Pars should be proud of their run

JM:- “I have not seen anything like it. When you ask them to work you need to stop them and you can’t get enough of them.”

It had to happen sometime, Saturday’s defeat at Montrose ended Dunfermline Athletic’s unbeaten league record. The 2-0 defeat is a set back but James McPake claimed this is not going to knock the team for six, he will not allow that to happen.

When the 37 year old was appointed Dunfermline manager back in May he claimed that his first mission was to get the club back to winning ways. He said at the time:- “It is a great feeling to win games of football and that has been missing at this football club for too long.”

Dunfermline won only seven games in 2021-22 league season but have already registered seven league wins this season and it is not yet the end of October. James is pleased with the way things have turned around for the Pars after the disastrous play-off defeat to Queen’s Park that so abruptly ended last season and dispatched them to League One. James said:-

“It is hard to switch from that, especially when you lose the way it happened in a play-off game. Then you come in as a full new management team, a full new group of staff. To come in and get them to gel and get them to buy into your ideas. In terms of that they have been excellent and they should be proud of what they have done.

“We are certainly proud of them, we put training sessions on and we give instructions asking them how we want them to play but ultimately they go on to the pitch and they are the ones who deserve all the credit when they win. They are doing it, out running about and out-working teams. Scoring the goals on Tuesday night, the late winners and holding on late on in games.”

“We don’t mind as a coaching staff when you lose a game to take the flack because I believe with the work the players give you, it is our job to just stand up and take it for them.

“You only do that when they give you everything that they have got. That group of boys have given us everything that they have got and that is why I can take full responsibility for that defeat on Saturday. Those boys have given myself, Dave, Martin and every other member of staff absolutely everything and every Dunfermline fan from day one.

“We were desperate to win games and there is still a belief there. This is not going to knock us for six, we will not allow that to happen. We will be back to work, working on what we can get better at and we will come out at East End Park next weekend against Kelty and have a right go with a big crowd behind us who will be desperate for us to get back to winning ways.”

James hopes that the fans have been enjoying the opening to the season that sees the club sit top of League One after one third of the fixtures, but acknowledged:-

“They will hurt and feel the pain like we are. Come Monday they will look at it and say that it has been twelve games with one defeat and say that is okay. Then they will demand another twelve games with one defeat, that is the way you are.

“Football is hard when you lose but I feel for the players, they have given us absolutely everything, every single day in training. The fans get to see them on the pitch giving everything and I get to see what they are doing every day.

“They are a great bunch and if I go back and listen to my interviews I have not said that very often about many teams. That is not me having a go at the previous team that I managed but in terms of how this group of lads work, I have not seen anything like it. When you ask them to work you need to stop them and you can’t get enough of them.”

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