Manager on Friday

28/12/12: JJ - "You don't always get what you deserve in football."

Jim Jefferies acknowledged that Saturday's opponents Morton have opened up the race for promotion with their Boxing Day win over Partick Thistle.  Speaking exclusively to the website he described how disappointed he was with the result:-

"We were looking to win and keep the pressure on Partick but if we had won and Partick had won, it would have been the same distance between the sides. It has tightened the league up, there is no run away leaders and there are a lot of games yet. Everybody has to play each other at least twice, we have to play Morton three times.

"It becomes an important game on Saturday because Morton have thrown themselves in there but I knew they would because they are a big strong, experienced side that I warned at the beginning of the season, would be up there challenging.

"It is a big game and if we can go down there and get a win, it would keep us in the mix and above Morton. It would keep us in touch with Partick who we have to assume will win at Airdrie."

For the trip to the Tail of the Bank selection will again be limited by suspension. Callum Morris returns after serving his two match ban but captain Jordan McMillan will miss out following his red card against Falkirk. The Pars boss is still adamant that the incident should have been avoided by the referee giving a foul in Jordan's favour:-

"In a game like that linesmen have to show common sense even in that atmosphere. It was a simple free kick to give. It caused something but that is no excuse for Jordan, okay you feel hard done to because one of your team mates has got involved in something but you don't go grabbing people by the throat or you are asking for trouble. That and a blue mist by Callum at Livingston has caused us problems we can do without.

"You never want to take away that fireyness to get in and compete but at the same time they have to control their emotions and not leave their team mates with more to do. The game is hard enough without going a man down. What is pleasing in the two games where we had to play with ten men, we have actually done quite well."

Jim Jefferies wanted to pay tribute to the Pars supporters:-

"It is easy when you lose a match like that to feel a little dejected. I felt that is maybe what they were against Hamilton and we didn't have that bad a performance against Hamilton, they are a side that has been improving. What it did was to show that they appreciated just how well the players had played. It was a succour punch and the players didn't deserve that. The least we deserved was to come out of it 0-0. We were on top when the sending off incident happened and we would probably have gone on to win. That's what happens in football, you have to dust yourself down and go again. It becomes a massive game on Saturday and that's the best way to get over it; get out there and win a big match."

The Manager confirmed that Jordan McMillan has gone over the points threshold following his recent red. Jordan will miss out on Saturday and on Wednesday when Dunfermline face Raith Rovers. Other bad news is that Josh Falkingham's yellow card means his disciplinary points total will cause him to sit out the home game against Airdrie United on 12th January.

Jefferies has not heard from Gateshead regards the loan agreement that has taken Paddy Boyle south until early January. But he intends to discuss the loan agreement Paul Willis has at East Fife before the end of the year because that deal is up on 3rd January.

With the return of Callum Morris, Jim Jefferies wanted to put on record an appreciation of the job done by John Potter who stood in for the Hamilton Accies and Falkirk matches:-

"It is a lot harder for him because his role was to come in and give cover at the back. The young boys - Kerr Young and Grant Munro - weren't quite ready and John had to do the dual purpose of keeping himself fit, training with the first team and training the young boys. He has played well in the two games, filling in well for Callum. It is a mark that he knows that Callum has been playing outstandingly well. I have been delighted with the job John has done, he has more than held his own in showing what a good pro he is. It was difficult for him to keep himself match fit for games like that. His knowledge and reading of the game is a great help and he is still highly competitive."

John Potter will be off to Cyprus with the under 20s in January and he will be hoping that the first team does not have any more defensive injuries or suspensions or else he will have to stay behind. The Manager said that if need be Potts could be recalled in emergency and leave Grant Petrie and Stephen Wright with the under 20s.

Jim Jefferies is hoping that the travelling support can make an impact at Cappielow:-

"The fans have been fantastic for us. I was really pleased that they gave the boys a great reception coming off on Wednesday. It was a great game, a great advert for the game and I felt that we were the better side. It is an old cliche in football that was proved right on Boxing Day that you don't always get what you deserve. We certainly didn't get what we deserved. Falkirk made a game of it as well and the only criticism I have of our team is that in the last three matches is that we have had really good opportunities when it has been 0-0 or 1-1 in the Hamilton game, to go in front and we have been punished for it."

Regaining the goalscoring touch and getting in front in games is where the gaffer would rather be:-

"Then teams have got to come out and chase us and that makes it easier to get the second. The first goal always helps but we have come back a couple of times from two goals down so I don't get too depressed when we go down as long as there is plenty time. We had no time on Boxing Day to get it back."