Rhys Breen has warned relegation-threatened Dunfermline that Queen of the South will be determined to finish the season on a high.
Breen spent the second half of last season on loan with the Doonhamers and has spoken with his old team-mates after they were consigned to League One for next term.
With player-boss Wullie Gibson desperate to keep his job beyond the summer, the former Rangers defender is convinced tomorrow night’s clash will be far from a dead rubber as far as the visitors are concerned.
That is bad news for Dunfermline, who need to better Ayr United’s result against Partick Thistle if they are to avoid the dreaded relegation play-off spot in ninth place.
Breen said: “I know a lot of the boys, I know Wullie Gibson, and I don’t think it is going to be a walk in the park.
“Wullie is a really good professional; he is really, really demanding of himself and the players around him.
“I have spoken to a few of the boys in the Queen of the South squad and they definitely want to finish on a high.
“I don’t think they will shut down, I don’t think they will feel sorry for themselves.
“They have also got a lot to play for next season so I don’t think us playing against them is going to be easy. I think that it will be the total opposite of that.
“So, we need to prepare right and hopefully we are ready for that.”
Dunfermline nudged themselves in front of Ayr with a 2-1 victory over the Honest Men a fortnight ago but slipped back down to second-bottom place with last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Partick Thistle.
Now drinking in the last-chance saloon, they know that a win against Queens will do – but only if Ayr fail to beat Partick.
A draw would likely even be enough if the Somerset Park men lose to Thistle.
However, Breen, who missed a chunk of the season through injury and Covid, insists the Pars are thinking of only one outcome.
He added: “This is the last game of the season and we just need to go out and give it everything that we can.
Rhys Breen: Dunfermline win ‘vital’
“There is a bit of pressure on Ayr as well, they have something to play for, but all we can do is focus on ourselves. If we focus on ourselves, we can’t go wrong if the outcome doesn’t work.
“But it is vital for us to win.
“Both us and Ayr are in the same position, it has gone right down to the last game.
“We just need to work hard and we need to leave everything out on the pitch.
“We want to make sure that we are secure for next season and make a much more positive start compared to the season that we have had this year.”
