Jim Jefferies Post Annan

Jim Jefferies was delighted with the outcome of his players first competitive game:-

Listen to this Jim Jefferies Interview

"You can do all the Pre season Friendlies you like but when it comes to the first game sometimes you have got to make allowances for short passes. The training pitch has been firm and hard and they have been buzzing on that but then they have to come on to lush wet pitch that holds play up a bit.

"You always think that there might be one or two frustrating moments but it was a terrific performance for their first game; their tempo, their passing and you couldn't ask for a better performance from the start.

"Annan are a stuffy side and we could have been 1-0 down. Geggan said he slipped and he allowed his man to chest it down and lay it back for the boy who crashed it, it was a great save from Scully. We just picked ourselves up from there."

The manager was happy to highlight good performances:-

"Moffat was outstanding and might have scored from the run in the first half but just took one touch too many. I think he was trying to get it on his right foot as opposed to his left. I have seen him training on his left side but he knows he took one touch too many.

"It is hard to single out anybody because they all put in a great shift today. They all played well and their tempo was good but if I was to single out anyone then I thought wee Spence in the middle of the park was just outstanding for a young player - he is only eighteen. He was pulling the strings in there. He had Josh on one side and Andy on the other, and they did well and I was really really pleased."

After Gozie Ugwu joined the club on Friday Jim Jefferies was delighted to discuss his new signing:-

"He is something different and he has impressed us and all the boys in training. Time will tell but he might just turn out to do a good job for us. I have a good feeling about the lad. He has got a big presence about him and he is not a target man either, he likes to get it down and pass it around. I asked him what he prefers and he said'i can do both'. It was a good answer. He has power and strength and a bit of pace about him.

"He is not up to speed with the tempo of the training we do but he is a fit looking lad and it will just be a couple of weeks away. I was hoping to have clearance to have him on the bench today because it would have been nice to have introduced him at 3-1 or 4-1 up. There is a new system now to get international clearance. It goes through FIFA now. We waited up until twelve o'clock today and although we put it through yesterday it takes time to come through.

"I am expecting him to get clearance on Monday and that will make him available for the Raith Rovers game if we decide to do that. We have given ourselves a good boost going into the game. The tempo, the passing and the work rate when we lost the ball to get the ball back, the urgency was all there today. If we keep playing to that level we will have a good season.

"We are in a league above Annan at the moment and they found it hard to keep up with us but they are a stuffy side with one or two useful players. We were just too good for them on the day. The five goals showed that and we were just a shade unlucky not to get one or two others."

Listen to Annan Manager Jim Chapman`s comments