Manager Post Hearts

07/04/12: JJ - "We threw the game away

MATCH PICTURES
Jim Jefferies felt that the sting for Dunfermline came in similar circumstances to the turning point only seven days ago at Tannadice.

"As a manager you know what is going to happen.  Dunfermline were the better side in the first half; their shape was good and Hearts never really caused us any problems.  You say to them at half time, I'll tell you whats going to happen ' they are going to go in there and get their backsides felt, they are going to get told that it wasn't good enough and will come out and step it up'.

"After getting a bit of a roasting I'm sure they did. We needed to deal with that because we had to get through the next ten to fifteen minutes and build again on the first half performance.

"We didn't just lose one goal in ten minutes, we lost two goals. From the position that we are in, you asking for a lot. Because of those two goals, we lost a little bit of the shape that we set up with. We didn't alter anything because we were doing really well.

"I had been really pleased with them at half time but apart for a wee spirited ten minutes late on when we got a goal back, we never reached the same level as we did in the first half.  That was because we shot ourselves in the foot with the two quick goals that could have been avoided."

Confidence is drained when a team loses two goals the way Dunfermline did but Jim Jefferies felt that things could have been so different had his side got ahead:-

"If we had scored first today, I think we would have seen them go on and do really well but that goal, because it happened last week, was a blow. Gerry McCabe was just telling me that has happened a lot this season, it is something that they have never learned from and they have to.

"You will not win games when teams, especially in the top half, are expected to come here and win comfortably. If we are outplaying them, they are going to get told off at half time and come out stronger.

"They were told that and that they would have to concentrate harder, be braver but the goals were too easy for them."

The Manager ruled any suggestion of giving up:-

"It is part of my job to make them still believe while there are still 15 points left at stake, Hibs have another chance to stretch it; if they don't there will be a six point gap and five games to go all against teams in the bottom half. These will still be tough games but they are the same for everybody.

"You never know in football but if you just look at how well they did in the first half and take a bit of confidence from that, deal with these situations just after half time then at least you give yourself a better chance than throwing games away like we did today."

Hearts coach, Gary Locke felt that it had been a hard working performance from Hearts that took the three points back over the River Forth:-

"We didn't do ourselves justice in the first half. Great credit to Dunfermline, they showed that they were battling for their lives. They gave everything for their manager but in the second half, once we started to get the ball down and pass it quicker, move a bit better I felt that we were in control of the game. We are delighted with the three points."