LIVINGSTON v DUNFERMLINE - Match Preview

Livingston's recent Hungarian acquisition looks bemused after being left on the bench

Surely now, without the distraction of a night out at the best (for ‘best’ substitute ‘worst’) nightclub in Dunfermline, performances on the park will surely improve – well Noel Hunt’s performances at least. At least now we know the real reason for Gary Dempsey leaving the club. Leaving the club a week or two before the Ballroom closes, coincidence? Aye right! And with the club’s most important game in years this Saturday we can do with all the improved performances we can get. With only eight points left until relegation becomes a reality for one of the bottom four languishers, EVERY single game now, without exception, is a must-must-win for the Pars in the battle to avoid the drop – although with wins under the Davie Hay regime about as rare as a half-decent club in Dunfermline then eight wins out of eight would appear to be, lets say, unrealistic.

With a once-lengthy – and it has to be said worryingly resurgent in its frequency – injury list whittled down to Greg Shields, Lee Makel and, possibly, Barry Nicholson, excuses of an injury crisis in the face of defeat don’t hold half as much weight in these dark days as they did back when an injured player was as common as an uninjured player at East End. With the importance if every single game from now until the end of the season – especially after last week’s gut-wrenchingly embarrassing capitulation against Hibs – surely not lost on the Pars players then now is undoubtedly the time for the players, in particular the more experienced players at the club, to stand up and be counted in the days and weeks ahead.

The need for the players to stand up and be counted is essential but the need for the fans to stand up and be counted is perhaps greater! I’ll be the first to admit that every single game watching the Pars these days is depressing to an extent not felt supporting the Pars over the previous few years and, yes, I’ve had to genuinely search for any sort of reason for me to part with my cash every Saturday in order to witness another two or three points going down the swanny! But now is the time for Pars fans to show their true colours. No-one – least of all me – is criticizing those who will decide not to part with their cash to watch the Pars in the coming weeks. That’s your prerogative. It’s your money and you can do whatever the hell you like with it. But even though the club is in an absolutely humiliating state right now – right through from the top to bottom – we need to get behind the players from now until the end of the season – or at least until we are safe from relegation!

Hell, I’ve voiced my opinion on the situation at the club right now. It stinks! Simple as! Players leaving left, right and centre for little or nothing would arouse suspicion from even the most unsuspicious of people. But I’ll be there on Saturday. The team needs me, the club need’s me and I certainly ain’t going to sit back and watch whilst my team nose-dives straight into Division One. Can you imagine that…Palmerston Park, Dingwall, Love Street…no thank you. The Pars don't belong in the First Division and with the crowd behind the side from now until the end of the season we just might have a chance of staying up this season.

Who knows, with a decent-sized Pars support at Almondvale on Saturday we might actually do the unthinkable and get a victory going into next week’s relegation battle at Dens Park. Weather or not you think Davie Hay and his cronies should still be in the job at East End – although it looks like the Glasgow press and the DAFC programme team are the only ones who reckon he should be these days – is not the issue, the issue here is avoiding relegation. Let’s get stuck into Gough’s team of schoolboys and foreigners this Saturday.

Let’s try to concentrate on moving the Pars up the table first before trying to move the managerial failures from the East End Park hotseat!