James McPake bemoaned Dunfermline’s lack of a clinical edge as they succumbed to defeat to Airdrie.
The Pars lost for the first time in five games as goals in either half from former players Nikolay Todorov and Gabby McGill ended the East End Park side’s unbeaten run.
The Fifers started strongly but could not take any of the early chances they created in a first-half they edged.
But after the break their efforts were not matched by incisiveness in attack as the game petered out to a disappointing 2-0 reverse.
McPake, whose side slip to sixth in the Championship table, said: “I think we started the game okay in terms of the chances did we create.
“The real negative of tonight – obviously the result is the important thing – is for the decent chances we had in the game, we didn’t work Airdrie’s goalkeeper nearly enough.
“We were snatching at them and Matty [Todd], normally when he’s in those areas, he’s really good at working goalkeepers.
“That’s the real disappointing thing, that we never worked the goalkeeper nearly enough.
McPake: ‘Make them make saves’
“You’ve got to be clinical, and that doesn’t mean scoring every chance you get.
“But you’ve got to be working goalkeepers and making them make saves and not making it easy for them.
“And that’s all we asked of them in the second-half, to go out and do a bit more of that.
“But, unfortunately, it wasn’t our night.”
Dunfermline were without on-loan St Johnstone striker Chris Kane. But there was a positive when Kane Ritchie-Hosler made just a sixth appearance off the bench following a third injury lay-off.
McPake must now lift his side for Saturday’s Fife derby away to Raith Rovers.
He explained: “It was just real fatigue, I think [with Chris].
“He was ill last week and he only trained on the Friday and then put in a great shift on a heavy pitch on Saturday.
“He’s not played a lot of minutes over the last however long, so we’re very cautious with him in the hope that allows him to get a run now.”
DAFC frustrated
On Ritchie-Hosler, he added: “I think it shows you the work he’s done.
“He’s been frustrated. He had to wait until a certain date to get the scan done again.
“I’m delighted to have him back.
“We’ll need to be patient with him until he gets up to his standards.
“But I’m delighted to have him back. He’s a great kid and he’s got a lot to offer.”
