Ryan rules at Gayfield

“I do think it’s really harsh. That is the new rule now and there is nothing you can do about it. We will take it and Kevin did well to stick it away.”

Saturday provided Stevie Crawford as Dunfermline manager and his vice captain Ryan Dow as a player with their first wins at Arbroath. Ryan admitted that by conceding a goal midway through the second half, they had made it harder for themselves than it should have been. He said:-
 
“It was all about getting the win and heading into the next round but I felt we had a lot of chances, especially in the first half, and had we got that third goal before we did then it would have finished the game off.

“I was guilty with one of them and there were other occasions where the ball got dragged across the face of goal or went just wide.”

Dick Campbell’s side made the Pars defend for spells in the second half when they certainly had a go at their visitors:-
 
“What we have been good at this season is dealing with those 10 or 15-minute spells when, if we are under the cosh, we stick together. We have been pretty good defensively while being a threat at the other end.

“It hasn’t just been about the attacking play. I think, at the back, we have been strong and stuck together when under pressure in games. That means, if we know we can keep our shape, we can hit teams on the break with the forward players we have. We can soak up pressure then attack with the pace that is in our team.

“The first 15 minutes against Arbroath weren’t our best but we dealt with it and you were then able to see just what a threat we are going forward. It is never going to go your way for 90 minutes so you need that togetherness.”

Ryan’s goal in 28 minutes was his third of the season and it was an important breakthrough. He described how it came about:-
 
“I had quite a bit of space on the right in the first half, as did Dom (Thomas) on the left. I think Kyle (Turner) made a run on the outside and I think a few of the Arbroath players went with him. The space just opened up for me and I managed to stick it away with my left foot. Arbroath played a different formation than we thought they would, with three at the back.

“That kind of played into our hands because nobody was really picking me or Dom (Thomas) up, not the wing back or the centre half. That left you kind of in between their players and that did suit us. We were getting on to the second balls, counter and be a real threat.”

It was Ryan’s shot that led to the 83rd minute penalty that finally ended Arbroath’s hopes of recovering:-

“To be fair, had that been given against us then I wouldn’t have been happy. I think I was the only person who shouted for it. That was maybe because I was that tired that I couldn’t run anymore. I just hit it and it has knocked off his hand.

“It was one of those and it has happened to me before, not for a penalty but during a game. If your hands are by your side and the ball hits them then it’s a free kick or a penalty. It hit him there and was a penalty but I do think it’s really harsh. That is the new rule now and there is nothing you can do about it. We will take it and Kevin did well to stick it away.”
 
The result meant that the Fifers left Gayfield in great spirits and another win at a tricky venue is a real boost to the team’s confidence. The 29 year old scorer closed:-
 
“Yes, there is a lot of belief at the club. There are plenty of good players at the club and we have been able to change things when we need to. We have a really strong squad.

“The confidence is growing all the time. That is nine wins and one draw in 10 games for us now - who wouldn’t take confidence from that? We just want to keep it going.”

Arbroath’s James Craigen posed his former team one of their greatest threats on Saturday and he thought that the Red Lichties started really well for the first 20 to 25 minutes up until Ryan Dow opened the scoring for Dunfermline:-

“But then they scored two goals in quick succession and that knocked the stuffing out of us. For the last bit of the first half we were very much second best so I can understand the manager’s frustration with that.”

Dick Campbell made two substitutions at half time introducing Bobby Linn and Dale Hilson, the latter finding the net in the 20th minute of the second half. James continued:-
 
“We rallied round at half-time and came out fighting. At 2-0 down we had nothing to lose and we played very well in the second half.

“We were the better team and after we got a goal back we pushed for an equaliser. That was always going to leave gaps for Dunfermline to try and exploit but until the penalty we did well.

“That came at entirely the wrong time. We were in the ascendancy and you have to question the decision. The ball hit his hand and he couldn’t do anything about it. To lose a penalty and a goal seven minutes from the end made it very difficult for us.
 
“I don’t like to moan about referees. I wasn’t too impressed with his performance for a number of reasons but we lost and I’d like to congratulate Dunfermline.
 
“We did well to get to the last 16 but we are out. As a club we have come on leaps and bounds and deserve to be in the Championship. Now our attention is on the league. We need to start putting in 90 minute performances. At the moment we are playing well for one half and not doing well for the next 45 minutes. We need to start getting wins on the board. We have Dundee next week and we need three points to begin climbing the table.”
 
James added his compliments and a warning to Dunfermline:-
 
“They have got some great players. If they can keep clean sheets, they are going to have half a chance of doing something this year. They’ll have to keep putting the work in, the Championship can be a very unforgiving league and on their day anyone can beat anyone.”

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