his battle against United will be at the other end of the league.
"It is harder because when you are down there fighting for your life, things go against you. I can remember a couple of good games against them last year and I just hope it will be the same again this year."
Teams that get relegated can suffer because they struggle to lose that downer feeling. The arrival of new manager, Ray McKinnon should change all that. Lee continued:-
"With a new manager and new players in they will be looking to get promoted back up as soon as they can. No game is going to be easy against teams like that.
"Dundee United are one of the favourites for the league so playing against teams like that will let you know where you are. Every game is different, you can go and win but next game you can go and get beat. It will be a marker to know what we are up against."
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