Manager Post Livingston

Advantage Pars but no match winner

- - Listen to these Allan Johnston comments
Allan Johnston said after the goalless draw against Livingston on Saturday:-

"We didn't look like we were going to concede. There were a lot of positives, we probably worked their keeper a lot more than they worked ours but we are just frustrated that we never got the goal that our play deserved.

"We did enough to win it over the ninety minutes but you could see that it was hard to play on the pitch but we passed the ball well at times. Sometimes the game was a wee bit scrappy but I thought overall we were the better team."

Shaun Byrne was the only substitute used on Saturday, replacing Lewis Spence with under 20 minutes to go but the manager felt that it was good to get his players back used to playing ninety minutes of football.

"We have built it up over the last couple of game. It has been a hard week for them; we have a small squad but that is four games over the last week. They have done really well and you can see the fitness level that the team has got."

The manager felt that his pre season build up was on target:-

"There have been a lot of positives but obviously we are still looking to strengthen the squad as well. You can see that there is a lot of quality in the players that we have got."

What he does not have is a keeper signed yet but David Hutton has now achieved shut outs in all three matches where he has trialled for the Pars:-

"The back four has not lost a goal again and they look compact. They are working well together and I couldn't ask for much more. Especially when you are playing higher division teams - Livingston and Partick Thistle. We are creating really good chances, we just need to make sure that when we get these chances that we are clinical."

Ryan Wallace and Michael Paton missed out on the Livingston game with what the manager described as a little tightness. They played a long time in the Thistle game, there is no point in taking any chances.

"They were just rested to give other people an opportunity. We need to bring on a couple more, we are really light on numbers."

- -Listen to post match thoughts of Livingston manager Mark Burchill

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