Manager on Thursday

19/09/13: JJ - "We could have given Brechin a couple of goals on Saturday and still should have won

Jim Jefferies knows that Airdrie appear to be a real bogey team for Dunfermline of late and yet he recalls his side playing some good football against them:-

"We won one late on, they beat us twice at East End Park and we got a draw away after being 2-0 down. The game that you remember most is the last one. In that game we were denied a stonewall penalty in a game we had to win. Everybody knows that it should have been four or five at half time. There is a perfect game that demonstrates how if you do not take your chances you get punished"

Cowdenbeath's  3-1 win at Hamilton may have looked like it cost Dunfermline their First Division place but the Manager is still adamant that the penalty for the Club going into administration is the real reason:-

"The League deducting fifteen points really cost us our place though but having said that we should have won that game. It is something that young side will not want to experience again and that is the only positive that you can take out of it. Hopefully they will remember the feeling that day but if they give me the same performance that we played in that game, I will take it now.

"Airdrie are always well organised, Jimmy Boyle has a tough job at a club with very limited resources. He relies on younger players as well and a few loans. He has lost Donnelly who played against us on Saturday for Brechin City. Jimmy and Alan Lawrence will have them all wound up.

"We have got to make sure that we pick up points in the next two matches which are both at home because they are followed by tough games away to Forfar and Rangers. I would like the fans to get right behind us again and try and get back on the winning track on Saturday.

"Last Saturday we played well but Brechin are well organised and it is not easy on the tighter pitch up there. We wanted to win and thought before the game that a draw might not be the worst result but having seen the game it was definitely two points dropped. We had enough of the game, enough chances but we gave them a wee spell and in that we gave away a needless free kick that led to a corner. They got the break when we couldn't clear and then suddenly it was 1-1.

"We could have given Brechin a couple of goals on Saturday and still should have won given the chances and domination we had for probably seventy minutes of that game."

Everybody is available for selection this week and with the Under 20s playing well again on Tuesday night to take a goalless draw away from Tannadice there are plenty pitching for places in the starting eleven. The Manager admits that his side's attitude, work rate and play has all been good but the finishing needs to improve.

"Everybody is on their toes and players are getting a chance to come in and make it difficult for the next. There won't be a lot of changes - we have one in our minds but we will take into account that we played well but didn't make the right decisions to finish."