Manager Post Aberdeen

06/02.11 JM:- "We need to do that week in week out if we want to be coming here on a regular basis.

Jim McIntyre was totally gutted when he talked immediately after the cup defeat:-

"I thought the players were excellent today; they stuck to their shape well and created a couple of really good goalscoring opportunities. We didn't have an abundance of chances but we had three chances that were really good chances. My only criticism is that we never hit the target. You always want to work the goalie or hit the target, that is the most disappointing thing."

Jim was asked if he considered Chris Maguire should have been sent off for his tangle with Alex Keddie but he claimed not to have seen the incident. He had sympathy for Neil McGregor of whom the goal appeared to break:-

"It was hard for a defender to come on with just ten minutes left. He did really well with a couple of great blocks then from a dangerous ball into the box the keeper got his hand to it and it cannoned off his knee and gone in. It is a real cruel game at times; we didn't deserve that - the least we deserved was a replay. The manner in which we lost the goal was a hard one to take there was nothing we could do about it. It is just so hard to take at such a late stage in the game; especially as it always seems to be - you have a chance at one end and then the other team go up the park and score.

"We were excellent at the back today; even the two sitting midfielders did a great job as well working back to help the two centre backs out. We wanted to keep the four guys as forward as we could. I felt in the second half that we were starting to get too deep and coming under lots of pressure from Aberdeen. We were stemming that and they were handling that well. We were dangerous on the breaks.

"In terms of game planning, I am really pleased with the way it went. We went 4-3-2-1 and I thought it worked a treat. We had a real good shape to us and looked a threat when we went forward. We made great opportunities but never made enough of them.

"Every player played their role and there was a couple of them where the role wasn't accustomed to them. Pat Clarke for instance who did exceptionally well showing that he could run that channel and win important headers. Joe Cardle liked playing in that hole because he can cause problems - defenders don't like going in there. I felt it worked well.

"I couldn't be any more proud of them, they have come here and shown that they can handle playing at this level. They have shown today that they can rise to the occasion. We need to do that week in week out if we want to be coming here on a regular basis. We need to take the positives from today and kick on in the league because the form in the league over the last five or six weeks has not been good enough.

"The backing the fans gave us was magnificent and their response tells you what they thought of how we played. That is always a good gauge if the punters get right behind you. It was much appreciated because it takes a lot of time and money to follow your football team. We will need them right until the end of the season; they will be very important for us."

So on Saturday it is back to the bread and butter of First Division football. Macca acknowledged that picking up three points was becoming essential:-

"Raith Rovers took advantage of their game on Saturday and are five points ahead. We have the game in hand but we need to go to Cowdenbeath and we need to win."