Managers post Arbroath

04/03/20: link to audio of both Stevie Crawford and Dick Campbell’s post match interviews

Pars manager Stevie Crawford praised his counterpart Dick Campbell for the side he has built and how difficult they have made it for visiting teams to take points away from Gayfield. He told the media after the 0-0 draw:-

"We were level on points with them coming into tonight`s game. The positives for ourselves were a couple of chances that we could have won the game from. We didn`t concede tonight and going on from Saturday`s victory over Dundee United it gives us that platform going into the Queen of the South game at the weekend now.

"It was a Wednesday night, midweek fixture when the games are coming from all angles and I sometimes think that people don`t appreciate what is at stake. Tonight it was a possibility for Arbroath tonight to pull away from us and equally for us to pull away from Arbroath. It was a well contested game.

"From our point of view, did we get the ball down enough, play as many passes and create chances that way? Probably not as much as we would have liked but that is credit to Arbroath. They made it very very difficult and they have done that for every team in this league this year. Credit to Dick and his coaching staff for that."

Dick says that Arbroath`s ambitions as a part time team are different from the full time teams in the league. While Dunfermline are trying to win promotion to the Premier League, Dick is not thinking about that?

"You can believe that if you want" laughed Stevie. "He has done a great job over the years. Dick wouldn`t be a manager still if he was going to accept that. Respect where it is due, it was a tough, tough game tonight.

"We have given ourselves an opportunity to get up into the play off positions where we want to be come the end of the season. I do think that we are improving as the season goes along whereas earlier we might have come away with no points from a night like tonight.

"There are positives from the performance that we as a coaching staff can take. Probably not the football that we want to play on a regular basis but that might be a valuable point come the end of the season."

Asked how much of a boost the win over runaway league leaders Dundee United had provided, Stevie replied:-

"I thought that we were very good in the previous game against Inverness when there were things that we could not control on the night. From that the boys have managed to win the game over a good Dundee United team. It got us back in for those play off positions again.

"They will have taken confidence from that and let`s not get too carried away because the league is so tight. If you do then you will get your fingers burnt but a clean sheet tonight gives us something to look forward to now for the Queen of the South game."

How big a blow was it to have to go without Kevin Nisbet and Aaron Comrie?

"It is probably a pat on the back for Kevin that he has played so many games stepping up from League One football. Ryan Dow was out tonight too but it gives boys who are waiting in the wings the opportunity.

"I am not frightened to play young players. Gabby McGill got an opportunity tonight and Lewis McCann came on for him. If Lee Ashcroft is struggling for the weekend young Miller Fenton is pushing at sixteen years of age to get in amongst the squad now as is Josh Edwards.

"It is not about making excuses it is about using the squad that you have got and having belief in them. I have got the belief of the players in there."

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