Stephen Kenny Post Dumbarton

"At 2-1 at half time I wasn't overly pleased with the first half but the second half was very, very comfortable and we could have won by more probably in the end.

Stephen Kenny spoke exclusively to the website after the game at Dumbarton. He said:-

"We started slowing and I felt Dumbarton started very well. They had a few players coming in on us and we defended quite deep. The game was very stretched and we struggled to penetrate Dumbarton in the first twenty minutes.

"They got their goal but we got two goals before half time. Scott Thomson did well to get on the end of that to finish it. Stephen Crawford's goal was a good goal.

"At 2-1 at half time I wasn't overly pleased with the first half but the second half was very, very comfortable and we could have won by more probably in the end.

"We picked it up and finished strong. The first full game for Owen Morrison after his operation, Jamie Harris his first half - he hasn't done the training because of his operation. We just wanted to get him out there because it was a bit of a psychological issue, to get that under his belt, work hard and get back to full fitness. Players like Sean Murdoch coming in for a game and Scott Muirhead who has had a little knee problem was back and played well.

"There were some good goals in the game. Owen Morrison's goal was the pick of the goals; a great finish. Overall some players got a full 90 minutes in. Second half wasn't relevant to how it will be against Hamilton in our first game; I watched Hamilton the other night and that will be a tough game for us.

"It is a big pitch here, very open and the players had a lot of time on the ball but still you have to use it well and we created an awful lot of chances in the second half. It was a good victory."

It was obvious that players were all fighting for a starting position in that opening game against Hamilton.

"Yes, you need to have competition, that's what you want and that's the situation that we are striving to have. We have to have every confidence in ourselves, we know that we have got a tough task because there is only this season. There is no alternative, we have to try and finish first, we know that so every game and every three points are very important.

"We have to prepare well for this season. The two games during the week against Bristol Rovers and Nottingham Forest will be a step up again. It will be interesting but that's what I want."