Dec double deflates Dee
Monday, 21st Dec 2020“I always practice free kicks and I have an unorthodox technique. It could got in the top corner or go on top of the stand!
Striker Declan McManus netted twice in the final minutes of Saturday’s match at Dundee to complete a fantastic comeback. Paul Watson had set the comeback in motion when he headed home in 78 minutes and Declan converted from the penalty spot four minutes later. Then in the third minute of added time he scored a dramatic equaliser from a free kick.
Modestly deflecting his heroics, Declan praised his manager for his substitutions and the fitness of his team mates. He stressed:-
“Credit has to go to the manager because the substitutions made a big difference.”
The home defeat to Morton the previous Saturday has been described by players as a small blip and that threatened to grow bigger until the final 20 minutes at Dens Park changed the outcome of this league match. Dunfermline were at far from their best against Morton and on Saturday Declan felt:-
“For maybe 70 minutes we were nowhere near or best. I am honest about my own game and I know personally I was nowhere near it but our character has dug us back into the game and managed to get us a point.
“The reaction especially after going three nil down was a huge reaction. We always believe in ourselves and thankfully Paul Watson attacked the ball well to get us back in the game.
“I can only speak for myself but the team believe in each other, we know that we always have a chance regardless.
“We just focus on ourselves but we go into every single game regardless who it is against to win. We have played a lot of tough games already, obviously against Hearts and in going to Dundee but we have not been beaten in those two games. Everybody else can focus on who the contenders are, we just have a belief in our dressing room that we can do something special this season.”
Time was really running out when Dundee sub Max Anderson fouled Kyle Turner about 25 yards out and that gave Declan the opportunity from the setplay. He admitted that he practices for such occasions but knows that they are not always successful:-
“I always practice free kicks and I have an unorthodox technique. It could got in the top corner or go on top of the stand! Thankfully it went into the top corner. “
It is the second away game running in which Declan has scored an equaliser after his team had looked likely to drop three points.”
The 26 year old summer signing from Ross County felt that his 74th minute volley against Raith Rovers two weeks ago was trumped by his late late strike against Dundee.
“I think the one against Dundee because for anybody it is harder to score from a free kick. Just to come back from 3-0 down on a very tough pitch. The character of the whole squad to dig something out of this game. For 70 minutes it didn’t look as though we were ever going to get anything out of it.
“I only played 70 minutes on Tuesday but guys like Ryan Dow, Kyle Turner, Euan Murray, Paul Watson and Josh Edwards played the whole 120 plus penalties. It is brilliant that these boys could then go the full 90 minutes at Dundee especially on that pitch. I never played 120 minutes but on Saturday my legs were very heavy after it. I can only imagine how these boys were feeling.
“It is a huge plus for us that we are fit and can go the full 90 minutes to get something out of it.”
Declan felt that introducing subs Kevin O’Hara and Lewis McCann took the focus of the defenders off him:-
“It brought me into the game and helped me massively. I was able to run them and pull them into positions that they didn’t quite want to be in. Whereas when you are up there yourself, you are trying to hold it in and let the team get up the park. I have been pretty decent at that throughout the season. The results elsewhere went our way so this has turned out to be a massive point for us.”
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