Managers Post Brechin City
Tuesday, 24th Feb 2015John Potter was understandably extremely disappointed after the 1-0 home defeat to play off challengers, Brechin City.
- - Listen to these John Potter post match comments
"I thought we were good in the first half. We looked quite energetic, passed the ball well but never really threatened the goalkeeper - maybe once or twice but that was about it.
"Second half, I thought they were dangerous on the counterattack especially on their left hand side. Obviously we lost a bad goal - a Ryan Scully mistake but he had two fantastic saves.
"I am just disappointed that we can play well at times, up to a certain point but the cutting edge we have not really got. At the moment we are not scoring goals and towards the end we got frustrated and did the wrong things, so we are disappointed big time."
Top of the table, Stranraer are the next opponents for Potter's men and he agreed that his team cannot dwell on the disappointing setback against Brechin City.
"We can't. I have told them that they can feel sorry for themselves if they want and the season peters out without anything. That could happen but that is not in my make up, it is not in Neil McCann's make up and I don't think it is in the players either. We have to go again it is as simple as that.
"We know that it will be difficult but we have to keep going and see where it takes us. We have to win games of football if we are going to do anything this season. We are not doing it at the moment and that is disappointing.
"If we want to climb that league we can only win games. It will be a tough game at Stranraer but we need to dust ourselves down and get ready to go again."
The ball was smashed into the net by David Hopkirk but no goal was given by referee Andrew Dallas before Brechin scored what turned out to be the winner in 73 minutes. The Pars boss accepted the reason behind the referee's decision:-
"He said that he was off the pitch and came back on again. He claimed that he was offside, we couldn't really see and thought it had been a hand ball. It is hard to tell from where we are, we just have to go with the referee's judgement.
"These little things make a difference in a game like the goal we gave away, it was a mistake from Ryan Scully. He had made the mistake and he is big enough to admit it. He had two fantastic saves but the little things we are not doing well enough and they are not going for us at the moment. These are the things that change games."
The manager explained his thinking behind making as many as seven changes from the starting eleven at Forfar on Saturday:-
"Saturday wasn't good enough. That was my thinking and I have a squad there that we are trying to use. I would like to play the same consistent eleven every week but if players are struggling for form and they are not winning games then I have got to change it. We did that tonight and for the first forty five minutes I thought that we were good.
"I thought we passed it well and it was just around the box where we are missing at the moment. We are getting punished for the wee mistakes that we make and these are big things in football."
Michael Moffat's substitution was met with howls of boos from the terracings but Potter explained his decision to bring on Andy Barrowman in 80 minutes.
"They are expecting Michael to go and score goals and so am I. Andy scored two in the last game that we played here. He scored a last minute winner; he was fresh for the last ten minutes of the game. We pushed David Hopkirk higher up the left hand side to try and finish the game. We had Josh on the right with positive players going forward.
"I am the manager and that's my decision. I have to make these decisions and I am thinking Andy is going to go on there and cause a few problems. If the ball is going to go longer on the last ten minutes; it never happened but these are the calls that I have to make."
- - Listen to Ray McKinnon`s short interview
Brechin City manager Ray McKinnon was delighted with his team's performance:-
"I thought that they were excellent from start to finish. They gave their all. It is a tough place to come; Dunfermline are a right good side and we are over the moon with the three points.
"When you come here everybody has got to be on the ball. We were excellent; fought for everything and great on the counterattack. We had some great chances in that second half."
The Brechin boss was naturally annoyed that his team were not awarded a spot kick early in the first half:-
"I believe it was a stone wall penalty. We never got it so we just take it on the chin. It was a great three points for us."
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