Graham Bayne Post Ross County
Sunday, 19th Apr 2009"We struggled a bit at the start of the second but once Kirky scored we were more comfortable after that.
Jim McIntyre spoke after the match at Dingwall:-
"The first half was a real stop start affair. We had a couple of bad knocks and you think here you go again in terms of personnel. The boys shrugged off the injuries, but Greg Shields took two knocks. He recovered from the first one and then the second one he couldn't recover from.
"The first half was a flat game from both sides but it was nice to score from a set piece that we had worked on. We have not done that many times this year; people going where they were meant to go and we got the goal out of it. That was pleasing.
"I said to the players at half time 'be ready for a different team' because I thought they would get a bit of a rocket from their Manager. The first ten minutes of the second half we failed to handle it. They scored, not a great goal to concede. Then they had a ten minute spell of pressure where we were obviously worried. We defended that and once we scored the second goal I thought it was all us.
"We relaxed after the second goal, we played better and it deflated Ross County. Goals change games, we have seen it ourselves at East End Park where we have had lots of pressure and not taken the lead. Then the other team go up the park and score. That can take the wind out of your sails and I felt the second goal did that to Ross County."
The Manager had some concern over the injuries sustained in the match:-
"We will just have to wait and see where we are really. I hope to have one or two back next week. Of today's, Bell will be fine - he looks as though he has had a collagen transplant on his lips. Greg Shields is the worry."
The 3-1 win certainly gives Macca and his men a boost going into next weekends Semi Final and the final three games of the league season:-
"The way the results have gone today takes the pressure off but we just have to look after our own ship. I said to the players before the game that it turns into a five game season now, hopefully six. That is the way that we have to approach it and try and finish as strongly as we can. It is a good morale boosting win."
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