Peterhead manager Jim McInally has warned his players to improve their discipline if they want to get back to winning ways.
The Blue Toon were beaten 1-0 by Stranraer in the Scottish Cup last weekend – only four days after being thumped 5-0 by the same side on league duty.
Reece Donaldson was sent off for violent conduct in last week’s defeat at Balmoor, while six other Peterhead players were booked.
McInally’s men host Dunfermline today and it was ill-discipline that cost the Blue Toon dearly in their previous encounter. Steven Noble, Jamie Redman and Jordon Brown were all sent off in the first half as Peterhead were beaten 3-0.
McInally said: “There is a trend in football that when someone gets fouled the opposition players all run to the referee to get the player booked or sent off.
“Whenever someone does that we seem to have a team of players who run in to confront them. You end up with confrontations all over the pitch and we lose our focus.
“I will never encourage the players to dive or try to get players booked but that seems to be the way of things and it is certainly making the referee’s job a lot tougher. We need to start managing games better as we are losing our focus.
“Players are coming in angry with the referee after games when they didn’t play particularly well themselves. The difference between ourselves and Stranraer last week was that they were more street-wise than us. When something goes against us we need to get on with it quickly and stop confronting players when they try to get people booked.”
Peterhead will welcome back David Cox from suspension, while Bryan Gilfillan should be nearing full fitness after making his comeback from injury as a substitute last week.
McInally says his players will have to be at their best if they are going to get anything against the Pars – one of two full-time teams in Scottish League 1.