Dunfermline Athletic

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Saturday, 1st Dec 2012

01/12/12:- JJ "Even when they had eleven men on the pitch, they knew that this was going to be a hard game for them

Partick v Dunfermline

Jim Jefferies was pleased to bury the ghost of the 5-1 league defeat on the same stage inflicted just three weeks earlier:-

"When you come here after what happened the last time, we changed the shape of the team and went with four solid midfielders across. We had two banks of four with Dargo just floating about; he was excellent. The gaps didn't appear that they exploited last time apart from a couple of balls flashing the face of goal when they had good delivery in there.

"We were the better team and created a couple of good openings before we scored. I was really pleased by the way the team went about it, the shape was good.  The sending off caused the game to fall flat a bit after that. With the extra man, we kept passing it around and we never looked in any danger.

"In the second half we squandered a lot of chances because we were comfortable until Jackie (McNamara) started throwing men forward. He had to do that because he had nothing to lose, it was a cup tie."

Ryan Wallace chance

The Partick threat would come from corners and free kicks but that should have been immaterial had Dunfermline taken their many chances to kill the game. Jefferies continued:-

"I don't know how many chances we had to finish the game off. We were wasteful in the last third, we took the wrong option. We chipped when we should have shot, we passed in when we should have shot, we shot when we should have passed it and made it hard."

The penalty awarded to Partick in 72nd minute was not one that even the Dunfermline manager could contest:-

"It was definitely a penalty. It was a great bit of skill from Erskine in the box; Andy was thinking that he was going to shoot but he turned inside when Andy thought he was going to shoot It was a definite penalty for me and I wouldn't blame Forbes too much because I thought it was a fantastic save from Paul Gallacher. He got right down to the corner; what a save it was and you think then that its going to be our day."

Paul Gallacher saves penalty

Jefferies dwelt on the fact that Partick should have been dead and buried long before Paul Gallacher was called upon to be the Pars hero.

"They put more forwards on, they were short in midfield and certainly short at the back. They were running the risk of losing a goal which you can understand - I'd probably do the same myself. When a team does that, you have to be clinical and finish them off. We wasted a lot of chances in the second half; sometimes when we broke it was three against one. Ryan Wallace should have scored but dithered about, Andy Barrowman had a couple of great chances. The boys all had about two chances each to go and finish it off."

That gave Jefferies grave concern because he recognised that Partick had the quality, especially with Ross Forbes deliveries from corners and free kicks:-

"They are really difficult to defend against but we defended it well and Gall came out at the right time to help us out. Considering what happened here the last time and nobody cares about hard luck stories, I have been in that situation myself, but the main thing is that Dunfermline are in the next round of the cup."

The result also gives Dunfermline a boost for their league campaign in which Partick Thistle have beaten them twice this season already:-

"They were excellent when we played them here the last time, they were better than us. They played the best that they have played this season, there was a great atmosphere and they deserved to win. Today we have seen a better formation and better balanced team against them. Even when they had eleven men on the pitch, they knew that this was going to be a hard game for them because Dunfermline played their opening half hour to plan. We got our goal and Dargo was unlucky not to score on a couple of occasions when Smith had good saves. Really we were just making sure that if they got to wide areas that we could deal with the balls in. We did that well today."

Almost more important than the result on the pitch, is the result as a consequence of progressing to the Fifth Round of this year's William Hill Scottish Cup. The Manager described the result as massive:-

"The owner said to me before we left, he couldn't make it for other reasons, but he said it would be good if we could get through. He knew it would be a real tough game but he just said that we had to go and just do our best. It is pleasing with all the financial things that are going on, Partick will be the same - they will have wanted to get into the next round for financial reasons. Hopefully it is kind to us with a home draw where we can progress or a good side that will give us a good gate and get some money from it.

"We feel after today's performance, and you can't count Morton out of it either, but I think Partick Thistle and Dunfermline showed that this league will be keenly contested for the rest of the season. There is not a lot between the teams and it will always be about who plays better. They played better the last time and I felt that we didn't really come under the cosh until the last half hour. That's because we invited them on to it and gave the ball away a lot. We started passing it long and didn't pass it as well as we had done in the opening hour,

"We had some really gilt edged chances to finish the game off. A second goal would have deflated them altogether and they knew that they wouldn't come back from that. At 1-0 they were always there."

Dug out at Firhill

Partick boss Jackie McNamara was clearly disappointed at going out of the Scottish Cup.

"It's disappointing, we wanted to get a good run in the cup. Wee things can change a game and the sending off was a big change in the match It was disappointing for us because it came from our bye kick. I'll need to see the incident again and I'm not sure if there is an offside when they first win the header. Obviously Aaron Muirhead is on the wrong side of Craig Dargo and just how much contact there was I'm not sure. Craig Dargo certainly thought that there was contact. He's an experienced player and I think that was a telling factor."

Even a man and a goal down at the break Jackie still felt that his side were more than capable of getting back into the game.

"I said to the players at half-time that if they kept passing the ball they would create chances, which they did. I still felt confident that we would get a goal, even when the game went into injury time. We knew that towards the end they would get a few breakaways with us pushing forward but I felt that we were going to get something from the match and the players are gutted.

"I'm proud of my players and the way that they kept battling even with ten men for such a long, long period of the match. They contributed to what was a good cup tie. It just wasn't our day with the penalty save and Paul Gallacher has had another couple of good saves as well. As disappointed as we are to be out of the cup I can't ask any more of my players."

Aaron Muirhead sees red

Aaron Muirhead's red card was the fifth collected by a Thistle player this season and the manager stressed the importance of keeping a full complement of players on the park.

"Three of the games we have lost this season we've gone down to ten men and it is important that we keep eleven players on the park."

PARS-POST-BANNER

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