Assistant Manager post Peterhead

14/01/23: link to audio of Dave Mackay’s post match comments

"I said during the week there we`ve struggled at times in these sort of games at home, we`ve moved the ball too slowly, allowed teams to settle too easily. Today we were much better.

“I thought the first five-10 minutes we weren`t great but we slowly found ourselves on top and loads of the ball. So it was important we moved it well and we tried to moved their two banks of a five and a four - get them shifted to try and create space in the middle. At times we played some really good stuff and got chances from it.

“The first couple of goals were excellent, a few good goals, but the first two in particular I thought we were excellent in the way we moved the ball. Again, the second one with Joe Chalmers playing the longer sort of pass into Kyle Macdonald who has played a cross - obviously Matty Todd finishes it really well. It`s a pleasing performance and result today in difficult conditions.

"The pitch is still in very good condition for this time of year, one of the better grass pitches around. It gives us an opportunity to get the ball down and play. I thought that the boys handled the conditions and the sort of match that it was as well, we were given a lot of the ball, and it was a really good professional performance from us today, with glimpses of some really nice play as well."

Substitutes got game time and made an impact?

"We`ve got a lot of games coming up but these boys aren`t just getting thrown on just for the sake of making subs, they`re all pushing each other in training. The standard in training recently has gone to a different level between the boys. That comes from having a full almost fit squad - other than Paul Allan.

“We`re training well, we`re taking it into matches and when boys play they know they need to step it up or else they`ll be out the team. Again, depending on the opposition we`re paying, we`ll make changes anyway - we`ll ever say `this is our starting eleven` and you stick with it all the time. Different games suit different players. It`s great, whenever people are left out the attitude is spot on, they come on, they make an impact and that`s happened throughout the season."

Motherwell loanee Robbie Mahon made an impact?

"It`s not a position he`s played before but again it suited him just due to the fact that we were going to have a lot of the ball. Josh (Edwards)was playing really high, the way we wanted to play. So it was an easy swap to make, but I`m delighted for Robbie because, he has, his game time has been limited but one thing I`ll say his attitude is outstanding. The way he trains, the quality he`s got. He`s sometimes very hard on himself when he does something wrong or he gives the ball away, he beats himself up. He`s got a lot of quality and I`m delighted he came on there and made an impact, he creates the fourth goal as well."

O`Hara scored on his comeback?

"Delighted for Kevin, it`s been a long time out and a couple of games there that he might have played a part in have been postponed. It`s been a frustrating time for him but Kevin`s come back, he`s a fit lad, it`s like he`s never been away. Some players it will take a lot of time to get back up to speed when they`ve had a long-term injury, but Kevin is the type to just come back, he`s hit the ground running and delighted to get a few minutes there. I`m sure he`ll get a few more during the week if the game is on.

"He`s a proven player at Championship level, so if we can get Kevin fully fit in this league and playing well then he`s a massive asset for us. Good timing as well coming into the second half of the season. We`ve got loads of options from middle to front now which is only a good thing. It can cause you a few headaches trying to pick the right balance, but you`d much rather that than not having enough players. The boys are doing great at the minute and long may that continue."

Good momentum going into Tuesday night’s cup tie at Dundee?

"It`s a break now from the league for a couple of weeks, a couple of cup games against opposition from a higher league, so it`s a real test for us to see where we`re standing at the minute. We`re going really well in League One but we want to test ourselves against teams from a higher level.

“We`ve done well when we`ve done that during the season - Ross County at the beginning of the season, we played really well. Arbroath we went up there and blew them away with an excellent performance. So we`re looking for more of the same on Tuesday and Saturday."

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