Managers Post St Mirren

21/04/12: JJ - "Where we were wrong is that we shouldn't score four goals away from home and just come in with a draw."

Jim Jefferies was relieved to get a point but not happy to concede four goals.

"We came up with a great goal to equalise but we had three good opportunities prior to that and were unlucky with the one that came back off the post. Apart from losing the opening goal we were quite happy with the way we started. You can see in the way that the team was set up that we virtually played four attackers today because we knew it was a game that we were desperate to win."

At 1-1 Dunfermline looked like they could go on and get the result they wanted from the game but a mistake just two minutes from half time handed the home side the initiative yet again:-

"We went and made a stupid mistake. I said to Ozzie, 'why flick a ball and try and be clever at the back?' The centre half was not expecting it, from there the striker got it, played wide then into the box and they are more determined to get there than we are.

"We came out in the second half and lost another one. From 3-1 down we got it back to 3-2 with a terrific football goal from David Graham. Then again Ozzie goes and gives Joe (Cardle) the ball when I felt he should have given it to Mark Kerr. Joe shouldn't have been coming there; there was a bundle of mistakes. Joe shouldn't have come short, he should have been spun and went away and let Ozzie has played it forward. Ozzie has tried to find him when he was tightly marked and it was played into the box. Defenders have got to be picking up there but they allow him to take a touch, sort it out and then rifle it into the top corner.

"To come back the way we did in the last ten minutes when I went 3-4-3.  I took Mason off after he had to go into right back after MacMillan had to come off at half time. We were a wee bit concerned about that because I didn't have another defender on the bench - I didn't have any at the Club.

"In the end I just threw Kirk on, took a defender off and just went for it. We got a chance with Kirk and if he had hit the target we would have won the game. Tommy Craig said to me that every time we went forward we looked like we would score."

It was four goals on the road for the first time since February when the Pars won 4-0 at Cowdenbeath. Jim said that should have had a better outcome:-

"Where we were wrong is that we shouldn't score four goals away from home and just come in with a draw. A lot of it was down to our own making."

The fighting spirit was evident even after twice going two goals behind. The Manager claimed that he had never had any problem with his players commitment:-

"They just keep making mistakes and playing at this level you get punished. They could have defended better. Two of Steven Thomson's headed goals should have been dealt with better by our centre halves. At this level that is what you have to face, there are strikers like Steven who get in there and use their physical presence. We were second best to him and that's why he got two goals in the air but that is something that shouldn't really happen.

"The point might still be crucial, you never know. At 3-1 and 4-2 down you would have been delighted with the response of the players. I was over the moon with their response to get something out of the game.

"It was a win that we were wanting but if Hibs lose tomorrow it is a point closer but it is another game and it just makes it a wee bit tougher. It doesn't mean that it is impossible. We will keep believing. If Hibs win tomorrow it is going to be really tough, we will just have to wait and see."

The Pars boss apologised to the stand side linesman after no flag going up for offside before Nigel Hasselbaink put St Mirren into a fourth minute lead:-

"It could have been 8-8. I criticised the linesman for offside at the first goal but it seems like he got it right."

Saints boss Danny Lennon was very disappointed and 'livid' with his side for squandering a great chance to take all three points. He said:

"As a neutral coming and watching that today it would have been absolutely fantastic - a thoroughly entertaining game with good quality goals and end to end action. Standing here as St Mirren manager I'm absolutely livid in terms of not taking maximum points and also having the game sewn up on a number of occasions.

"If people think we've arrived and we're safe and we find ourselves in new unfamiliar territory and looking up the way, that's further from the ambition we have for this football club. I've just challenged the players on it and if any of them disagreed to speak freely. I didn't expect any of them to say anything.

"I said to them at half-time this game is there for the taking if we just turn it up and if we manage to go out there and leave everything behind on that pitch the victory will be ours. I asked them if they'd left everything on the pitch and the answer was no, the reason being we haven't come away with the three points. We've had Stevie Thompson scoring an absolutely wonderful hat-trick but we also conceded poor goals. We're a team that, from wide areas, has defended very admirably this season but today there was certainly a few mistakes that we didn't enjoy.

"I've challenged the players and the challenge for them is to make sure they come back in next week with the proper reaction. We've four very important games still to go and we want to see the fruits of our labour and the progression we've seen this season. That was certainly a given opportunity.

"I'll go home and analyse my own performance also to see if there were certain things I could have done better but it's the first time I've challenged my players to get that response. With three weeks to go we've got everything to play for and that is the challenge I give to my players. I certainly believe the character we have in there, the frustration in how angry I am is because I know they can do it but they must have that belief, desire and commitment to get us through it.

"We got off to an absolutely terrific start - why do we not go for the jugular? It's another 15-20 minutes before we get another strike on goal. Once they equalise we start to ascend again and we get our noses in front again at half-time.

"We came out and had an absolutely terrific start and get ourselves into a two goal lead. Dunfermline got a break to get back into it then David van Zanten does absolutely fantastically to help us get a two goal lead. How many times in a game of football do you want to learn how to hold onto that lead? I'm very, very angry because it's an absolutely wonderful opportunity missed.

"I must give a great deal of credit to Dunfermline for never giving in. You expect that, we were in that situation ourselves last season, they're fighting for everything and that could be a very valuable point for them in their relegation battle. Let me stress while we are safe, our season's certainly not finished. We're hungry to try to succeed and do something this club hasn't done for over 27 years and that's finish higher than 10th."

Match Report: St Mirren 4 Dunfermline 4