Partick Thistle v Dunfermline: James McPake previews Firhill clash

But he has acknowledged that his side face a tough task when they travel to Partick Thistle tonight - and has pinpointed the threat of the league's top goalscorer as something to be wary of.

Dunfermline head to Firhill seeking to end a run of nine games without a victory against a Jags team that have won both of this season's previous meetings between the clubs.

Kris Doolan's side followed up a 3-0 home success with a 2-1 victory at KDM Group East End Park in December, and sit third in the table, nine points behind second-placed Raith Rovers.

The Jags were winners the last time the teams met at East End in December. (Image: Craig Brown.)

The Maryhill outfit will be looking to go one better this time around, after their Premiership play-off heartache against Ross County last season, whilst their opponents are simply aiming to pull themselves clear of relegation trouble.

That home defeat to Thistle marked the start of their current winless run, in which they have picked up just four points, which has seen them drop to second bottom of the table.

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Victory this evening - the game is live on BBC Scotland - would, at least temporarily, lift them out of the relegation play-off place, and their cause is set to be boosted with a return to the squad for Matty Todd and Alex Jakubiak after injury.

Miles Welch-Hayes, who joined on loan from Livingston yesterday, is also in contention to play, and McPake will hope his team can take the chances created against Arbroath into tonight's match.

"It's probably a bit more relief than confidence because, the two games before that, we had hardly created a chance," he replied when asked if they could take belief from their forward play at the weekend.

"You don't know if it's the confidence of the players, or if we're just that low in form at the minute that we can't even create chances.

"Probably in League One, I don't think our goal tally was that special, if it was even special at all, but what we did do was I think we created loads and loads of opportunities, goalscoring opportunities, not just opportunities.

"Saturday was back to that, so that's the most pleasing aspect of that game, that that's still there. I've spoken to the players about that and, again, walking off the pitch, the players are getting applauded. I think that's simply down to the crowd could see they were doing everything to try and win the game, chance after chance.

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"We'd hit the bar, Mal then has another chance, Hammy has one cleared off the line, so I was pleased with that."

Brad Holmes had one of several Pars chances on Saturday against Arbroath. (Image: Craig Brown.)

At the other end of the park, however, Dunfermline are aware of the danger posed by veteran hitman, Brian Graham, who leads the Championship goalscoring charts with 12 goals so far this term.

He has netted in both games with the Pars this season, including what proved to be the decisive strike at East End, and McPake observed: "They're a good team. They've got, for me, one of the most dangerous men in the league in Brian Graham up front.

"I think I spoke about him after the last game here that he's just a guy that's just so desperate to score goals.

"You're at that point, you show other strikers that. You don't need to go and watch Champions League games or whatever because his movement, in terms of where he is when the ball drops in the box, he's always there or thereabouts.

"He's done that all his career. Then they've got, in Fitzpatrick and Lawless, they've got two really good wingers on their day as well. We know the threat of them down there. We felt that down there when we went, and then they came here and beat us as well.

"They've got six points out of six against us. They had a right good run last year getting to the play-off final, and they're looking to carry that on, so it's going to be a tough game."

McPake and his coaching team switched to a back four from a central defensive three against Arbroath, and revealed he has decided on how his team will shape up tonight.

"We've had the discussions as a staff and as a group where their threats are, and where we can hurt them. The shape is picked but, again, what we need to be really conscious of is set plays," he added.

"We could've played a back three and maybe we'd have won the game on Saturday. We don't know, but we could've played that back three and lost that game, like we could've lost it as a back four with set plays coming in our box and not defending them.

"(Colin) Hamilton has one that he heads wide, albeit, we could've scored four or five ourselves as well.

"They (Thistle) are a big side. They showed that here when they came, so we need to pick a team that can match them physically, then deal with their good footballers, but also deal with balls into our box, because they'll be looking at us and saying 'that's what we need to do to beat them. We've got Brian Graham in there, we've got two good wingers, full backs that get involved as well, and put balls in their box'.

"That's what we've been working on."