RYAN DOW has called on his Pars pals to up their performance and make sure they reach the Championship play-off final.

The 30-year-old, who returned to the team for the first time since a 2-0 defeat at champions Kilmarnock at the beginning of last month, admitted there was disappointment among the camp that they didn't return to East End with a lead over Queen's Park after Wednesday's semi-final, first leg.

The teams drew 0-0, meaning the tie is finely poised going into this afternoon's second leg, with the winners progressing to a final with either Airdrieonians or Montrose.

Defeat for Dunfermline would signal League One football for the first time in six years, and former Dundee United and Ross County midfielder Dow believes that getting the first goal this afternoon could prove pivotal.

"Obviously disappointed that we never won," he said after the first leg.

"Considering coming here to not the easiest pitch, it is not the worst result in the world but we would have liked to have won. There weren’t a lot of clear cut chances in the game but I think we had the better of what chances there were.

"It is the same for both teams, but it is not the easiest surface. We are used to it, we have played Partick Thistle a couple of times on it (there have been four matches between the Pars and Thistle at Firhill this season) and you wouldn’t make any excuse out of the pitch. It is difficult to play on.

"We play a passing game and I think Queen’s Park are the same, probably happy to go on to a better park at East End.

"It was a difficult, hard fought match from both teams so it will be difficult but hopefully it will suit us a lot better back on our home surface.

"Hopefully the crowd will get behind us and get a positive result."

When asked if it was important not to have lost the first leg, Dow continued: "Yes, it was a hard fought match and Queen's are probably happy with that as well, and we are saying that we are disappointed that we never won it.

"It is not the worst result in the world, you get a clean sheet and you go to a home match to try and get into the final. That is what we will be looking to do.

"We maybe need to up our performance a wee bit, get on the front foot and get the first goal since I think that will be massive.

"Queen’s Park are a good team, they have some good players who are Championship level players as well so it is going to be a hard game. We know that we can up that better and play our game at East End Park. It should be a good game."

Boss John Hughes said it is "game on" this afternoon, and noted: "I'll always give the opposition credit and you can see they were well-organised.

"It's going to be hard; you think we can just turn up, it's never like that. If we think like that, and have that mindset, you'll come a cropper.

"That's not the case. I think, apart from the first 10 minutes, we showed good desire, good application and I'm quite sure, come Saturday on that better surface, if we show the same desire and application, I'm quite sure that we'll create a lot more chances.

"If we can take them, then we'll win the game.

"Saturday I'm hoping we can get the job done, but it's never easy. You always have to look at the opposition and give them credit, and football's a funny old game in terms of when you think, or you put your guard down, it's got a great habit of catching you out.

"We're going to have to be concentrated, get them recovered and get them ready to go for Saturday and a right tough football match.

"I think the fans will be out in their numbers, and I think if they get right behind us and we play at a high game, a high intensity and get at it, I think we'll be a better team for it."

In the opposite dugout, John Potter, a former Pars player, coach and manager, believes his side have nothing to fear - and that all the pressure is on the hosts.

"The pitch will be better. Dunfermline will have a big crowd to support but we've got nothing to fear," he said.

"I think we've got good footballers as well and we can play on a better pitch. Hopefully we can show that on Saturday.

"It is all on them (pressure). They've got their position to lose, they're a Championship team, they're a big club. I know that, I live there myself, they're a big club and there's expectation for them to stay in the league.

"The pressure is on them but, from us, we need to go and do what we do, and try and concentrate on what we're good at. If we do that, then I think we can do.

Potter still lives in the town, despite leaving East End in 2018 to follow Jack Ross to Sunderland, and then to Hibernian, and, when asked if he'd need a tin hat ahead of the game, he laughed: "They hate me anyway so it doesn't really matter!

"That's where I live, and that's the team I support, but hopefully we can beat them on on Saturday and get ourselves into the final."

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