Jim Leishman Post Dundee United
Saturday, 19th Aug 2006There's a guy down the chip shop
"In some ways I am happy with a point today, in other ways if the penalty had gone in we might have put a different type of pressure on Dundee United. They might have got more frustrated. Our defence in the second half, were superb because Dundee United put us under a lot of pressure."
Asked how he read the 18th minute penalty award, Leish replied:-
"Mark thought he got tripped, to me it looked like a penalty. Was there a debate?"
The penalty miss might have changed the outcome and the loss after 25 minutes of Stephen Simmons with concussion did not help either:-
"It did upset us because we had worked on Stephen Simmons coming from midfield going forward and trying to cause Dundee United a problem in that area. It was working great in training; Mark Burchill and Big Andy were getting a lot of possession in the final third but with Stephen coming off, we tried Jamie (McCunnie) and Darren (Young) there but it wasn't quite working as well.
"Stephen is away to hospital, I think he will be in overnight and he might be kept in. He kept asking 'what position am I playing?' and he was coming again ten seconds later saying 'what position am I playing?' We wanted him to be wider for the kick outs, that's how we got the penalty; he came wide flick on Andy Tod set up Mark Burchill but he kept on saying that and that's why we stopped him playing.
"Scott Muirhead came off with a hamstring injury and Darren Young has never played a pre season game. He was a bit rusty, he gave the ball away once or twice but it was a bonus that Darren played 70 minutes - a hard shift for 70 minutes in the centre of midfield. Aaron Labonte came on for Scott Muirhead, he went to right back and Calum Woods went to left back. Calum Woods is only 19 and what a good player he is."
A last ditch interception by Souleymane Bamba midway through the first half saved the Pars cleansheet and moments later the big man was up front to try an overhead kick that was unfortunately well off the mark. Leish commented on his recent signing from Paris St Germain:-
"Bamba is a bit raw at times but he has great strength, great pace - he is phenomenal." Leish joked when asked where did you get him "at the chip shop! He is an Ivory Coast, his mother is still there but he stayed with his father in Paris. He is on a two year contract."
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