The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Mental resilience will help Pars – Thomson
DUNFERMLINE: Team staying positive despite recent results, says midfielder
ROSS COUNTY 2 DUNFERMLINE 1
Joe Thomson is confident Dunfermline’s spirit and belief will help bring a halt to an alarming slide in Championship fortunes.
The Pars lost again in Dingwall, leaving them seventh in the table with just one victory in the last six league matches.
The poor run hasn’t fatally detached the Fife club from the promotion placings, with just seven points between them and fourth-top Caley Thistle after 14 matches.
But Allan Johnston’s side still sit just five points above the relegation zone after recent troubles.
Thomson, a summer signing from Celtic, was a stand-out performer as Dunfermline battled valiantly with 10 men following Kallum Higginbotham’s foolish act of self-harm in elbowing Stelios Demetriou in the face after only 14 minutes
The 22-year-old, though, pointed to a mental resilience in the dressing room after the latest setback.
He said: “It is a difficult spell, but we’ve got to stay positive. Everybody is working to keep everybody else going.
“If you become negative, it doesn’t help. I think our performances show we’re not letting it affect us.
“We put in a shift against Ross County. In a previous game against Falkirk, we battered them and got beat 1-0. I don’t think we are letting it affect us.
“Sometimes it is just that little bit of luck. I’m sure it will come. To be fair, we got a wee bit of good fortune for our goal in Dingwall but it isn’t often we’ve had that. It seems to be the other team, week-in and week-out.
“We’ll take it when it comes, but hopefully we won’t need luck. We’ll be able to put teams to bed ourselves, starting from next Saturday.”
Thomson felt his team stayed in the game at the Global Energy Stadium in difficult circumstances.
But he stressed: “We came away only beaten by one goal. The sending off doesn’t change it. We conceded two goals from corners and both were avoidable so it is frustrating, again, like any defeat.”
Either side of that rash act from Kallum Higginbotham, there was suicidal slackness in dealing with Ross County’s corner kicks.
For both County goals, the Pars contributed to their own downfall through poor marking.
County took the lead after nine minutes after lively start. Don Cowie’s chipped corner from the right was met firmly on the volley by Josh Mullin near the edge of the area.
The powerful connection would have tested Lee Robinson on its own, but Billy Mckay’s alert head-flick diverted the ball high past the Pars keeper.
A moment of sheer madness after 14 minutes then saw Kallum Higginbotham, off the ball, take a straight red card for deliberately elbowing County’s Stelios Demetriou in the face.
The Dingwall team almost capitalised immediately, but when Stewart’s header hit the net close-in from a fine Mullin cross the flag was raised for a shove.
A pivotal few minutes before and after the hour mark settled the match.
Dunfermline squandered a great chance on a breakaway attack with Faissal El Bahktaoui’s cross finding Robbie Muirhead racing onto a free header in the box but skewing it high and wide.
Two minutes later County looked safe. Cowie’s corner was knocked back across by substitute Brian Graham and Jamie Lindsay was there to sink a calm sidefoot finish into bottom corner.
But Dunfermline drew blood after 74 minutes. Joe Thomson’s determined dig was parried by keeper Fox but smacked off the legs of Ross Draper and into the net.