Sheer hard work key to turning it around: Weir

Nobody could accuse the Forfar scout checking out today’s opponents Raith Rovers of sugar-coating the task that the Loons face this afternoon against the League One table-toppers.

As Jim Weir suspected, Rovers have won 12 of their last 14 games for a reason.

“We always get a report on the team we’re playing next,” said the new Forfar boss.

“It’s a case of getting the strengths and weaknesses. When I asked about Raith’s weaknesses, the answer came back ... ‘none’!”

Weir added: “Of course Raith are a very strong team. They’re full-time and Barry Smith has done a great job so far. He’s a good pal. I had him at Brechin as a player and hopefully he’ll remember that tomorrow.”

Today’s game is the second part of as hard a double-header that you could get in this league – following on from a defeat to the other full-time team, Ayr United.

Forfar lost 5-0 seven days ago but Weir felt the result was harsh on his side.

“We competed well for an hour,” he sad.

“In the last half-hour the full-time factor kicked in. They had seven efforts and scored from five of them. I certainly didn’t think it was a 5-0 game.”

Confidence is obviously low at Station Park given their start to the season and there is no great secret to climbing off the bottom of the table.

Weir said: “It comes down to sheer hard work. And you can’t allow yourself to lose your discipline, which can happen when you’re at the bottom.

“I’m working on finding our best formation to suit the players and finding the best starting XI.

“We’ve got some good young players here. It can be a hard time to put them under this sort of pressure but a few of them deserve to be involved.”

He added: “Everybody involved with the club wants to see us get that next win which we can build on.

“The supporters want to see effort and work-rate and I think they understand the situation we are in.”

Jim Lister will be out long-term, while Weir should soon have the results of Simon Mensing’s scan. Eddie Malone is close to a return but this afternoon’s game comes too soon for him.

Weir completed his first signing yesterday with the acquisition on an emergency loan until late January of 20-year-old Dunfermline midfielder Conner Duthie, who spent the second half of last season at Stenhousemuir.

Tony Wallace is training with the Loons in the hope of winning a deal.

Weir reported: “I tried to sign him a couple of years ago. He’s trained this week and hopefully we’ll get a game for him in midweek.”

Jim Weir, left, has completed the loan signing of Conner Duthie.