Pat Clarke Post Raith Rovers

"Not only have we let ourselves down but also the large number of fans who came out.

Pat Clarke's Man of the Match award was scant compensation following a match that he and his team mates felt they should have won:-

"It was another game where we got ourselves 2-0 up again and we have chucked it away. It is really annoying; there are a lot of angry boys in there, frustrated that we have done that again. It happened when we went to Dundee so we need to learn how to hold on to that.

"We need to be more ruthless and kill teams off or weather the storm. We did that for spells but it wasn't good enough in the end because they managed to get that vital goal.

"Not only have we let ourselves down but also the large number of fans who came out. Winning 2-0 you really need to keep that lead especially when you know how tight this league is. We were only a point off Raith so we needed that win today but we never got it."

Pat Clarke scored the opening goal

Pat recalled how Jim McIntyre had warned his team at half time not to let this game slip out of their control:-

"He said that we have been in this situation before, don't let it happen again. We were focussed when we went out but it is just disbelief that we could throw it away."

Maybe the match should have been put out of Raith Rovers reach long before the fateful final seven minutes:-

"We had a couple of chances in the second half to kill them off but we have not managed to capitalise on it. It is just one point rather than the three that we should have had.

"When the games are that tight, going a man down makes it a real hard challenge especially because there was plenty time left in the game. It did affect us; we got pinned back a bit. It was a major factor; it was a second booking and Neil is distraught over how it has worked out. The first one was arguable but the second one I would need to see again on the video."

Pat conceded that the opposition players and fans got a big boost from the goal that put them only one behind:-.

"With ten men it is really difficult when there are balls going right into our box - you could hear all the fans going wild. If we are to stake a claim to win this league we need to learn from that immediately. The free week next Saturday doesn't suit us; we'd rather get back into a game straight away and turn things around from this disappointing result."