Two Pars to miss league start

19/07/21: PG - “We’re desperate to get them back on the pitch and hopefully we can do that very soon.”

Ryan Dow and Iain Wilson are likely to miss the start of league season. Peter Grant has revealed he has counted the two midfielders out for the opening day away to Greenock Morton:-

“They’ll not be far away from it but I don’t think for the start because they’ve not trained with us yet. They’re progressing fantastically well and we’re delighted.

“Ryan has taken a wee step back, not because of him because his recuperation has been brilliant. We wanted to make sure he stepped back because he was so desperate to be a part of pre-season and was trying to do everything. We want to make sure he is 100 per cent right because it wasn’t a nice injury he had.

“You know what his attitude is like and he has nothing to prove to me, I just want to make sure he gets back fully fit. A fully-fit Ryan Dow is a massive player for us and would be like a new signing. We’re desperate to get them back on the pitch, him and Iain and hopefully we can do that very soon.”

While missing two key players Peter felt that his players performed when the curtain was pulled up at East End Park on Saturday. He thought that they tried to do the right things and worked extremely hard and covered a lot of yardage on a very hot day:-

“You can tell the players what to do and show them it but they’re the ones that have got to practice it when the curtain goes up. I’ve been very pleased with them because they’re trying to do the right things. They’ll get it wrong at times, for sure but we just have to show them then and that’s probably the beauty of being back full-time, you get that opportunity to show them the clips.

“I never had that possibility when I was at Alloa because I never had that beauty. You had to be on the training pitch all the time and you had to send them all the clips. But we can show the players on the training pitch here at Dunfermline, especially with the weather being the way it is at the moment, that’s perfect.”

Kyle Macdonald explained in his post match interview on Saturday just how much time he is spending on perfecting his crosses and the results of that came with all the assists he made to set up Dunfermline’s goals. The comments were music to the ears of Peter Grant:-

“This is our job and it’s the best job in the world, bar none. People don’t work two hours a day and then go home and think that’s it and they’ve cracked it. There are a hell of a lot more hours in the day but I’ve seen guys working 19 hours - but doing nothing.

“These boys here realise when they’re at their work they do their job and they practise at it. They know what they’ve got to get better at - and we’ll guide them in that respect. That is what we are trying to do.

“I am very fortunate that I have guys as coaches who have all played in different positions. All three of us know what is expected of each role. I am trying to get through to the players that they should know everybody’s role in this team.

“You can’t just go through the motions during the week and then turn up on the Saturday and think it’s going to be okay. It doesn’t work like that. If it was that good I’d still be playing!”

The Pars manager will be taking in the Kilmarnock v Morton match at the BBSP Stadium, Rugby Park on Tuesday night since he wants to see as many of the teams that will be opponents in the Championship before the start of the season. He claims he knows the managers and their styles well enough but there are new players at most clubs that he wants to see first hand.

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