When Dunfermline’s first division promotion campaign was faltering last season a no-holds-barred team meeting helped pull them back from the brink of collapse and eventually clinch the title.
Their perilous predicament at the bottom of the SPL, the fact that they’re winless at East End Park this term, and their most recent capitulation against Inverness Caley Thistle in the Scottish Cup a few days ago brought about another squad gathering where management and players all had their say.
Whether it proves to have the long-term effect of playing a part in preserving their top-flight status remains to be seen. That it worked in the short term though is beyond doubt.
The Pars produced their best performance of the season to defeat Kilmarnock, and one of the goalscorers, Liam Buchanan, admitted: ”The meeting helped because I think a couple of people had things they wanted to get off their chests. At times, you need that rollocking to get the wake-up call.
”We’re just into the SPL and want to make the most of it but the performance against Inverness in the cup last midweek just was not good enough. We let each other know, as it is the only way we can go forward.
”It was an honest discussion. The manager, especially, had plenty to say. He had every right to do what he did and he got the reaction from the boys that he wanted.”
He added: ”The players, the manager and the staff knew we had a performance like this in us. We’ve let ourselves down in the past couple of weeks. I know it is just one game but we’ve got quality in our squad and, on our day, we can give those type of displays.
”Coming here and winning 3-0 is fantastic. To keep a clean sheet with the attacking players Killie have is tremendous. It’s massive for confidence.”
Dunfermline had a woeful record at Rugby Park. They’d had 19 attempts at getting a win there since 1992 and hadn’t managed it. So it didn’t make this the most likely venue where a Fife fightback would begin.
The way the game started you could see why this has become something of a cursed venue for them. Several good chances came their way three of them to Buchanan but none of them was converted.
Credit must go to the former Partick Thistle man for his perseverance, however, as on 42 minutes, when he again found himself in behind a mistake-ridden home defence, he squared to Andy Barrowman, who put Jim McIntyre’s side into the lead.
He then showed great persistence on the hour mark to get to a ball Killie centre-back Zdenek Kroca was happy to leave to roll over the byeline, and cut it back for Joe Cardle to make it two.
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And on 87 minutes he got his own individual reward for a tireless and tenacious performance by dispatching the Pars’ third after being teed up by substitute Andy Kirk.
”I never let myself think it wasn’t going to be my day,” Buchanan insisted. ”Once you start getting in behind defenders, it gives you confidence you can get chances. That makes you work harder as you know another will come along and, when it does, you have to take it.
”It was great awareness from Kirky for my goal, and I knew I’d get that extra opportunity.
”I’m looking to take my chance now I’m back in the team. Any footballer wants to play as many games as possible, so I have to give a performance every time the manager gives me a chance.”
East End boss McIntyre name-checked a number of his star performers on Saturday, and Buchanan was among them.
He said: ”Liam has been working really hard. He’s been frustrated at not being in the team but he deserved his chance and he certainly took it. We got a lift by having Kevin Rutkiewicz back in the centre of our defence. And we got a lift from the new signings Mark Kerr, who had a great debut, and our new goalkeeper, Iain Turner, who made saves at crucial times. And scoring the first goal gave us belief as well.
”That’s been a long time coming a win, a performance like that, and a clean sheet. I thought the players were exceptional. I felt we thoroughly deserved the victory, and to win 3-0 away against a really good side is a fabulous reaction to going out of the cup.
”But it’s important we remember it’s only one result. There’s a long, long way to go. There’s plenty to play for.”
The manager added: ”This win is a real shot in the arm for us but we’re going to a another really tough venue on Tuesday Fir Park. That won’t be easy but this win should give the players a lot of confidence.
”We always look like a team that can score goals. We had a wee go at the players for the cup result and they gave a positive reaction. That’s all you can ask for. They were absolutely fantastic.”
Killie manager Kenny Shiels struck the right note in the wake of a crushing defeat that not many people would have seen coming.
The Northern Irishman stated: ”It wasn’t a good day for us. I was disappointed with my players but sometimes you just have to take it on the chin.
”The pitch and the overhead conditions had an impact on the game but, I’m not going to blame them, it was about Dunfermline. They deserve all the credit. They showed great spirit for their manager and I’m not going to take away from their victory.”