The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Dundee could do with ending away hoodoo before festive schedule.
Johnston urges Pars to capitalise on any nervousness in Tangerine ranks
Allan Johnston has urged Dunfermline to play on any stresses and strains Dundee United may be feeling after losing top spot in the Championship this week.
United were the pre-season favourites for the title but were moved to sack manager Ray McKinnon and replace him with Csaba Laszlo amid worries over their hopes of promotion back to the Premiership.
The Tangerines suffered another setback when they could only manage a draw away to bottom side Brechin City last weekend and were knocked off the summit when St Mirren defeated fellow championship hopefuls Livingston on Tuesday night.
Laszlo has urged his players to listen to him, rather than anxious supporters, as they bid to get the victories they need, and Johnston is hopeful the home side’s frustrations persist when the teams meet at Tannadice tomorrow.
He said: “It doesn’t get any harder than Dundee United away and the next two or three fixtures are all difficult games.
“Sometimes when you go to places like Tannadice, the pressure is on them, because they’re expected to go and attack and go and win the game.
“Hopefully we can play on that and punish them. Obviously, they’ve got a new manager in place and apart from last weekend’s blip they’ve done quite well recently.
“So, we know we’re going to be in for a tough test, because they have got quality players throughout their whole team.
“But it’s a great game for us. These are the games where you want your big players to step up and hopefully put in a big performance.
“Dundee United are under pressure. You know what it’s like, the fans will start getting on their back, especially after the opening 15, 20 minutes if they don’t manage to get a goal.
“We’ve got to make sure we start well but we don’t want to sit back because I think we’re better when we’re on the front foot and we go and try to score goals.”
Meanwhile, Dunfermline have suffered a setback after striker Andy Ryan was ruled out of the clash with United.
The summer signing from Airdrie had hit a rich vein of form and netted twice in two games, scoring against Queen’s Park and Morton in quick succession.
The 23-year-old had expressed the hope he could become a regular firstchoice pick for the Pars after starting his first league game for the club against Morton.
However, the former Hamilton Accies marksman missed Saturday’s draw with Dumbarton because of an ankle injury and is not expected to recover in time for the trip to Tannadice.
Johnston said: “Andy is still struggling with his ankle but hopefully he won’t be out for much longer. He’s getting closer and closer every day.
“The positive you can take from that is it’s not a serious one.”
Andy is still struggling with his ankle but hopefully he won’t be out for much longer. ALLAN JOHNSTON