Dunfermline have been struck a double blow ahead of this week’s play-off showdown with Cowdenbeath, with the news that both top scorer Ryan Wallace and on-loan Aberdeen striker Lawrence Shankland have been ruled out through injury.
Wallace has been suffering from a double hernia that it was hoped he could play through before surgery in the summer.
However, it has become clear the former Hearts and East Fife marksman will not be fit enough to play in either Wednesday’s first-leg or the return at East End Park on Saturday and will instead undergo an operation this weekend.
The Pars were also optimistic Shankland would get the green light to play some part in the club’s bid to win promotion to next season’s Championship.
But, after five weeks out with a groin injury, the 18-year-old has also been ruled out by manager Jim Jefferies.
On top of the loss of Jordan Moore, the on-loan Dundee United youngster who has been battling skin cancer, Jefferies admits the Fifers will now be missing some crucial fire power.
He commented: “Ryan is out, which is a blow, and even Shanks is out.
“They would have been handy to have and, with Jordan as well, that’s three strikers who have got a few goals between them.
“People have been saying we’ve not been scoring like we were, but we’ve not got the same strikers we had.
“But we have players who can get us goals and these are the ones that have got to take it on for us,” he said.
Despite the injury blows, Jefferies is confident his team can finish the job they started last summer and clinch promotion back to the Championship.
With Rangers always expected to win the automatic promotion spot in League One, the Pars have had their sights firmly set from the start on winning through to the play-off final to give themselves a chance of bouncing straight back up.
He knows the tension and intensity of Saturday’s extra-time victory over Stranraer will be ratcheted up a notch with the progress of neighbours Cowdenbeath past Ayr United to set up a Fife derby, however, Jefferies has urged his players to prove they are ready for the battle he expects over the two legs tomorrow and on Sunday.
He added: “If we thought going down to Stranraer was hard, it will go up a few notches against Cowdenbeath.
“There’s no doubting who the bigger club is, but Cowdenbeath are in a better place than us at the moment in the Championship.”