Looking at the overall picture James McPake has done well to turn things around in a short space of time at Dunfermline.
The mood was low at East End Park when he was appointed and he has arrested the decline and turned things around.
There are still areas where the Pars can improve but an unbeaten start to the league season after 10 matches is impressive.
Even though there have been too many home draws.
A closer inspection shows that the Pars manager has continued another impressive record which stretches back to his time at Dens Park.
Last month Courier Sport looked into Dundee’s impressive record on artificial surfaces, going back to the start of the 2019/20 season.
At the time of writing, Dundee had won 12 of their 18 matches on that type of surface going back to the start of the 2019/20 season.
A large part of that period was with McPake at the helm.
Artificial record
Last season Dundee lost the one match they played on an artificial surface following McPake’s departure – at Livingston on the final day of last season.
Taking away that and Dundee’s matches on plastic this season means McPake won nine of his 14 matches on those surfaces at Dundee.
Since taking charge at Dunfermline Athletic he has only enhanced that record.
Eight of the 10 grounds in League 1 have an artificial surface – only East End Park and Peterhead’s Balmoor have a grass pitch.
This season, in all competitions, McPake is undefeated on plastic.
Grass isn’t always greener
Wins at East Fife, FC Edinburgh, Queen of the South and – most recently – Alloa Athletic, along with a draw at Kelty Hearts, make it 13 wins in 19.
He has lost two of those.
His only defeat so far this season came on grass – away to Ross County in the Premier Sports Cup.
Dunfermline even won their two preseason friendlies on an artificial surface with an aggregate score of 8-0.
Meanwhile, four of the five draws (again over 90 minutes) this season have come on the grass of East End Park.
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