Managers Post Peterhead

Link to audio of both managers comments

- - Listen to Jim Jefferies' Post Match Comments

Jim Jefferies felt that his team had played some good football and made good moves but at the interval only had one goal to show for it.

"In the opening fifteen to twenty minutes we just carried on from where we left off. We needed to get that second goal but we tried to walk the ball into the net. If you don't score that opening goal you can sometimes get punished.

"There w a wind get up and I thought we sat too deep at times. We were screaming at them to get out because obviously if they played the ball long there is a lot of danger around about the box."

The Pars paid the penalty from a free kick conceded by Alex Whittle and then converted off the head of the former Cowdenbeath player, Jamie Stevenson with just two minutes remaining. JJ bemoaned it was a needless free kick to give away:-

"We told them ten minutes before when there was a free kick where the boy got a header over the bar from inside the six yard box. We were screaming for them to stay on the eighteen yard line; you have to be brave to stay there, make sure that you don't go in because you are just inviting them in there on top of you.

"What do we do? They were told again just before the free kick was taken - it was bad enough giving away the stupid free kick, you don't want to do that at that stage in the game. You don't make it easy for them because they got what they want. They want to cross it into the box because they have some big men."

There were only five minutes plus what would be five added minutes of time left when Jim Jefferies made a double substitution. The replacement of Faissal El Bakhtaoui and Ross Forbes with defenders Lewis Martin and Ryan Williamson looked like a move intended to shore up the defences. The manager explained what went wrong:-

"We had put on a couple of substitutes over six feet as well so we should have had enough to counter that. It is so difficult to defend when you are right on top of the goalkeeper. The boy won a header in the six yard box, knocked it across and Shaun Byrne said that he let his man get in front of him to put it in at the back post.

"That is what can happen in a game where you are so far in front but don't kill them off or get a second goal. You pay the penalty and that is what we did today. We have nobody to blame but ourselves, we have played well enough, had enough possession and created enough chances.

"I thought three or four times in the second half alone we were trying to walk it into the net - trying to be too precise. We have got to start taking these chances because there was a lot of good build up play and a lot of good movement and passing but when teams just knock it forward and try to change it because they know that they are not going to outplay you, it sits players like McAllister and the lad they put on upfront.

"They were starting to get in behind us so we put on a couple of bigger men to try and plug the holes which we did. It doesn't matter how many men or what way you go to, if there is a ball played into the box everybody has to do their job. The main job was not to give the free kick away, not to go in on to of the goalkeeper but if you are going to do that make sure that you win the header. We did none of that and paid the penalty for it. The one golden chance they were battling to get to try and get a draw out of it, they got it.

"We still had plenty of chances to afford to give them a goal three minutes from the end because by that time we should have been two possibly three in front. If you do not kill teams off when games are at 1-0 it just takes a split second to score a goal and Peterhead got it."

For the second time in matches between the teams, Peterhead's man of the match was their 32 year old goalkeeper Graeme Smith. Jim Jefferies thought that the former St Johnstone stopper had an outstanding game:-

"He made some great saves, in the second half in particular. There was one when Michael Moffat took on about four men and how did the keeper keep it out? The longer you have it and the longer you let people get back you make it difficult. If you strike the ball early the goalkeeper has not got a chance but we were trying to walk it in.

"There is great build up play to get there but you have to finish them off. Michael is lacking a wee bit of confidence because the goals are not coming for him just now. His link up play was excellent today, he led the line well, he held it and he passed it well. He brought people into play but when he gets the opportunity it is just not happening for him just now.

"He just needs to keep persevering. I'm sure if he gets off the mark, he will get a few but right now that has been our fault in the last few weeks. Last week was different at East Stirling we were clinical there but today if we had been as clinical as that we would have won this game comfortably."

- - Listen to Jim McInally`s Post Match Comments

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