Chance to close the gap on Ayr
Thursday, 28th Mar 2019“They will come here confident that they can get something from us. It is down to us to make sure that they don’t.”
Louis Longridge is hoping that a result in Friday night’s home match against Ayr United will allow the Tuesday night setback to be put to bed.
“Another tough opponent, so we cannot dwell on Tuesday night’s defeat. It was a hard game, we always knew it was going to be hard going into it. We didn’t get what we wanted out of the game but it will look better for us if we can get a result against Ayr. Closing the gap on them is our main target.”
That gap has closed as a consequence of Dunfermline taking fifteen points out of the last eighteen available while Ayr have taken only four.
“There were times in our five winning games when it wasn’t pretty but we managed to grind out results. We were in that winning habit but to lose a goal the way we did, we felt that we could have stopped it beforehand. We felt if we could score the next goal then we could try and push for a winner.
“We weren’t able to get the next goal, they are a good experienced side and they saw the game out. They threw a lot of money at their team in January and we always knew it was going to be difficult but we lost to a good opposition.
“Ayr will be another tough task. Maybe they have not the run of form that they showed at the start of the season but we know the threats they have got, they can hurt us if we do not perform to our max.
“Everybody is buzzing in training. We came in for a recovery day on Wednesday, we trained on Thursday and everybody is excited. There is no one looking down over the result on Tuesday, it is all focusing on Ayr United and that is the way that it has to be.
“From now until the end of the season we will take one game at a time. Every game is going to be difficult but we must just try to grind out results if need be.
“We want to win every single game and when you are winning games it is about trying to keep winning. However long the run lasts, it comes to an end at some point and you just have to react in the right manner, being positive and get back to winning. Then it each game at a time.
“We managed in that run of five wins to fully focus on every single game. We didn’t get too far ahead of ourselves and that is the way that we are going to have to treat it from now until the end of the season. Inverness and Ayr are well within our sights and that is what we have to work on.”
The 27 year old who joined Dunfermline in July last year acknowledged that Ayr have proven earlier this season that they are a good team:-
“They have players like Moffat and Shankland and players in wide areas and midfielders that can hurt you. You have got to be alive for the full ninety minutes, aware of where they are because they have good movements. Shankland scores a lot of his goals just by being clever and getting that half yard over his defender. He is clinical when he gets into positions so you need to nullify that threat and Moffat does a lot of the dirty side of the game for Shankland.
“Defensively we need to be sound and being switched on in dealing with those two. I think we have enough in our team to cause them threats going the other way. It will be a good game with both sides going for it. That is the way we want to play against teams that are coming at us and try and break them down.”
Louis scored the winning goal from the penalty spot to record a victory at Ayr in February, he continued:-
“It was important to win that last game 1-0. That was a good reaction because the previous time we went we did not show up that day. Everybody going into the game was confident that we could get a result and it didn’t turn out the way anyone expected it.
“Last time we went with all intentions of winning and I came off the bench and scored from the penalty. It was a tight game and sometimes when teams are cancelling each other out it only takes just one moment of brilliance, a penalty or a mistake and a team wins. We were able to do that.
“Ayr will be looking to get revenge for that day and I’m sure that they will come here confident that they can get something from us. It is down to us to make sure that they don’t.”
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