Managers post Inverness

Link to audio of both managers post match comments

Asked firstly whether he thought the 87th minute penalty decision against his side was a fair one, Stevie Crawford said:-

“We have had some really hard penalty decisions to accept this year. I will watch it back but looking at the reaction of the Inverness players they are always going to want the penalty kick. It is a sore one for us to take.

“In the first ten minutes Inverness very much put us under pressure looking to find Jordan White with the three players going in behind playing with quality. I thought we then coped with that but we are going a spell just now where confidence has taken a bit of a hit. I am not saying that we played great football but I felt that we turned the game.

“We had more crosses into the box that we had been working on that never came to anything. We have had plenty of setplays that we have to start turning into goals. We have to start scoring from them.

“The second half was a 50-50 game with nothing in it and we are bitterly disappointed that we have lost the game to a late penalty.”

When it was relayed that Inverness boss John Robertson had said that he felt that 0-0 would have been a fair result, Stevie debated that:-

“In terms of crosses going into the box, we probably had more efforts at goal today. It is not like we have played amazing football and cut them open. Thinking back on the game, I thought we put in enough crosses and tried to create enough chances to win the game.

“Sometimes it goes against you, we fought to the bitter end. I can’t fault the players in terms of their effort and commitment to it. As I say it is just bitterly disappointing that it is another penalty decision that has gone against us.

“Last week we played narrow in the first half and there was no width to us. That doesn’t mean that people aren’t showing for the ball. Alloa sat deep against us last week and there was very little space to get in behind. Today Inverness were a physical side, they have good players in there and in terms of commitment and effort to try and try and get on the ball I don’t think they can be criticised today for it.”

Table shows Dunfermline in tenth position, so is it a case of getting through a difficult period?

“It is, we are missing a couple of key players (Euan Murray and Ryan Dow) and it would be great for the squad to have these boys back. I would be more concerned if I felt that there was a lack of effort and a lack of commitment.

“It was a very difficult game against a side that Robbo has put together over a number of years. We created, we put in enough crosses and setplays today that w3 should be scoring more goals.”

Josh Edwards has to go off twenty minutes from the end and it looks like another defender to add to Euan Murray and Tom Lang on the injury list.

“To what extent I am not sure, Josh has come off with a calf injury. Hopefully it is not going to be a longer term one but it will test us if that’s the case.”

The match was Cammy Gill’s home league debut and SC commented:-

“I have said when Cammy signed his deal that it was a case of him and Ryan fighting for the number one jersey. It wasn’t the case of Cammy getting the game because it was the cup last Saturday, I felt that he was deserving of the chance.

“I am disappointed for Cammy because it would have meant a lot for him to get a clean sheet, as I am for the rest of the boys and the club as a whole.”

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