Ahead of Saturday’s Championship match against Queen’s Park, manager James McPake provided an update on his players’ availability, and his thoughts on their next opponents. Injuries have been a significant setback for the team, with nine players missing from last Saturday’s match against Dundee United. However, there’s some good news on that front as the gaffer revealed:-
“Ben, Harry and Sam will be back with Wighton and Jakubiak on top of that as well. Five back which is a bonus, the unfortunate one is Kane Ritchie-Hosler who is going to require another surgery, on his knee this time. I’m just really disappointed for the lad, he can’t catch any luck whatsoever but we will get behind him, back him again but it is a really unfortunate one for him.”
Kane Ritchie-Hosler out
“He will be out for six weeks anyway, it’s a tidy up on his knee. Potentially longer than that, I would need to double check. That should get done in the middle of next week. It is meniscus in the same leg as his ankle injury, but completely unrelated but I do feel for him.
“We will back him and he will back himself to come back and when he does come back it will be like a new player again which we got back at Inverness for too short a period. I really feel for him. He blocked a shot in training and just twisted his knee. It is a nightmare really for the boy.”
Other injuries
Providing updates on the other injured players, James said, “Deniz, we are hopeful that he should start training next week. Bene is still in his moon boot, Matty Todd is out of his moon boot, Breeny will be the next one after Deniz.”
Rhys Breen’s recent scan results revealed damage to his ligament, but fortunately, it was detected in time to prevent more severe issues.
“The scan was okay. The damage is there, it is like a stretch in his ligament so we just need to strengthen the thigh up. He has caught it at a good time, if he had left it any later, then with the instability there it might have went completely. We are just glad that we caught it in time but it is another blow to the squad.”
James acknowledged the challenges of dealing with multiple injuries but remains hopeful about the squad’s prospects.
“I think it is tough, injuries are tough. Probably the only positive thing about having had injuries as a player is that I understand where they are at. Particularly people like Kane, when he gets back and gets another injury. I have been in that position so I can relate to that, you can understand that. We have looked at everything, there is nothing you can do to try and prevent it.
“I don’t believe in luck as such when it comes to football but how we have picked these up, we have been really unfortunate. This week there is five back in the squad from last week which will help. With Deniz back training next week it does beef the squad up a little bit. On a personal note it is disappointing for the players because you can see the work that they are doing. Particularly Kane, he did all the work to get his ankle strong, then he comes back and picks up a completely different injury. That’s tough to take for him.”
Central Defenders
Having three central defenders out last weekend, emphasising the importance of having versatile players who can adapt to different positions. With Sam Fisher’s return and the team’s ability to adjust formations, the situation has become more manageable.
“Last week it was tough, Hammy going in there and having to do a job for us alongside Ewan and Aaron. We had players whose strongest positions aren’t where they were playing last Saturday. Sam coming back in does help and it is the first time in my managerial career that I can remember having so many out in the one area, particularly central defenders. That’s a tough one.
“I think we are lucky in the fact that we can chop and change from a four to a three. I think we did that pretty comfortably last Saturday. When we first came in we played a four, we changed to a three and back to a four for certain games. That is the bonus, we can adjust to both shapes and be comfortable in both shapes.
“It is a bit of a headache, particularly when one is Kyle Benedictus. We know how important he is – in training let alone games, he is a massive help to the coaching staff in terms of the standards he demands. Having your captain out you miss him but these things happen.”
Hampden Park challenge
Looking ahead to the match against Queen’s Park at Hampden Park, James expressed his excitement, albeit tinged with a longing for a full crowd.
“We’re looking forward to it but I’ll not lie, I would be more excited if it was a full crowd at Hampden and we were taking however many thousands through. I was at a couple of the Euros games when because of Covid there were 10,000 or 15,000 there, and even that was strange, in such a big stadium with a small crowd. I managed at Celtic Park in their first home game a couple of seasons ago and there were 10,000 there. That was strange.
“The surface will be good, it looked good the other night anyway, and it’s a nice grass pitch. So, when we turn up, it’s just another grass pitch, against another team. The lack of atmosphere is the thing, but we’re used to that because we had games last season where we had to make our own atmosphere.”
James was referencing the away match at Meadowbank, “in terms of the atmosphere created and the difficulties of creating an atmosphere and seeing a game, in my time in football professionally, that’s the toughest place I’ve gone to try and generate that. We had some fans there but it was tough for them, they couldn’t see.
“They’ll not have that problem at Hampden and hopefully we’ll get a decent away crowd through there. It’s a good place to go and play football and we’ll use it for that. Look, it’s a good grass pitch, against a very decent side, so that’s what we’re working on.”
Queen’s Progress
McPake praised Queen’s Park’s journey from League One to the Championship, acknowledging their ambition and strong signings.
“They had Simon Murray in their team, even below Championship level they were making signings like that. It’s a club I’ve kept an eye on, just because you see them coming up, and it’s not too far from home either.
“They were very unlucky when it went to the very last day of the season against Dundee. They were probably kicking themselves at the time because they had chances earlier in that season to go and put a good gap between them when Dundee weren’t maybe firing. That’s all ifs and buts now, but what they’ve done is great.
“I knew they were always going to be serious when you saw them recruiting people like Leeann Dempster. She’s very good at what she does. It’s a club I follow with a wee bit of interest and they’re a good side. They’ve changed manager and they have this philosophy of playing that’s very good on the eye and can hurt you if you don’t get it right. So, it’s going to be a big test.
“They’ve come up and, first and foremost, winning a play-off – although we don’t like to talk about that – and showed they can more than compete in the Championship. They’ve had a good start to this season again, so I don’t think they’re just here for the short-term.”
Alex Jakubiak
On a positive note, McPake mentioned the readiness of Alex Jakubiak, who played 45 minutes in the recent reserve match. He praised the 27 year old striker’s talent, hoping that he makes a significant impact on the team.
“He’s ready to play. He’s looking excellent, actually. He’s a good player and a good person. He’s looking as fit as I’ve seen him, put it that way. In his time at Dundee, he picked up injuries pretty early on and that killed us a bit up there, because he was one of our main players, if not the main player up there for us.
“He got the injury and it was a blow for Alex, but it was a blow for myself and Dave and the rest of the staff and the team as well. Touch wood, we can keep him fit, because he’s definitely a talent.”
Reserves v Kilmarnock
Reflecting on the reserve game, James was pleased with the team’s performance, particularly in the first half. He noted that the match provided valuable preparation, especially for Alex Jakubiak, and emphasised the importance of keeping key players fit.
“In the first-half, I thought we were good. Alex had a couple of chances, Taylor had a chance, Moff had a chance as well. We were really good. I know in the second-half we had a spell when we were good as well.
“I know Kilmarnock were young as well, but it’s tough when you’re mixing them up. And then I’m saying set players can only play a certain amount of time – Alex was only to get a half, Paul Allan the same, Moff was an hour. So, you’re asking coaches to have things ready, and then you pick up wee niggles here and there as well, and then you can’t afford that because you’ve made three of your changes.
“It was a good work-out, particularly for Alex. That was the main one, getting him on the pitch. That was his first game since he won the league with Dundee, against Saturday’s opposition. It was good to get him out there and he looked as if he enjoyed it. He was sharp, he was taking the ball in well. He impressed me the most.”
