PARS boss Jim Jefferies has told his disappointed players to take their Scottish Cup frustrations out on Airdrieonians this weekend.

After gaining some momentum in their previous three matches with wins over Stirling Albion and Ayr United sandwiched between a 2-2 draw at Stranraer, an upturn in form following a run of just two points from four games, they suffered a setback in losing out in the fourth-round replay with a disappointing performance.

Jefferies was forthright in his assertion that it did not meet his standards but told Press Sport that he was looking for a positive reaction when they make the trip to face the third-bottom Diamonds.

Gary Bollan’s men were comfortably beaten 3-0 on their visit to East End Park earlier in the season but Athletic’s manager is fully aware of the challenge facing his side at a venue where they lost 2-0 on their last visit in April.

He said, “We don’t have to dwell on the Stranraer game for too long and we’re looking forward to Saturday. It’ll be a tough game at Airdrie, especially on the astro pitch, but we’ve picked up a couple of decent results in the league recently and we want to keep that going. Every single game we play is hard, especially when you go to teams who are at the bottom as they will raise their game against us. We have to overcome that. It looked like we’d turned the corner in those last two games but the players now have to get the bit between their teeth and show a reaction.” Allan Smith and Ryan Thomson were selected up front for the Stranraer clash despite the availability of Michael Moffat and Faissal El Bakhtaoui, who both started on the bench.

Both were sent on after Ross Millen’s penalty and Jefferies said new dad Moffat’s contribution was a positive, commenting, “I thought the subs who came on had an impact, especially Moff who looked very sharp considering he’s not had a lot of rest with the baby. That was a plus for us. Smithy played well on Saturday and deserved to start and with Moff not quite at 100 per cent and with a lack of a physical presence with Gozie (Ugwu) being out, we started with Thommo. He and Smithy caused them problems in the first game but didn’t on Tuesday and that’s why we made the changes. They’ll be in contention for Saturday.” Jefferies revealed that a scan on the knee injury sustained by Ryan Williamson against Stirling last month has revealed that he has not suffered any ligament damage nor will he require surgery but he will miss this weekend as he continues his recovery. Ryan Wallace has returned to full training but the manager said he would need games with the under-20s before he was considered for selection, while Ugwu and Lewis Martin are rated doubtful with calf and groin injuries respectively.

Meanwhile, Dunfermline’s League One clash with Brechin City on Saturday 7th Feburary has been postponed, the SPFL have confirmed. This is due to Brechin’s involvement in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup and a new date for the game is to be confirmed.