Manager on Thursday

12/12/19: SC - “As I say it is just making sure that we are not complacent. We have no divine right to go up there and expect to win a game of football but we will give ourselves the best opportunity to take all three points.

Pars boss Stevie Crawford says that he was delighted with the result at the weekend.

“I think if anybody had said that we would score eight goals in the two home games and take nine points out of nine, we would have accepted that. It puts us now in the play offs positions and we go into the Dundee game in a positive frame of mind.

“We have not to get too complacent, I don’t think there was any sign of that on Saturday. There was a twenty minute spell in the second half where Morton put us under a lot of pressure.

“We came through it and scored a good goal on the counterattack. We looked dangerous several times in the second half on the counterattack. It gave us that wee cushion towards the end of the game.

“There are different ways to win games of football and again we have shown another side on Saturday that for as much as we were under pressure, there is goals in the team.

“Ryan Dow has done well on the break and slid in Kevin (Nisbet) who is in a right good vein of form and he passes into the bottom corner to get us the three points that I thought overall our performance deserved.

“Obviously there is a gap between ourselves and Inverness but we have said in life do you worry about what is over your shoulder or do you try and look what is there above you, either to catch or leap frog?

“Dundee is a competitive fixture at the best of times. Having spoken to James (McPake) last week up at the reserve game that they had won three on the bounce and then lost three games on the bounce.

“They have drawn against Arbroath at the weekend. I have watched back the first 45 minutes of that game, it was a tight game and not a lot of chances in that first half. Dundee carry a threat, they have got a good squad and they will be looking to get a positive result going into the Christmas period. It will be a tough ask to go up there and take all three points but one that we are certainly capable of if we keep applying ourselves in this manner.”

On Saturday when Dundee host Dunfermline it will be 133 days since the teams opened the Championship season on the first Friday in August. It was a thrilling match where two dubious decisions handed Dundee opportunities that they duly accepted, to convert from the penalty spot. The match streamed live on BBC Scotland was widely acclaimed as a great advert for the Ladbrokes Championship, Stevie commented:-

“Our first thought is to go up and try and win the game. I actually thought it was a great advert for Scottish football in general that night. Dundee played their part in it and we were disappointed on the night to only come away with a point.

“There will be different challenges, they are a team that is trying to get points so that they can climb the league as well. We are aware of that. Dundee is a good club, a big club and I’m sure James will have them properly prepared for it.

“As I say it is just making sure that we are not complacent. We have no divine right to go up there and expect to win a game of football but we will give ourselves the best opportunity to take all three points.

“If we come away with the three points on Saturday I will be delighted with that. Selfishly you want everything, a complete performance. Joking aside if you look at the Morton game at the weekend, we went 2-0 up but within about five minutes the game changed a bit.

“Sometimes it is hard when the momentum of a game goes but you could see what it meant to the boys on Saturday. They didn’t get disheartened, we knew that we still had a threat going forward.

“Morton got their tails up again with a goal at a good time but we responded in a positive manner and as I say that starts getting you a reputation in the league that you can win games in a different way. We are very much looking forward to going up to Dens.”

After three wins in a row Stevie claimed that the Dunfermline defence is appreciating the work rate that they are witnessing from the players in front of them.

“We are very fortunate that Greg Kiltie and Ryan Dow, for as much as they have flair going forward, they have an understanding of the game so that defensively, they find themselves in good positions which helps the full backs and allows that midfield three to face whatever challenges they face throughout a game.

“All we can ask boys like that is to keep going and believing in themselves. Nizzy would be the first to say that Ryan Dow just releasing him that split second earlier is the difference between him being able to pass it into the corner and the defender getting in a block.”

In regards to players who have missed out recently through injury, the gaffer added:-

“Lee Ashcroft will be available for selection. It will be later in the week in regards to Paul Paton (calf injury) and Andy Ryan who missed out by taking a knock last Thursday. All going well Paul should be available for selection as well.”

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