Points are Paramount
Sunday, 13th Feb 2022SL - “When you get yourself in a winning position you want to take all three points
It was a disappointing day especially after going ahead in the game was the post match summation by Steven Lawless at Rugby Park on Saturday evening. Steven’s 59th minute goal cued celebrations with team mates and the travelling support behind the goal but he claimed:-
“When you put yourself in that position you need to see out the game to take at least a point, when you get yourself in a winning position you want to take all three.
“It is disappointing to not come away with anything at all. I think we changed a little bit when we scored. During the game I think our mentality as a team changed, we sat back and that is something that we will have to put work in place to get that out of our game.”
Steven’s goal looked to have appeased for missing a penalty midway through the first half. It was just the Pars second penalty award of the season and since Steven had converted the first one, against Inverness Caley Thistle three weeks previously, it was only natural that Steven would step up again.
Trying to stop Steven was Killie’s keeper Zach Hemmings, on loan from Middlesbrough, who had a record of saving three of the four that he has faced this season. Unfortunately Steven was to suffer the same feat as Arbroath’s Michael McKenna, Hamilton’s Andy Ryan and David Moyo all being stopped by the 21 year old. He recalled his attempt:-
“I picked a side, usually I wait for the keeper to move, I don’t know what I’ve done. I made a mistake, the keeper has got there to be fair but I should do better.
“The best players in the world miss penalties, it is one of those things that are going to happen. I still have a good record, I’m disappointed not to score but I will be putting forward my name for the next one. Whether the boys will let me take it that’s a different story. You need to show a bit of bravery to take it but I will definitely put my name forward for the next one when we get it.”
Dunfermline reacted well to the saved penalty and were on top in the game thereafter until the point they took the lead. Steven was relieved with the response:-
“It was a disappointment for me more than most. Obviously I said sorry but these things happen in football, you are going to miss penalties if you are stepping up to take them every time.
“We put that to bed and I thought we did well in the second half up until we scored. We dropped off a bit as a team and let them back into it. When you are up against a player like Kyle Lafferty and you give them time to cross balls into your box, it is eventually going to come to something.”
Kilmarnock will be Dunfermline’s opponents twice again this season and Steven hopes they can learn from the Rugby Park set back.
“Hopefully we can put this result right. Lafferty took his chances really well but it was down to us giving him the chance. I think we need to defend better as a team after we score a goal. It is quite easy for that to happen, you drop off and change the way that you are playing and end up giving them the chance. If we work on that side of our game, then they don’t get these chances and we come away with the three points.”
Steven compared the disappointment with that experienced at Morton in early January and hoped that a similar run of positive results might follow that, starting with a win over his former club Partick Thistle on Friday night. The 30 year old forward was optimistic for Dunfermline’s chances:-
“We know they are doing well and know the dangers that they bring but we need to worry about ourselves.
‘I think we have a squad here that once we get everything going in the right direction we will be pushing up the table. We will show Thistle the respect they deserve because they are up the right end of the table where we want to be. We need to go into every game trying to get the three points.”
Steven spoke to Jordan Burt for ParsTV
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