Dunfermline boss Jim Jefferies has told promising young stars like Scott Sutherland they will get their chance in the first team when the time is right if they continue to demonstrate progress.
Teenager Sutherland scored twice for Scotland under-15s in a 4-3 loss to Switzerland in midweek and is rated as one of the country’s hottest young prospects at that level.
And with the Fife club, who also have John-James Henderson in the national U15 squad, having to rely upon youths for the time being, Jefferies says he is not afraid to pitch quality young players in if they continue to prove themselves.
“With the pathway Dunfermline have taken with the younger element, what a great opportunity any youngster coming to Dunfermline has,” he said.
“We have shown that if you are good enough you’ll get your chance early, so these boys don’t have to hang around until they are 20. Scott is 15 and we have had a few players playing in the first team albeit in pre-season matches who have been 17.
“So it’s encouraging for all the youths at our club. I look at our under-20 team as well and it is full of 17-year-olds, so it’s a great opportunity for them.
“I’ve told the first team that if they are not playing well, there are kids there who I would have no hesitation of putting in and I know they wouldn’t let me down.
“They are maybe still young and nave, but if anyone in the first team does not perform these young lads will get a chance.
“So if the young laddie Sutherland, when he does come into the full-time set-up, has something about him then he’ll get a chance. But it’s the same for everybody.”
The Pars come back from the international break in second spot in League One ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Brechin, and Jefferies feels the lay-off came at the right time.
He added: “I’m glad we had a break because we had five games in a fortnight two of them on astro pitches back-to-back. We’ve got a young squad and everybody knows the effort they put in to the season, so a wee break doesn’t do any harm.
“Other people might say when you get a couple of wins you want to keep it going, but we’ve not had a choice. It came at the right time for us because it’s not just on the pitch they work hard, it’s in training as well.
“You have to be mindful of that as the season goes on. Brechin are another team full of experienced players and it’s what we have to face in every game we have.
“The only team of youngsters I thought we might face was Rangers up until September 1, but they’ve got all their experienced players in now.
“It’s something we have to deal with and whatever team Brechin have got, even for Premiership clubs it is a difficult place to go.”
Young defender Scott Campbell is back training with the squad.
“We’re just helping him with his rehab,” said Jefferies.
“Although, he’s not officially with the club yet, we’re just helping him get over his injuries.”
Meanwhile, the club’s cost-cutting measures have continued with the axing of hospitality packages.
Three members of staff associated with hospitality have been made redundant in the last few weeks and no packages will be offered for the next two home games against Airdrieonians and Ayr United.
The decision has been taken after administrators BDO, who are still in charge of the day-to-day running of the club, looked at the figures and decided the club could not afford to continue losing money on the hospitality side of things.
Supporters Trust spokesperson Margaret Ross confirmed that the decision to cut hospitality has been made but suggested the subject will be revisited once Pars United, who are waiting in the wings to take over, take control.
She said: “We’ve looked at it and it hasn’t been the profit-making concern that people have maybe thought it has been, so we’re just taking a step back to give us some time, address what’s happened in the past and what we need to do in the future.
“We need to have a think about it.
“At the minute, the whole strategy group is working for no salary and we’re trying like mad to unearth what’s happened in the past, to look at the future and we’re just having to take a step back and see what the best way forward is.
“We’ve only just said that there’s no hospitality for two weeks until we can work something out.
“This is a BDO decision really and we’re going to have a meeting next week with the people who have taken hospitality in the past, the main players who have taken hospitality, and ask them their thoughts on how best to take a step forward.”