Striker positive and confident
Wednesday, 13th Oct 2021“We will definitely be ready come Saturday, it is up to the players at the end of the day to put on a performance.”
Pars striker Craig Wighton is adamant that the players are all raring to go come Saturday and the visit of second placed Kilmarnock. He told the media, “we are all looking forward to it and we know that we need to start winning games.”
After the result at Dumfries it has seemed a long wait to try and right that result but with no fixture because of the SPFL Trust Trophy matches the break has created other opportunities:-
“We would have loved a game at the weekend there, just to put the performance right after the previous game. It was maybe good as well to have a break, be able to work on certain things and get a few boys back from niggles and whatever.”
No surprise that Craig was disappointed with the performance at Queen of the South but he knows that the team can’t dwell on that.
“We have had a lot of training days in between that game and Saturday’s game to put things right and work on certain things. We will definitely be ready come Saturday, it is up to the players at the end of the day to put on a performance.”
Confidence is still there according to the 24 year old striker who was signed on a pre contract in February this year:-
“We know that we have good players at the club but winning games is what brings the real confidence so it is a case of getting that first one and then hopefully building on that. As a group we know that we are capable of winning games, we just need to show that and actually do it rather than just speaking about it.
“We are all still positive and the confidence is there and we all know that it is still early in the season. There are a lot of points to play for but we need to start winning games as soon as possible.”
Every club that Craig has played for has had a period similar to the one that Dunfermline is going through right now, he continued claiming that the performances have been even more concerning than the results:-
“It is only eight games into the season, it is a long season and plenty of points to play for. The gap is not massive.
“The performances are probably the most disappointing thing in certain games. There have been games where we have shown glimpses but that is not enough. We need to do it over a 90 minute period in a game and you will get points on the board. We can talk all we want but we really need to start doing that on a Saturday.”
Handling pressure is all part of a footballer’s job, Craig stressed that can only be alleviated by coming up with results:-
“There are obviously a few younger guys who are not used to it but the majority of the group have been through this before or had pressure on them since they have broken into the first team. It is part of the game, you need to deal with that.
“When things are going well and you are getting all the praise it is good but we need to deal with this side of it as well. We haven’t been good enough so we need to accept the criticism and it is up to us to turn everyone’s opinion around.”
Craig who was signed from Hearts has experienced lean spells before. He joined the capital side from Dundee in August 2018 and he feels that the toughest periods of his career were the first couple of seasons at Tynecastle, culminating in the club’s relegation to the Championship while he was loaned out to Arbroath:-
“Things weren’t going well for me personally. I wasn’t playing as much as I would have liked and when I was playing I probably wasn’t doing enough to stay in the team.
“The team as a whole was struggling to get results but even there we all stayed positive and knew we had good players at the club at that point. A couple of wins turns the whole situation around but we need to start doing that soon. We can’t be sitting here a few weeks down the line saying the same things over and over.”
After hitting three goals in his first four matches of this season, Craig has not found the net in the next nine appearances and that is understandably disappointing him:-
“I have had a few chances, I could have done better with some, unlucky with some but on a personal level I want to start scoring goals and starting every week.
“Right now it is about the team and we really need to all come together - defenders keeping clean sheets and us (strikers) scoring goals. That is what we want to be doing. We are trying our hardest and it is up to us to turn it around.”
Kilmarnock return to East End Park for the first time since May 2012 and the club newly relegated from the Premiership will be formidable opponents. Hard though it might be the Fifers will be seeking a win to kick start their season but Craig claimed:-
“It will take more than one win but it would be a good start. I can understand the fans frustration it is up to us at the end of the day to change the opinion, change the mood so three points on Saturday would be a good start.
“We need to build on that and be pushing at the other end of the table because that is where we should be as a club with the squad that we have got but it has not been good enough up until now. There is a long period to go for us to turn it around.”
Craig Wighton speaks to ParsTV
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