John Potter Post St Johnstone
Tuesday, 15th Oct 2013U20s coach talks about the three goals, 15 year old keeper and looks ahead to Sunday's cup tie versus Dundee United
Listen to these John Potter's Post St Johnstone comments Match Pictures
John Potter was very pleased with his Under 20s team's 3-0 win over St Johnstone on Monday night. Speaking exclusively to the website the coach said:-
"I think in the first half we were excellent. We passed it as well as we have this season, moved it quickly and got in great areas. The one wee thing that I said was that the final ball wasn't good enough. We passed it for fun and worked great in the first half, we maybe should have been further up.
"We knew that there would get a reaction; they were the better team for 15 to 20 minutes but we stayed strong and defended well. We got a clean sheet and scored two good goals in the second half.
""Craig Dargo's goal was a great finish, showing the younger boys how it is done. We had spoken about our wide players getting in at the back post to be on the end of crosses and Fayssal did that (at the second). Then Scott Mercer had a great finish into the top corner."
Allan Smith made a great assist for the second goal of the game, Potts commented:-
"That is the Allan Smith we know. He is getting back, he scored a couple for the first team but you tell that his fitness wasn't there. It is now coming back and I thought that he was excellent for the whole game. It will do him good and impress the Manager to get him back in the first team."
The goalkeeper against St Johnstone was a fifteen year schoolboy at Gracemount High School in Edinburgh. Cammy Gill has been training with the first team squad for some time and John Potter confirmed that he will be playing on Sunday in the SFA Youth Cup tie against Dundee United:-
"I thought this game was a chance to play him to get a bit of experience. He had a good save in the first half and another in the second half. He is a very confident lad and a good shot stopper. He has been on the bench for the 20s so I was pleased he got his debut."
Looking ahead to Sunday Fayssal El Bakhtaoui and Chris Kane are too old to play in the cup competition and of course Craig Dargo will also have to come out of Monday night's team. That could make way for Scott Gray, Gavin McMillan and Finn Graham.
"We will be very young on Sunday. Our team will be made up with 17 and 18 year olds but I am looking forward to it. It will be very tough playing against the top academy in Scotland at the moment - everybody is talking about them. It will be a test for our very young team but I work the guys every day. They have been great and their attitude is brilliant. I have no doubt that they will go and do well. I just hope we can get a good result."
Last season Potts took his Under 20s team to the SFA Youth Cup final and he feels that it would be great to do that again.
"It will be difficult because last year we had an older team with more experience but they are under no pressure, I will just be telling them to go and do their best. If they keep performing like they did against St Johnstone they will have a chance."
MATCH PICTURES
MATCH REPORT: Dunfermline 3 St Johnstone 0
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