Manager on Thursday

02/09/21: PG - “You have to respond better. That was the biggest disappointment, we huffed and puffed really but I know what this team is capable of.

The cancellation of the SPFL Trust Trophy match against Elgin City this weekend is a great disappointment to players, management and fans alike but clearly everyone hopes that those affected by Covid make a good and quick recovery.

Accepting the situation Peter Grant lamented the loss of a fixture that he was hoping would get his team back on track. He had been pleased that there was to be a game:-

“It is one of these situations with the performance and the result, where people say that you want to get the next game under your belt as quick as you possibly can.

“It has been a sore one for everyone, a tough couple of weeks to be perfectly honest with you, so you want a performance and a result that makes you feel better and the quicker that you can do that the better.”

The Pars gaffer spent last Saturday night analysing the match against Arbroath and commented on his findings:-

“When you think of the goals we lost, the first goal Deniz knows very well the situation but there were things that happened prior to it and we should never have lost such a soft goal. It puts you on the back foot.

“Every goal that we gave away, the chances we missed and without playing well in the game we had probably five fantastic opportunities and Arbroath probably had four. Their four came from our mistakes and we still didn’t play well.

“We have guys who can score goals but we have to defend much better as a group. Deniz knows the first one should never happen of course, he is 100% aware of that. You are always expecting mistakes but not as catastrophic as that one was at the weekend.

“You have to respond better. That was the biggest disappointment, we huffed and puffed really. I know what this team is capable of. We have seen bits and bobs of it earlier in the season but since the league programme started it has just not been there.

“I know last week was slightly different but the week’s prior to that I cannot make any excuse. Last week there were late changes, it wasn’t the ideal build up to a game but once the game starts that goes out the window. We had enough quality on the pitch and at the side of it to go and win a game of football and play much better than we did.”

The performance of keeper Deniz Mehmet concerned Peter who admitted he had considered a substitution:-

“Goalkeepers are slightly different in some aspects but at the weekend do make a change at half time? Not for anybody else’s sake apart from Deniz because he was feeling that way. Whatever he was asked to do in the second half wasn’t an issue for him. I just don’t think he is playing with that confidence and ability that he has got. It is not the true Deniz and the goalkeeper I know that he is capable of.

“I had to fight to try and get him because there were a few clubs in England interested in him. I know his qualities and I think he would be the first to admit that it has not been near the levels that he is capable of.

“He will be treated like every other player, if Fôn Williams deserves a chance Fôn Williams plays. It is as simple as that, I have no issue with that with any player.”

The manager was in no doubt that his side deserved all the criticism that was vented at the end of the game and deserved all the things that were shouted at him:-

“I deserve all that, there is no getting away from that. Hopefully we can turn that around and that becomes people singing your name for the right reasons. Whether you are a player or a coach that is what you want to do and to do that you have to perform. Do it week in week out.

“I know that I have the players who are capable of that, it is alright talking about it but we have to perform when we cross that white line and we have not done that well enough.”

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