James McPake was absolutely fuming when his side exited the Premier Sports Cup last month.
The Dunfermline Athletic boss found some perspective in the following days after unwinding by watching Formula 1, rolling back from his “ridiculously poor” assessment.
They have since responded with three wins from three before a 0-0 with Kelty Hearts on Saturday.
The Pars are the only SPFL side not to concede a goal, which has given them a “good foundation” to win matches, according to captain Kyle Benedictus.
Early indications
Signs of defensive solidity were noticeable in pre-season, during which Dunfermline conceded just once in four matches – courtesy of an error from a trialist keeper.
Competitively, Dunfermline have conceded just twice in eight matches – a goal every 360 minutes of football.
McPake’s anger after the 1-1 draw with Alloa in the Premier Sports Cup – and subsequent shootout loss – displays his motivation to win.
The Pars boss has spoken in the past of instilling a “winning mentality” whatever his players are doing around the club – even during a casual game of table tennis.
After the draw with Kelty, McPake again expressed his disappointment but wasn’t nearly as angry as after Alloa.
Thin on numbers
There are still players to be added before McPake’s squad is complete.
The manager said following the win over Montrose that he was a couple of injuries away from a “crisis” and is unable to put on 11-a-side training matches.
Despite being hamstrung in terms of squad numbers – unable to name a full bench yet – McPake has taken Dunfermline to joint top of League 1 after four matches.
To kick off the league season the Pars won three games in a row.
The last time the East End Park side managed this was November 2020 when Stevie Crawford was in charge – three permanent managers ago.
No defeats in five
Dunfermline are now unbeaten in their last five matches over 90 minutes. The last time that happened was April 2021 but involved four draws.
Before McPake took charge the club hadn’t even won back-to-back matches since November last year.
The drop in standard must be taken into account and while things have not been perfect so far Dunfermline are on the right track for an immediate return to the Championship.
McPake’s anger at dropped points, and disappointment at not scoring more after a 5-0 win, show that he is bringing back a winning mentality to the club.
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