The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Hughes: Pars have to handle pressure
John Hughes admits to being “alarmed” by Dunfermline’s last-day collapse and insists they will not deserve to avoid relegation if they cannot cope with the pressure of their play-off battle.
Hughes is convinced the Pars have what it takes to see off Queen’s Park in their two-legged semi-final before a final meeting with either Airdrie or Montrose.
But, having previously been left devastated by a play-off loss to Brechin City, which sent Raith Rovers crashing into League One in 2017, the East End Park boss is fully aware Dunfermline’s Championship status now rests on a knife edge.
The Fifers dreamed of escaping the clutches of the play-offs with Friday night’s visit of already-doomed Queen of the South.
But with Ayr United’s victory over Partick Thistle consigning Dunfermline to ninth spot, they instead went out with a whimper after throwing away an early lead to lose 2-1.
The lifeless second-half performance drew boos from a frustrated Pars support and Hughes confesses he and his team now have to live with the consequences.
He said: “It’s understandable. The fans would not have been any more disappointed and frustrated and angered than myself.
“Especially after what I saw in the first-half. I thought, ‘we’re right at it here’. But the second-half performance was a little bit alarming. I’m not shying away from that.
“We’ve all been there, we’ve all got butterflies, but it cannot in any way, shape or form have any kind of influence on your performance.
“You need to use all your mental tools to make sure you’re ready to go.
“Queen’s Park have got nothing to lose. We’ve got everything to lose. So, with that alone, you need to be able to handle that and embrace that.
“Two or three months
ago we were bottom of the league. Now we’re still in the league, fighting in the play-offs. We’ve given ourselves a chance, we’ve got that, so go and grab it.
“You don’t have to have any more motivation. If motivation’s not there, in terms of this great club and Dunfermline and the size of the club and to keep it in the league, I don’t think you should be a professional footballer.
“You need to stand up to it. If not then we don’t deserve to be in the league. We need to be at it for 90 minutes.”
While Dunfermline have enjoyed just three victories from their last 13 matches,
Queen’s Park have been used to winning this season on their way to fourth place in League One.
The Spiders have lost only four times in their 18 games in 2022, despite having to endure difficult pitch conditions during their ground-share with Partick Thistle, who will play on Firhill just 24 hours before the Fifers get there.
Hughes, who is mulling over a start for the fit-again Graham Dorrans, has warned they represent a significant first hurdle for the Pars.
He added: “We’re under no illusion how difficult it’s going to be. We’ve had Queen’s Park watched a few
times. They’ve got some right good players in there and they’re well organised, and they play with a good energy – so we’ll have to stand up to that.
“I don’t think it will be won in any shape or form on Wednesday night, but we want to make sure it’s not lost also.
“If we can play with that intensity we can play at, and do that for 90 minutes, with that energy, then I think the football will take care of itself.
“When we’re not at it, we leave ourselves vulnerable.
“Can I take any (play-off ) experience and pass anything on? No, you just need to stick together.”