Manager Post Stranraer

07/05/14: JJ - "It is just half time and on a bigger pitch one goal is not insurmountable

Listen to this Jim Jefferies Interview

MATCH PICTURES
"It is just half time and on a bigger pitch one goal is not insurmountable. The target for us is to get back level and we will go and see what we can do from there" Jim Jefferies told his post match press conference:-

"We said to the players before the game, forget league games it is now cup ties. Everybody starts level and you could see right away that Stranraer were right up for it. They won everything and second balls going down the hill with a wee bit help of the wind.

"There was schoolboy defending for their first goal. It was a punt up the park and Morris has not even gone to close the centre forward down. He watched the boy bring it down and that is when the problem started. We weren't happy about that.

"Then Danny Grainger missed a great chance to equalise from a free kick that came in. I don't know how he missed it but then we seemed to pick ourselves up. We made a wee change tactically going 4-4-2 to try and match them up but we soon changed and brought Shaun Byrne in and that is when we seemed to gain control of the ball. We came strong and scored a good goal.

"Second half I think we totally dominated it. We had chances - Faiss was right through. We had two headed or kicked off the line. We went down to ten men after losing two players through injury and a sending off. Then we gave away a stupid free kick at the end when you see Stranraer were trying to get something. We didn't pick up the boy and he scored.

"We pinpointed him before the game and we gave a free header in the first few minutes but has come up with a winner at the end.

"It gives them something to hang on to so it will be an interesting game on Saturday. It will be another tough, hard game - I said that it would be down here but considering what went on and the chances we should have at least gone up to East End Park on level terms. As I say it is not insurmountable, it is half time only and we will see what the second half brings.

"They put in so much effort in the first half and I thought it might tell in the second half. Of course we got our passing going and have young sharp fit players and I thought they were looking a bit heavy legged. We were creating a lot of chances getting in behind them but when you get them you have to take them.

"Faiss was right through and tried to dink the goalkeeper when he should have been putting his foot through it. Husband had just come on as a sub and it fell for him but he tried to place it in the net instead of blasting it. There were good chances floating about but if you do not take them you are running the risk of getting punished.

"It was a late goal and we had a man sent off. Josh picked up an injury on his calf and I was worried that might get worse. He was on a booking and if you are not quite fit and you go and make a late challenge and pulled somebody down it was sensible to take him off.

"Geggan we have lost, he is up at the hospital so that is going to be a massive blow. We are not out of the tie by any means and we will have a good crowd behind us on Saturday. We will be going for it and it is not as if we have to chase two or three goals like we have had to do in the past. It just takes one to get back on level terms. We have got to make sure that we get the pressure on them early and try and get an early goal.

"If that doesn't come we will just keep plugging away as long as we are solid and make sure that we concentrate harder. In the second half, for all the play we had, I still felt that Stranraer got a bit of joy with a bit of indecision at the back in our players. I wasn't too happy about them doing that. Some of them got caught doing silly things that allowed them to get a sniff.

"You say before the game, don't give them a sniff, don't give them any encouragement because if you do that it just gives them a lift that they can get at you and cause you problems. The problems we were causing were by ourselves because of our indecision and not dealing with matters or making the wrong decision.

"There were a lot of pluses in the second half particularly because we controlled the game. With just got hit near the end with a sucker punch after creating a couple of good chances of our own.

"There was always a possibility that you could come down here; it is a hard place to come, Ross County have been beaten down here, Inverness had a hard time and I know they have not been great lately but all that has gone on in the past doesn't matter. This was a cup tie tonight and you see that their plan was to get stuck in about us and stop us playing.

"We weathered that, controlled the game and probably deserved a draw out of it. We are one behind but we are capable of getting that back."

The result on Saturday is now the most important of the season but JJ stressed that the season's target was to finish second, be in the play offs and have the opportunity to go for promotion. He continued:-

"There are four teams and four games to play before you do that. They are cup ties and sometimes people can play really well and lose. We played decent football tonight and lost so it means we have a challenge on. We just have to make sure that we accept that challenge, go there and do our damnedest to put in.

"Pressure? Pressure is on every week and there are no guarantees when you are in the play offs that it goes your way. It wasn't for the lack of effort.

"To be fair to Stranraer I thought they were the better side for the opening twenty minutes. They got on top of everything, won every ball, won every knock down and it wasn't until we got a wee spell in the game with our first attack that we started to give them something to think about.

"We actually finished the half quite well but overall on clear cut chances we had far more than they had. If you don't take them you always run the risk of losing the game.

"There is a long way to go, it is not 45 minutes we have got, it is 90 minutes to put it right. We are on good form with some good performances tonight, hopefully the injuries will not be too severe and we will just have to deal with cover after Jonathan (Page)'s sending off.

"Boys came in last week against Rangers and showed that they can accept that challenge. They did very well so it means that it is an opportunity for someone else to come in and do well."

MATCH PICTURES