After drawing 1-1 at home to Partick Thistle last weekend, James McPake says the Dunfermline squad’s mood is good despite the disappointment of not getting a fourth straight win. “When you analyse the game, you see a lot of positives again. There were a lot of good things that happened.
“At the minute, Partick Thistle are the third best team in the league and the fact we’re disappointed coming away with just a point shows just over the last six weeks how far we’ve been and got to now. We’re looking forward to it, we’re bright and the lads have trained great, aided by the fact we’ve got our training ground up and running.”
James does not view Saturday’s match as a “must-win” situation, saying “I’m not looking at it that way, genuinely. It’s an important game.
“They are the team that are above us in the league, but there are also teams close below us as well who will be thinking they can win and get themselves out of a bit of bother. I’m totally focused on going down there and getting the performance right. I believe if we do that we’ve a chance of getting the three points and then we see what happens from there.”
However, he acknowledges the significance, with three points potentially moving Dunfermline within three points of Airdrieonians with three league games to go. “That all adds to the game. The outside noise is they’re the team directly above us and they’re the team that will be desperate to cement a place in the play-offs. They’re in it at the minute and they know the team directly below them is us. When these kind of situations come around it then becomes a different narrative around the game.
Match important for both clubs
“People might say it’s a must-win for us but it will be the same for Airdrie, because they know in their heads, with so short of the season still to go, if they win it then it takes them outwith the reach of lots of teams. Six points with three games to go is a big gap, we know that but they know that as well. I say every week is an important game and the most important game is your next game. For ourselves, we want to continue the run of form.”
Dunfermline have lost just two of their last ten games, a run James credits to having a full complement of players back from injury and in training. “I don’t think it’s any coincidence you’ve seen the level of performances go up as well. You train more than you play. When you’ve got most of your established players in training then it just goes to a different level. You train more than you play and the better standard of training you can get through the week is, over a period of time, going to help you. I think we’re seeing the benefit of that.”
Respect extends to all opponents
James respects the challenge Airdrieonians will pose, last season he called them “the best team we played in League One, with any team there will be a mutual respect. We know any team can hurt us if we’re not at it. You’ve got to respect they’re there to win games and cause you problems and they’ll be desperate for a result.”
James watched Ayr United v Morton on Tuesday night leaving his assistant Dave Mackay, Gary Montignani and Thomas Meggle to watch Raith lose to Airdrieonians but he commented:-
“The credit you do need to give this Airdrie team is that against a team we have struggled against results-wise, in Raith, they seem to have the opposite effect on them. I have seen the game back, in the first-half, they were excellent but I thought Raith were a lot better in the second-half. There’s familiarity there. Both squads are pretty similar from last season, with a bit of change and added quality and some development in younger players. Like us Airdrie are a pretty young team as well. They’re difficult games against them and they’re normally eventful games, and I think that’s why I’m looking forward to it.”
Player Availability
Despite the length of the injury list reducing Dunfermline still have six players out. James explained the situation around his vice captain, Chris Hamilton following his head knock that he sustained early in the match away to Arbroath a fortnight ago:-
“We are monitoring Chris, he is feeling a lot better and we will give him right up until the last minute. We will certainly take no chances at all with it being a head injury. As I said last week if he feels any symptoms at all, if the doctor believes there is anything, there is no way we would risk him. That is where I think even managers need to take a step back and leave it to the people that know best. That is obviously the medical people or the head specialists that we used for Sam Fisher.
“If there is any doubt at all I couldn’t put him on the pitch. He is a young lad with a full life to live. Hammy is that brave that he keeps telling you that he is okay so you need to spend a bit of time with him and get it properly out of him how he is feeling. He is just desperate to play for this football club which I love but that’s alright with a sore ankle but not okay with a head injury.
“Still out are Aaron, Wighty, Ben Summers, Paul Allan, Miller Fenton and we still have two good eleven v elevens. Ewan McLeod is one to watch, that boy has a chance. Andrew Tod is back looking brilliant and he has scored a few goals. There’s a good chance he will be on the bench on Saturday if I can find a space. He started the first league game of the season against Airdrie and played well. He is good player who will play a lot next season.”
