Manager on Thursday
Thursday, 9th Feb 201709/02/17: AJ - "We are going to have to play a lot better than last week, probably at our best to get a result."
Allan Johnston feels that the Fifth Round William Hill Scottish Cup tie at home to Hamilton Accies this Saturday offers a great opportunity for his team to get themselves back on track.
"They have been doing really well recently, it is a frustrating one. They know that they have to improve and the pressure is all on Hamilton as the Premier League club to go and win the game.
"We are at home and we have to take our chances as well no matter who we are playing."
Defeat to Falkirk last weekend will not dent the confidence according to the Pars gaffer:-
"It just re-focuses everybody. Sometimes you get a bit complacent, you don`t do what you have been doing to get the results in the first place. We have just to get back to basics, put in a very good performance and hopefully get the win because with the players that we have got we are capable of causing any team a problem, especially going forward."
Hamilton lies second bottom of the Premier League but that does not hinder AJ admiring their players:-
"They have done well. I like a lot of their players, guys like Crawford, Brophy and Bingham who has a lot of pace. They have a lot of quality going forward and are well established in the Premier League now.
"They probably don`t deserve to be in the position they are just now. They have put in a lot of good performances this season and maybe not got the rewards they deserved at times.
"We know that it is going to be a hard tie and we are going to have to play a lot better than last week, probably at our best to get a result."
The gaffer hopes that the match will demonstrate that there is not a lot of difference between the teams near the foot of the Premier League and teams in the Championship.
"If only football worked like that! It will be a test but as a player these are the games that you want to play in, test yourself against the best players to see if you are capable of playing at that level. That is where we all want to be ultimately."
Allan has watched Accies a couple of times recently including the home win against Inverness Caley Thistle.
"They played very well, they scored a few goals and it was a comfortable result for them. I knew all about their players anyway. They are saying that they have a lot of injuries just now but it just shows you the strength that they have in their squad.
"It is a chance for our boys to go and compete against a Premier League club. The last time we got into the Quarter Finals was 2009 so it would be a great achievement. When you look at the clubs that are likely going to be left it is a magnificent chance to get through to progress further in the cup."
With John Potter`s brother Brian being Hamilton`s goalie coach the manager dismissed any suggestion of pre match banter claiming that they were observing a silence between them for a week just in case any information was given away.
Squad wise AJ reported that all his players were keen to play in the cup tie. Only Ben Richards-Everton and Ryan Williamson are sidelined.
Views : 4,474
