Dunfermline manager Jim Jefferies believes there should be cause for optimism at East End Park, despite Saturday’s defeat to Partick Thistle.
The Pars boss was far from downbeat following the 1-0 loss and felt his side perhaps deserved something from the game, particularly after the second-half performance.
But even though the Jags went on to inflict a first league defeat on his side this season, Jefferies believes his new-look team are on an upward learning curve.
”Partick are a very good team, and I said before the game that it would be a massive pointer to finding out just how good a side we are,” he said.
”It is a new team, they have not had many games together and there is a lot of inexperience.
”Jackie’s team have had a head start on us there, they are a good team and I think the result last week against Falkirk proved it.
”If we had lost the game three or four nothing then I would have said that we have a lot to do, but based on the second-half performance, without taking anything away from Partick, if that is how close we can run them then we are not that far away.
”This is a long season and we will get better.”
Jefferies admitted that the Partick game served as an indicator as to where his team might end up this season, and he remains confident of a high finish.
”It was about me getting to know if this team would be good enough to be up there challenging,” he said.
”We have never shouted that we are going to be winning the league because the expectation levels take care of that itself.
”This is a new team still learning, still developing, and it will get better and better. Hopefully we will get better soon, and if they do we will be up there challenging as well.”
On the youth front at East End Park, Dunfermline’s U20 side notched up an impressive 2-1 victory over Dundee at Dens Park on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, the club has remained relatively tight-lipped about the future of midfielder Ryan Thomson, who was charged earlier this week in connection with an alleged street brawl in Glasgow.
A statement released on Wednesday said: ”Everyone at DAFC is appalled by the behaviour of Ryan Thomson and we do not condone it in any way.
”The club is still in the process of gathering all the information on the incident and we will be able to issue a further statement once we have all the details to hand.”