Dunfermline manager Jim McIntyre believes that his side can stay in the SPL if they continue to show the same endeavour they did on Saturday against Inverness. The 1-1 draw ended a run of three consecutive defeats with substitute Liam Buchanan's penalty four minutes from time cancelling out Gregory Tade's 33rd-minute opener for home side Inverness. The result means that Inverness stay on the bottom of the table which is not great news for manager Terry Butcher. The Pars had not scored a goal but let in 10 in their three-game losing streak. It was understandable, therefore, that McIntyre was happy with the effort of his players. He is confident that if the work ethic on display remains then his side can survive their first season back in Scotland's top flight.
He said: "It was important that we stemmed the tide of the recent bad results, so I was pleased with that and the attitude of the players was superb. You see them in training every day and they work hard day in, day out. There's probably been two performances this season that have not been acceptable, but in every game the boys have given everything and I can't ask for anything more than that. Of course I want that little bit more quality at times, but if we continue to keep showing that kind of work rate then we'll be fine."
Not for the first time this season, Caley Thistle manager Butcher was left to worry about yet another inconsistent performance in which his side shone in some spells, yet struggled in others. The fans made their feelings known after the final whistle, and Butcher can full understand their frustrations. He said: "The fans pay their money and are entitled to their opinion. If I'd paid to watch that then I would have been very disappointed as well. We've had tantalising glimpses of what this team can do this season and once again against Dunfermline for periods of the match we were great. However, in others we weren't so great, so it's now about trying to put it all together for a full 90 minutes."