Keddie no fear of hard work

"I have no doubt that it will be a scrap to the end, that is SPL football for you. Once the split comes it will be a free for all for points ..

Alex Keddie claims that Dunfermline are up for the fight in the relegation battle that will follow in the next seven weeks. Saturday's game was the first in the charge of Jim Jefferies and when one down to a 38th minute Steven Thomson header, Alex and his team mates encountered their first half time team talk from their new gaffer:-

"He doesn't shout and bawl; he speaks with authority. He has 16 boys to listen to him so he needs to speak in a manner that they are going to listen to him. He speaks firmly so you know what your job is."

Whatever was said, it paid immediate dividend long before the hospitality guests had got back to their seats:-

"We scored after just 33 seconds of the second half and were pressing for fifteen to twenty minutes to get another. Gary (Mason) had one turned off the line but it just wasn't to be for us. It shows that we have fighting spirit; we have had that all season but sometimes lacked that wee bit of quality in the last third or those mistakes we have had at the back. We are fighting and that is another point gained. We will go into next week and keep fighting."

Alex came close to grabbing a winning goal when he got a chance to shoot in added time "I was jumping back on it. It fell to my right foot but it was not my good foot. I caught it well enough but a boy got a block on it."

This was his 65th appearance for the Pars but the quest for his first goal for Dunfermline continues;-

"I have hit the bar, the post, people have cleared them off the line. I am definitely getting closer, I don't care who scores but obviously it would be good to get off the mark. I have not scored for Dunfermline yet, that's unlike me; in my career I have scored a few at the clubs I have been at. I know that's not record book stuff but not bad for a centre half."

Was Alex saving that for after the split perhaps? "I don't blame myself, I blame the delivery" he joked "but hopefully I'll get one or two!"

The team were unaware of how Hibs were doing against Dundee United but Alex claimed that a point is a good result. What mattered was how you did against the teams round about you post split.

"When the split comes it is the bottom six where hopefully you can take points. We just look forward now to next Saturday; Dundee United are a fantastic side who are flying at the minute. We go there and then have Hearts at home before the split.

"I have no doubt that it will be a scrap to the end, that is SPL football for you. Once the split comes it will be a free for all for points and we will all be biting and scratching for every one of them. We have got to be positive because when you look at the teams that we are going to play we have given every one of them a game this year. We have shot ourselves in the foot a few times but we are looking forward and hopefully we can pick up points."

Alex has been involved in two relegation battles before and has a 50% success rate:-

In season 2006-07 Gretna's last day promotion was at the expense of Ross County. The 3-2 win at Victoria Park sent a Gretna team that included David Graham up but Alex Keddie and Andy Dowie experienced relegation. Two seasons later having bounced back from the Second Division Alex helped Ross County to finish eighth on 47 points above Airdrie United and Clyde.

"There is a lot to fight for" and Alex knows that Jim Jefferies is not just at East End Park for a pay day "he is here to do something right and keep us up. He seen something in the players in the team that he can work with."

Now Jim Jefferies will have his first full week with the players and Alex is expecting hard work. He said:-

"Every team gets a reaction when a new manager comes in, you have boys wanting to impress but the work rate and the attitude hasn't changed because it has been A1 all season.

"Hard work is something that the boys are not scared of. He is big at putting a shift in and making sure that you come off the training ground knowing that you have put a shift in. I am expecting that and maybe a bit more on team shaping, stamping his own authority as he goes through things that he likes. I am looking forward to the week ahead. The boys are not thrilled to be at the bottom of the league but we are definitely a positive bunch of lads who are always looking up."