Managers post Morton

15/01/21: link to audio of both managers post match comments

The first question to Stevie Crawford was not about the match just finished but for reaction to SFA chief Ian Maxwell’s request for Championship clubs to make their views known about the continuation of the league programme. It was breaking news that a communication had gone out to clubs:- "The Scottish FA would like to understand the position of your club... please confirm if you are content to continue under the current exemption or whether your club considers that the Championship should be suspended." Stevie’s reply to the question put to him:-

“All I can say to that is that it would be wrong of me to comment on that at this time but I just said to Leanne on the BBC, we just want to play football and put a smile on peoples’ faces at the moment in difficult times while we are facing this virus like we are.

“It is something that I would want to speak to the chairman about. I have just come out of the dressing room after the game tonight so it would be wrong of me to comment on the situation. I am aware that obviously something has happened but I don’t want to comment on that any further.”

Did you feel that it was two points dropped rather than a point gained?

“What I will say is that we are disappointed that we have only taken a point from the game. There is natural disappointment in there with the players. I think it shows that we have progressed as a football club again, we went up to Inverness just before New Year, taken a point and we went down the road disappointed with just a point.

“Tonight I didn’t think there was much in the first half but second half I thought we were the better team. We maybe didn’t create enough goalscoring chances but I still felt that we should possibly have come away with the three points tonight.”

We managed 15 shots to Morton’s four?

“Yes and I think cornerwise we were just about in double figures as well but you don’t win games with just shots at goal and corners! I can’t fault the application and effort, I thought that the boys were outstanding.

“I can’t think of a chance that Morton had and they have a weapon in Lewis Strapp at left back who has got a long throw. We dealt with setplays - the big boy Fjørtoft and McGinty - and I don’t think Owain has had a save to make tonight but flipping that on the other side, did we have that cutting edge to us tonight?

“It is just wee decisions in the final third, when to shoot and when to make that side pass, we were just lacking that a little bit tonight.”

Do you feel that you should have had a penalty near the end for hand ball?

“I have not seen it and it would be easy to stand here just now a say that we should have. Whether it was a hand ball or not I’m sure that will have been picked up on the cameras.”

You gave Lewis McCann his second start running, are you pleased with his performance?

“Yes, really pleased with the big man. He is a different type from what we have got and he has done himself no harm. He is nineteen years of age, I think we forget that. He has come through Fife Elite who have done a great job with him. When you look at him physically we sometimes expect too much from him but I think that he has shown a maturity in these last two performances at two difficult away venue so I am really pleased on that side.

“I thought Declan (McManus) helped him and Kevin O’Hara helped him up at Inverness. Lewis should take confidence from his performances.”

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