Manager Neil Lennon has warned his players not to be complacent ahead of Saturday’s trip to face Ross County, despite the Pars’ recent resurgence in form.
The sides meet at Dingwall for the first time since April 2019, when they last clashed in the Scottish Championship. In 20 previous encounters, County hold the advantage with nine wins to Dunfermline’s five, with six matches ending in draws.
While the Staggies have endured a difficult start to the campaign – winning just once in their opening eleven league games and losing four of five at home – Neil is taking nothing for granted against a side he believes are “stacked full of quality.”
“That is a tough game, you know. I know maybe County’s results haven’t been what everyone’s expected, but they’ve got quality in their team. They are at home. They’ve got a new manager in who’s trying to put his own stamp on the team. It’s a really tough game away from home. Probably one of the toughest you could get in a division really.
“What I mean by that is they’re a Premiership team who’ve come down and they are stacked full of quality. They’ll be hurting at the minute because they’ve maybe not been as consistent as what many people thought. Tony [Docherty] will want to improve results, which he had done up until the weekend.”
The Pars boss is acutely aware that Ross County’s struggles could make them even more dangerous opponents. “You know what this league is like. You get on a run and anything can happen. Some clubs have had good form recently and you can see it propels you up the table. So I’m hoping that happens with us now.”
Injury Concerns
The manager faces an anxious wait on several key players ahead of the Highland trip. Goalkeeper Billy Terrell was forced off at half-time during Tuesday’s 4-0 victory over Airdrieonians with a calf strain, while Charlie Gilmour and Alfons Amade also missed that match through injury:-
“Billy felt his calf before the game. It looks like he’s got a slight calf strain. So, we’ll just have to wait and see how he is. Charlie tweaked his medial ligament in training on Monday. So, we couldn’t take a chance from him, obviously. Alfons got a dead leg on Friday. He may have more of a chance. Barney [Stewart] should be fine. It’s just a concussion protocol he’s going through. So, he should be okay for the weekend.
“We’ve got some thinking to do between now and obviously Saturday. There’s a few players stiff and sore because it’s their first match game for a while.”
Building Momentum
Dunfermline travel north seeking a third consecutive victory, having recorded back-to-back wins for the first time in 19 months. The recent 2-0 triumph over Raith Rovers followed by Tuesday’s comfortable win at Airdrieonians has lifted spirits at KDM Group East End Park:-
“That is the first back to back wins since March last year. So we’re delighted with that. I was glad to get that record or monkey out of the way. So we build. We’ve had our little mini-bad run. I’m hoping we can kick on now. We’re looking forward to it. We’ll go up Friday and there’ll be a hotel stay, which will be something different for them. Sleeping in a nice hotel will be a novelty for some of them but I think it’s all part of the experience of being a professional player.”
The defensive solidity has been particularly pleasing, with three consecutive clean sheets helping to steady the ship after a difficult spell. Despite the upturn in fortunes, Neil is keen to ensure his squad remain grounded:-
“They’ve got a whole load of humility. They’re a really good bunch. They don’t get carried away with anything. They’re pretty much on the level. We’ve got good boys in there, like Hamilton and Tash, who are really good in the dressing room with the young ones. Nobody’s getting carried away. It’s nice to win the games. I always tell them winning games is hard, and they’ve worked really hard on Tuesday night, so they got what they deserved.”
