Manager on Thursday

22/02/18: AJ- “We have to be on the front foot and dominating the game playing the way we want to play.”

Manager Allan Johnston is pleased to be back to fielding a side on a Saturday. Without a match last weekend due to their opponents Inverness Caley Thistle’s semi final tie in the Irn Bru Cup it will be 14 days since the last competitive match, the 0-0 draw at Livingston. He said in some respects that it was good to get a break but lamented the addition of a midweek fixture:-

“You would rather play on a Saturday if possible but it has given us the chance to re-group and give the new boys a chance to get to know everybody better. Hopefully we are re-charged and can pick up some results.

“When you look at the next few weeks it is really important that we get off to a flyer on Saturday. There are a lot of hard games coming up against teams around about us.

“It is important to pick up points if you have aspirations to be in the top four. We need to start picking up wins and recently we have been really unlucky not to win games. We need to turn those performances into wins.”

Dunfermline now face a schedule of five league matches in 15 days and the manager is confident that his January transfer window signings can turn the fortunes around. He considered the contributions against Livingston last time out showed potential.

“Livvy are a hard team to play against. They are probably one of the surprise packages of the league. You could see that with their 4-1 win over St Mirren last Saturday. It shows you how good a performance it was when we played them.

“We have to make sure that we are like that week in week out and make sure that. We need to make sure that we dominate games but still we are looking for. That little bit more to get us over the line.”

The structure against Livvy was three in midfield, no wingers and three strikers and that gives another option. The manager explained:-

“Probably one of the areas that we are a bit short of in numbers is in the middle of the park so that made it difficult to play outwith the way that we were playing.

“It gives you the opportunity to change things, you always have the wide players if we decide to change the system. It is good to have options like that.

“We have brought decent players in and you want them to come in and make an impact. They have done that, they have got in the team and it is important that they try and stay in there now. The rest of the boys are pushing hard to get back in the team and it gives a bit of competition.”

Asked about Saturday’s match at Dumfries when it is sixth v fifth, Allan said predicted from past experience that it would be a hard game.

“You could see in the last game against them - the poorest performance from us since I have been here. I don’t think that there are many games this season where we could say that we have been outplayed but I thought we did that day.

“I thought Dobbie was at a different level. We weren’t tight enough in the first place and that is what happens when you let good players time and space.”

The manager acknowledged that his team needs to be very aware of the Championship’s top goal scorer. The 35 year old striker has scored 24 goals in 34 appearances this season meds special attention:-

“He totally ran the game the last time and we cannot allow that to happen. He is the top goal scorer in the division and has probably had the most assists as well. I am not saying that he is a one man team but he is a bit part of everything that they do at Queens.”

The Dobbie story has rolled on from 26 goals last season and those who suggested that could continue into this season have been proven correct. AJ added:-

“The number of goals that he has scored is incredible. I was at the game last week against Morton and he could probably have scored four. He scored one, had one cleared off the line from the halfway line and had a couple of other good chances as well. He is a top player, we have to be at our best, we have to make sure that we defend well against him.

“We have to make sure that defend well against them and make sure that we get three points. We have to be on the front foot and dominating the game playing the way we want to play.”

Allan has warned against going gun ho and getting caught on the counterattack.

“We have to force our game on Queens and go and get the three points we need to put a run of results together.”

With other sides gaining points during the Pars lay off, Morton are four points clear in fourth and their goal difference is now as good as AJ’s team. Dundee United are two points ahead of Morton but have two games in hand. The gaffer claimed that no results can safely be guessed in the league.

“The teams are so similar. You just have to focus on yourself and make sure that you get the points that you need with as many wins as possible.”

The squad to face Queen of the South looks likely to be the same again. Michael Paton is out with a virus, Sean Murdoch is still in recovery mode and Aaron Splaine is long term injured.

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