Dunfermline Athletic

One in, trialing more

Monday, 24th Jan 2022

JH - “See the impact that Lawless and Donaldson have had, if we can get another one or two in of that ilk then I am quite sure that they will be happy.”

Pars manager John Hughes was pleased to complete the signing of Joe Chalmers this afternoon and he revealed that he will be looking at possibly as many three trialists in a friendly match arranged against Falkirk on Tuesday.

“We got Joe Chalmers in on Monday afternoon and we are still hoping to get one or two more in before the window closes. It is easy saying that but trust me it is a lot harder trying to get it done than it is saying it.

“There has been a lot of frustration and I share that with the supporters as well. Every supporter wants to see your club doing business, it brings an excitement, I totally understand that but you have to make sure that the business that you are doing is right for the club.

“I am honest enough to say that we might not get all of them right but if you see the ones that we have brought in already - the likes of Steven Lawless and Coll Donaldson - I think the fans will agree that they are professionals that stick their chests out and want to try and impose their character on to the game and into their team. It is not just about a player but about bringing in the right character as well.

“We could have three trialists on Tuesday. One is not a case of trialing, it is about coming and let us see his attitude. We have done a lot of due diligence on him but you don’t want to sign anybody blind. You are taking a real gamble if you are doing that so it is important that we get to see them for a few days in training.

“Sit down have a chat with them and how they see football, their commitment and desire, where they want to go in football and you can only do that if you get them in for three or four days. Plus I have a tough chairman who wants you to make sure that I don’t sign him without seeing him.”

John stressed that he is working ever so hard to bring in fresh blood to the club:-

“The supporters need to appreciate that, they need to trust us and if you see the impact that Lawless and Donaldson have had, and long may that continue, if we can get another one or two in of that ilk then I am quite sure that they will be happy.”

Happy news is certainly on the progress of the injured players,
Dom Thomas and Iain Wilson started back in training last Thursday and Friday. They trained on Monday and they will also play thirty minutes against Falkirk in the friendly. Dom has had a particularly remarkable speedy recovery and the manager said “fingers crossed they will both come through it unscathed.”

He explained the next stage for Dom and Iain would be a full week of training with maybe another friendly match then looking towards them getting themselves around about the first team or on the bench.

“The two of them have worked very very hard on their rehab with the physio Thomas Scanlon. So it is nice to see them back on the training pitch, you can see the enthusiasm and that they are delighted. We just need to be careful after them doing so much work that we don’t push them too quick.”

The return of Dom Thomas would not only be a boost for the fans to see but also his fellow teammates, John continued:-

“It will be good to have him about the dressing room - that wee chirpy banter has been missed. Even on the training pitch some of the things he does has been missed. It is nice to see him back again and I think the boys appreciate him as well.”

A good performance in friendlies has catapulted players into the first team as Kai Kennedy and Craig Wighton found out so the friendly will also provide a platform for Reece Cole, Graham Dorrans, Paul Allan and Lewis Martin to demonstrate their abilities though the manager did warn over pushing Lewis too quickly:-

“We have to be very careful with Lewis because if he plays Tuesday he should have a couple of days rest because we are putting a lot of football into him so quick.

“We have to be calculated in what we are doing, there is still a long way to go in the season and we need to keep them all getting game time. If we keep them all fit from now until the end of the season we will have competition for places and with one or two in to help them out it should set us up for the rest of the season.”



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