Managers post Morton
Saturday, 12th Dec 202012/12/20: link to audio of both managers post match comments
- - Listen to this Stevie Crawford interview
The Pars boss Stevie Crawford said that it was disappointing to lose any game at home:-
“We just have to make sure that doesn’t carry into the week ahead. It has been a good start to the season, we knew that we were going to face defeat at some point but we have the St Johnstone game to look ahead to on Tuesday night.
“It is a credit to the boys for the way that they have started the season that we have got that problem where we are facing a game on Tuesday. Everybody at the club is looking forward to that but that’s the unbeaten record come to an end. We were going to have to face that and it is how we respond to that now.”
If someone had said to you at the start of the season that you would be undefeated until mid December you would have taken that?
“Yes, but it is not taking the defeat today lightly. There was going to be uncertainty with David Hopkin moving on during the week but they played with the same game plan and shape that we had worked on all week. I can’t use that as an excuse.
“I felt in the first half that we didn’t get enough crosses in and stuff that we had worked on. Second half was a lot better. The one thing that they were going to cause us problems with was the counter attack, we were aware of that.
“When you go a goal down sometimes you look a little more vulnerable than you should as well. I think the game changes and at one each we had a really good move, a great reverse pass and a great run by Fraser Murray. Unfortunately he just lifted it over the bar.
“Morton then went down the park and got the winner from the boy McGuffie on the rebound after a great save from Owain.”
Declan McManus did eventually get a goal from the penalty spot but was he unfortunate not to score from open play?
“In the second half he was very unlucky when the ball fizzed across the face of goal. He was unfortunate not to hit the back of the net with that one. We have had a lot of plaudits this year and I want to credit Morton because they came with a game plan to frustrate us. For as much as I am disappointed that we have lost the game, I have just seen a picture at 1-0 and the ball is over the line.
“I am not here to claim for something that wasn’t. At 2-0 it would have made it harder for us but in the main it was the first half today, whether it was Morton frustrating us or us trying to play through the middle of them too much that might have played a part in it as well.
“I thought we addressed it in the second half and we are just disappointed that we lost the game today.
“If somebody had said that was how we were going to start the season I am sure that I would have bitten your hand off. It is the nature of the beast that you just want to keep winning games.
“They are disappointed in that dressing room but we will be in tomorrow for recovery because of a big game on Tuesday and we just have to make sure when there are questions getting asked of us.
“You saw what it meant to them when they scored the second goal last week at Raith Rovers and you saw what it meant to Morton. There are teams coming to try and turn us over. We have to dust ourselves down tonight, think about what we could possibly have done better, not getting too despondent and remaining positive that we have a quarter final to look forward to on Tuesday night.”
- - Hear the thoughts of Anton McElhone
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