Managers Post Arbroath
Tuesday, 29th Oct 201929/10/19: Link to audio of both managers post match comments
- - Listen to this Stevie Crawford interview
Stevie Crawford contrasted Saturday’s encouraging second half performance with the frustration of the first half against Arbroath:-
“We had a few balls fizzed across the face of goal that we were very unlucky not to get on the end of. It was a case of saying to the boys at half time not to let frustration get to us, concentrate and try that first goal.
“I think then you saw the quality that is in the side and the bit of confidence that we have got at the moment to go on and win the game.
“I know we got the goals in the second half and on the creative side after the first goal we looked dangerous. As a manager at the moment I am probably more pleased at half time. I am not saying that I am accepting going in at 0-0 but sometimes there is a fear here at East End that you have to be scoring goals and then you leave yourself open at the back.
“There is a discipline about them and I can see that when things aren’t going for us in games that now they are starting to man manage certain situations. We are not doing everything right far from it but through the sticky patches of games it is giving us an opportunity to then score goals at the right time.”
The goals were both scored by Kevin Nisbet, an opener in 59 minutes followed up by a second 19 minutes later, SC praised his goals:-
“Pates has played a great ball, Andy Ryan used his pace to get in behind, showed the composure to hold it up and then played it in for Nizzy who has finished well. Then I think it was again Pates who played the ball through, Nizzy has timed his run really well and managed to stick the ball away for the second. In the end it could probably have been more.”
Kevin Nisbet was left out of the starting line up on Saturday but was brought in for this Tuesday evening game. SC discussed his striking options:-
“We have Gabby McGill and Lewis McCann who is out just now through injury but Andy Ryan has trained well for three weeks and not been given an opportunity to start games. Players aren’t daft, they know when players are performing at a certain level and it brings out thet in each other.
“Tonight Greg Kiltie had to play out on the left for us, Andy Ryan and Kevin Nisbet have started through the middle and they are putting pressure on me to make the right selections now which is a great headache for a manager.“
Everyone said pre match that this would be a tough match and the statistics showed 17 fouls against Arbroath and four yellow cards. Stevie said that was what you are likely to be up against.
“Dick (Campbell) is a very experienced manager and you are not going to get any presents off them. They have done fantastically well in the first quarter of the season.
“We knew that it was going to be tough tonight but I have the backing of the Chairman and the board to put a young sixteen year old Miller Fenton on the bench tonight. He is a left sided player who is coming through Fife Elite Academy. He has been doing well and it was right for us to give Miller his opportunity on the bench.
“As long as we are continuing to develop players and we are competing in this league then hopefully the future looks good for us.”
Asked if the back to back home wins were important in getting fans back on side, Stevie responded:-
“I don’t think it is a case of getting them back onside, I think they have been frustrated. We have been frustrated, I did say last season has gone. It was difficult when I came in last year in terms of trying to play open attractive football.
“That is not a dig at the players it is where we were at that moment. This year we are scoring more goals but we have been a bit more vulnerable in terms of our defending. With the rub of the green and even tonight you could have said that we had the chance of a couple of penalty kicks. We are not getting them but there is no point in crying over it.
“All I want is the boys to perform the way they do, show that commitment. As I said that first half albeit we didn’t go in leading the game, we gave ourselves an opportunity to win the game.
“We have moved up to sixth place in the league and that gives us the opportunity to go into the Queen of the South game looking to climb another couple of places. It is pleasing on that one,
“We had a tough game down there against Queens earlier in the season but on that back of two home victories it is one that we can look forward to.”
- - Dick Campbell’s post match interview
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