Dunfermline Athletic look set to lose skipper Josh Falkingham for nothing in the summer, Courier Sport can reveal.
The 23-year-old former St Johnstone and Arbroath playmaker was one of a clutch of players offered contract extensions earlier this month but has turned down the Pars’ initial offer of a new deal.
With Falkingham out of contract at the end of the season, Pars boss Jim Jefferies appears resigned to losing one of the club’s stalwarts of recent years and expressed his sadness at his captain’s decision yesterday.
“I’m disappointed because he’s a player we’ve picked up and he’s played well,” he told Courier Sport.
“We’ve made the point that we’re not going to stop anybody if they want to go to a bigger club.
“It’s one of the things we have to do, pick up young talent and hope that they move on, but the unfortunate thing is that at the end of the season we get nothing because he’s out of contract.
“It’s one of those things and we’ll just have to put up with that.
“It would have been nice if the club had got something back, and we would never stop anybody moving, but every small amount to the club matters.
“I just felt a wee bit disappointed, especially because some boys have committed to the club and these boys have said if everybody stays together we’ll have a good team.
“But unfortunately that’s not always the case.”
Jefferies confirmed that Falkingham will still be available for selection but stressed that the midfielder and players in a similar situation would have to continue giving their all for the cause.
And the Pars boss conceded that he had a difficult decision to make about the club captaincy given the turn of events at East End Park.
“I work for Dunfermline Athletic Football Club as well as anybody that’s here, and you’ve got to do the right thing for the club,” he commented.
“If I feel that certain players have put commitment to wanting to be here and others have not then that is something that I will have to address.
“If their form dips or their mind is not on it..I’ve warned Josh that I’ve seen it in the past and I’ve got plenty of experience.
“Players don’t do it intentionally but sometimes when their mind is on other things you’ve got to question if the commitment is there.
“They often say they are (committed) but saying it and doing it are two different things.
“But that’s football.
“We’re not the only club who have had to deal with it, but given what had happened here over the last few years with Pars United and the fans who have rallied around I was a wee bit disappointed.
“They had hardships under the previous owner with not getting paid but these supporters have got them up to date and I thought it might have been a wee reward that they would all have stuck together.
“And if anybody had wanted them, which we’re never going to stop, then the club would benefit.
“That’s the disappointing thing for me.”
While the possible loss of Falkingham is a blow for the Fife club, Jefferies said he was delighted to see forward Ryan Wallace sign a new two-year extension to his contract and expects more to follow suit in the coming weeks.
“I’ve had good positive feedback and we’re waiting on a couple coming back,” he continued.
“But we’ve had young guys like Lewis Martin, Ryan Williamson and Shaun Byrne coming back very early and Wallace has signed.
“I’m also expecting an answer on Andy Geggan.”
Jefferies strengthened his side last week with the signing of former Motherwell and Morton defender Jonathan Page and confirmed yesterday he is still keen to add.
But that may be easier said than done.
“I’ve got a lot of things on the go but it’s all early stages and nothing concrete,” he concluded.
“I think now, to help the boys, we need another couple of experienced players but I’d have to take that to the board and find out if that was possible.
“I think that is needed on the pitch.
“We couldn’t do that up until December because of the ban but it’s not easy to get the right types you need.
“Even supposing it was a couple of players who were maybe out of the picture somewhere and we could get them to come and help us through to the end of the season.
“But I can tell you now, that is a very small list – to get what we can afford.
“We’ll just have to do the best we can and if we can’t get anyone we’ll go with what we’ve got.”