Tough take for Owain Fôn Williams
Thursday, 12th Mar 2020”It seems to have been the case of late where big decisions have changed games.
Pars keeper Owain Fôn Williams was totally dejected after what he clearly felt was a harshly unjust end to Tuesday night’s league match at the Energy Check Stadium.
Having saved a first half penalty the big Welsh international keeper was on great form in what was his busiest match yet between the sticks for Dunfermline Athletic.
Patrick Thistle had battered their opponents for the entire first half and Owain had several critical interventions to make. A tactical change at half time by the management team to go 3-5-2 had shored things up considerably although it was still against the run of play when Euan Murray put the Pars ahead from a 72nd minute corner.
With the match four minutes into stoppage time it seemed as though Murray`s strike was going to ensure that the three points were heading back to Fife. Things however change as a result of a Reece Cole corner from the left from which Partick equalised. Owain who was signed on loan from Hamilton Academical on 30 January 2020, commented:-
”It is so difficult taking that on the chin, especially after we dug in and stayed in the game for a large part of it. s was totally dejected after what he clearly felt was a harshly unjust end to Tuesday night’s league match at the Energy Check Stadium.
Having saved a first half penalty the big Welsh international keeper was on great form in what was his busiest match yet between the sticks for Dunfermline Athletic.
Patrick Thistle had battered their opponents for the entire first half and Owain had several critical interventions to make. A tactical change at half time by the management team to go 3-5-2 had shored things up considerably although it was still against the run of play when Euan Murray put the Pars ahead from a 72nd minute corner.
With the match four minutes into stoppage time it seemed as though Murray`s strike was going to ensure that the three points were heading back to Fife. Things however change as a result of a Reece Cole corner from the left from which Partick equalised. Owain who was signed on loan from Hamilton Academical on 30 January 2020, commented:-
”It is so difficult taking that on the chin, especially after we dug in and stayed in the game for a large part of it.
”We finally worked a brilliant setpiece that we had been working on for the goal. Then I don’t know if I am allowed to say it, but it seems to have been the case for a few games now. Decisions have gone against us and it is a tough one to take purely because I was the one involved.”
Owain was adamant that the Thistle goalscorer Brian Graham had backed into him as he went for the initial cross from the corner.
”It was a foul on me to start off with I have known Graham, I have played against him for many years and he does it well, fair play to him I will give him credit for that he does it well. But that is a foul on me to start off.
”Not only that, he is offside for the goal. So there are two chances there, one it could have been a free kick on me, which it was, so the game could have been stopped and then the second when the ball comes back into the box because he was so close to me and the defenders had pushed up, he is the one getting the touch on the ball to send it in. He has got to be offside.
”It is a really tough one to take especially so late in the game with nothing left in the game. There is not a lot we can do right now.”
When it was suggested that Owain should be pleased to have saved Stuart Bannigan’s 19th minute penalty that really kept the Pars in the contest. Owain paused and pondered before saying:-
”Yes, I am I suppose but the game means nothing. What happened in the last few seconds of the game is out of our control. It doesn’t really matter what the guys did in that final bit of play.”
Asked to comment on the Assistant Referee’s role, Owain added:-
”There were about two or three corners they had in the last period that were goal kicks. I can take that on the chin but when something like that happens it is a real tough one to take. The assistant can see right down the line of play, that’s where he should be.
”It seems to have been the case of late where big decisions have changed games. If you look at the game against Inverness where the goal was given, even still now if you look at it back you cannot really tell whether that has gone in or not.
”If you are not sure it is not a goal, you have to be certain with your decision to give a goal. Because goals change games if you are not 100% sure how can it be? There have been a couple of things but all we can do is get together again continue to work hard and build on things. Obviously there is another tough one on Saturday now.”
Reflecting on the night overall, Owain continued:-
”I thought Partick did well, they use the pitch very well, they went from side to side, they got plenty of balls in the box so credit to Partick.
”As a team we showed a lot of belief, a lot of character. It is easy for any team to fold with that amount of pressure constantly but it just shows our character, our discipline, our distances and our shape were good. We were resilient and stayed in the game as much as we possibly could.
”We knew that it was going to be a difficult game. We knew that the pitch wasn’t great it was heavy but it was the same for both teams. What we did was stay in the game for as long as we possibly could.
”All we needed was one chance and we took that chance because we had been working on that on the training ground. It was a great finish, a great corner kick but right now it is a tough one to take.”
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