Speaking at lunchtime James McPake agreed that it had been a good week for Dunfermline Athletic. An important win at Cappielow last Saturday was followed by a Reserve Cup semi final win at Hamilton on Tuesday.
“Yes it has, that is where the reserve football is valuable. The important thing about the game was that Hamilton had a pretty strong team as well. That made it a decent game and everybody got something out. I was delighted with the attitude of the senior players, as you would expect anyway. It has been a decent enough week.”
The Pars reserve team was made up entirely of players that would be regarded as first team players, so had James seen anyone who might create a selection dilemma in next first team game?
“It certainly gets them on a level having got the minutes in. No matter who you pick, they are almost ready to go. Breeny has been back a wee while now and he definitely needed the ninety. Fisher had come on at the weekend but he needed that as well. It is not a headache but it is a positive for the squad that they are all at a level of match fitness where it is not a worry for whoever we choose.”
Add to that Chris Hamilton chosen in the SPFL Team of the Week, there were further reasons to be cheerful. James praised his vice-captain’s contribution:-
“He was excellent. Watching the game back in terms of any good football in the game, Hammy was part of it as well. He was starting passes and people can say going away to Morton that’s a game where Hammy would thrive. It was a battle but a lot of our good play was through Hammy, he has been excellent recently.”
The only goal against Morton was scored by defender Miles Welch-Hayes, ten minutes into the second half and the gaffer highlighted how that came from quick thinking and creative play from his players:
“They played with imagination. Chris Kane and Kane Ritchie-Hosler saw a chance to go and take the corner quick. We can pick areas for players to go and attack but we say it all the time, if they want go and try to play with imagination. At the top end of the pitch those two did it. It was a good ball, a very good header and an important goal.”
Does that come from training?
“Just as I said that’s down to the players seeing an opportunity to go and play. We do go through areas where we want to attack, where teams are vulnerable.
“I thought our setplays were really good in that way, we had a couple of others and Miles almost got on the end of another one at the back post in the first half. You do all that but they are the ones on the pitch and they have the freedom to go and do that. They know the areas to be in and where their team mates will be. It was a bit of experience from Chris Kane and a bit of inexperience from the Morton ball boy giving him the ball so quick.”
Turning to Saturday’s opposition Arbroath, James predicted a tough game:-
“It always is going up there, we know that. The game up there was a pretty boring game earlier in the season. The draw here wasn’t great either but that’s from a Dunfermline point of view. They will probably say the one down here was a decent enough game for them.
“We have not managed three victories in a row this season in the league. Our squad is healthy, we have a good group of players to choose from and we will go up there knowing that we need to be at the levels we were at Morton to get anything out of the game.”
Arbroath occupy tenth place but league position is not always reflective of the challenge they pose. James agreed:-
“I don’t think it ever does in this league. You can be top of the league and lose to someone or you can be bottom of the league and go and beat anyone. It doesn’t matter to us where Arbroath are in the league, we know it is going to be a tough game. They have had a great time in the Championship and they will be desperate to continue that.”
This is the fourth opportunity for Dunfermline to register three wins in a row, a chance that the manager would like to see his team take:-
“The incentive is to try and get three wins in a row, I don’t think we have done that, we want to keep putting wins on the board and get through that 40 point mark. Three points on Saturday and a good performance is all we are caring about. If we get the performance we will come down the road with the three points.”
Player Availability
“Everybody is fine and came through the game. Ben Summers (pictured above) did train today, we will just monitor him over the next couple of days. No issues.
“Wighty had surgery on his knee last week and is doing great. He will be another three weeks maybe. It was just a tidy up, a pretty simple procedure. He went in and got it done in Glasgow. He will be back hopefully by the end of the season and give us another option.
“Aaron is flying as well. We don’t see them too much, they just get on with their work and working really hard. The two of them are doing well.”
Positive since we thought they might be out for the season?
“It still might be. There is only a month really to go in terms of the official league so we will not curse it by saying that they will be back by the end of this season. They are progressing really well and given the way the two of them work in the gym I’m not surprised. Hopefully they don’t hit any wee bumps in the road on their way back but they are doing well at the minute.”
