Manager post FC Edinburgh
Saturday, 7th Jan 202307/01/23: Link to audio of James McPake’s post match comments
- - Listen to James McPake’s post match comments
The victorious manager thought that his team started the game really well:-
“Matthew Todd was unlucky with the header although he should score. Then it was a great ball from Josh (Edwards) for Lewis (McCann). The goal was a great finish, great play Deniz took the ball quickly and set Macca (Kyle Macdonald) off and it was really good forward play from Wighton to finish from a great ball.
“We were a bit wasteful in terms of clear cut chances. Obviously we had Chris (Hamilton)’s in the second half as well and the goalkeeper had a save from Macca. It doesn’t really matter it is three points. Deniz (Mehmet) made a great save but we are used to that.
“I think that we were really comfortable in the game. In the first half we allowed too many crosses from the right side. It was Murray, he is a decent player and they were leaving Josh which was causing them problems going the other way. They were getting to put crosses into the box but the defenders defended it really well.
“It was a worry when Rhys Breen took ill at the pre match meal today and to lose him particularly with the way that he has been playing. Aaron (Comrie) went in at left sided centre back and was excellent.
“I am just pleased to take nine points from Edinburgh this season. They are still second and are our closest challengers and have been for most of the season. They have been winning a lot of games and are very consistent in what they do so to come here and be so comfortable in taking another three points is a credit to the players.”
Was it more comfortable than you perhaps believed it might have been?
“I don’t know to be honest. The first game here we were excellent and probably similar to that, we got out of sight. We played the same type of formation and Edinburgh to their credit came to East End Park and made themselves really hard to beat. We weren’t quite right on the day, we weren’t as potent at the top end of the pitch that day. It wasn’t even a case of being wasteful, I don’t think we created enough that day.
“In the three games (against FC Edinburgh) we have been allowed to play and we have had lots of the ball. Today has been the best I think in terms of moving it from back to front through the thirds for want of a cliched phrase that everybody seems to be saying.
“I think we built the play really well going through the middle of the pitch. We got a couple of chances from that and we were comfortable in the game but always aware that they can hurt you on the counterattack. They have scored 42 goals in this league but none against us. That is a bonus but we had to be alert like with Denis’s save, 1-0 is never really comfortable when you are a manager but when we watch it back we will be well worthy of that.”
The build up to the goal must have been very pleasing for you?
“Yes, it is something that we work on - we do try and play quick. We had a lot of pace in that starting eleven today. We can be different, we can have a lot of pace in the team, we can go a bit more direct with the two bigger ones upfront.
“We have some good footballers in there and we have been working on building and building quickly which Deniz identified. He went to Kyle, he rides a couple of challenges and then he has the ability to put a great ball in and it was a great finish from Craig Wighton as well.
“He showed a lot of composure just to knock it by the goalkeeper. It was a good goal, the next one would have been Chris Mochrie’s, it was very similar working it from one side of the pitch to the other. The pass maybe came a little slow to Chris but there was some really good stuff in the game which we can clip and show them.
“We have to show them the positives as well. Yes the result is the positive but some of the play there is as good as we have been this season.”
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