The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Parkhead heroes could miss clash with United
DUNFERMLINE: Crawford ready to make changes for match-up with old pal Neilson
Dunfermline boss Stevie Crawford has revealed some of his Parkhead heroes could be facing the chop this weekend as he rips up his gameplan for the visit of Dundee United.
The Pars stunned Celtic by taking the Scottish champions all the way to extratime in their Betfred Cup clash before succumbing to James Forrest’s late winner in the 2-1 defeat.
The Fifers were lauded for their admirable display in Glasgow and Crawford has confessed he left full of pride over his players’ efforts.
But with United posing a different set of problems for the East End Park men, who will also be expected to attack more at home in the league, Crawford is contemplating making alterations to his starting line-up tomorrow rather than sticking with those who impressed against the Hoops.
Preparing to face pal Robbie Neilson, he said: “There possibly will be changes, and that’s not down to how someone played the week before.
“There’s different challenges, with different problems, and it’s a question of can you create problems for the opposition?
“The pleasing thing is there are chances to change the team to try to win the game. It’s a different game, so you can’t then rest on all the positives that are coming from a very good performance at Parkhead. It will be a different way we go about our business and we’ll focus on what we’re going to do to them, but we’ll also address where we see Dundee United’s strengths are as well.
“They’ve won their first two league games of the season. We were at the Partick Thistle game, where they started all right. Partick were then the better side and then United finished stronger.
“I’m very aware of how Robbie sets up his teams and the demands he puts on his players, but equally we’ve got to make sure our boys are ready for the challenge.”
United sit top of the Championship as the only team to boast a 100% record from the opening two league games.
The Tannadice side enjoy a two-point lead over neighbours Dundee, who Dunfermline drew with in their curtainraiser earlier this month.
The city rivals are fully expected to fight it out for the title this season, but Crawford believes that should inspire their opponents.
He added: “It’s for other people to talk about who’s going to win the league and win promotion. Because of the funding that has allowed both Dundee teams to bring in the personnel they’re bringing in, they’re going to be seen as favourites.
“Dundee, coming down, are going to want to bounce back at the first time of asking and Dundee United now for a few years have been trying to get out of the league.
“But these are games you look forward to. If they’re going to be the two teams getting backed as favourites then it’s a game, if I was going into it as a player, where I would want to go toe to toe with them and head to head to see where we’re at.
“That’s the challenge on Saturday. They’ll be trying to win the league and we’ve got to make sure we put our mark on the game and let them know they’re in a match.”