Managers post Ayr United
Saturday, 25th Aug 201825/08/18: link to audio of both managers’ comments
- - Listen to Allan Johnstons post match comments
Manager Allan Johnston felt that the performance against Ayr United was probably the worst under his stewardship, he told the media:-
"It is a tough one to take. I have never seen so many have an off day like that in the one game, especially that first half. It looked as though we could not pass the ball five yards.
"At the goals we just got out-muscled by Lawrence Shankland, he ran a mock first half especially. It was really poor, we have to be miles better than that. That is nowhere near good enough and we have to make sure that we react to this in the right way."
Ayr manager Ian McCall said that the pitch should have been watered (listen below) but AJ dismissed that saying that it was the same for both sides.
"They just looked like they were all playing at the top of their game. It was not as if they cut us open with great passing or whatever. It looked to me as though they outworked us, they were maybe a wee bit more physical. We just never dealt with it right."
Warnings came early on in the game and the Pars found themselves behind after just five minutes.
"It always helps when you start the game well and get an early goal. At the end of the day it was a cross into the box, it shouldn`t have come into the box in the first place and when it comes in the box - it was probably the smallest guy on the pitch gets a free header. That probably summed up our first half performance."
The manager gave an explanation of what he hoped for from his 29th minute substitution where Myles Hippolyte came on for Danny Devine:-
"At that point it looked as though they were going to score a couple. We never got a grip of the game at all so you try and change it and see if that helps. It probably didn`t help in the first half but second half I felt we were a lot better. It was too little too late and just a consolation."
Unfortunately the immediate effect was to lose goals before the interval to Alan Forrest and Lawrence Shankland. The manager said:-
"It looked as though we were going to lose goals anyway. The first half was going that way, the way we were defending it looked like Ayr were going to score a couple more."
Referee Euan Anderson dismissed Dunfermline appeals for a 47th minute penalty after Andy Ryan was brought down on the edge of the six yard box by Jamie Adams before Jackson Longridge did score for the Pars.
"It was a consolation, nowhere near it and we have to make sure that we knuckle down. I think some people were looking at the plaudits of last week maybe got carried away thinking they were a right good player and forget that you have to do the basics well.
"First and foremost you need to outwork the opposition that you are playing against, win your tackles, your individual battles and got to be able to pass the ball as well. Some of the mistakes that we were making we really poor."
The manager agreed that his former striker Michael Moffat caused his side lots of problems:-
"Moff is a good player, he is intelligent, he works incredibly hard for the team but for me Lawrence Shankland was the difference between the two teams. He ran a mock and bullied our centre halves whether it was the three or the two. He was a constant menace the whole game."
It took the manager and players some time to emerge from the dressing room and AJ added:-
"They know themselves that it was nowhere near good enough, they can do better than that. at the end of the day you have to show it on the pitch. It ts alright saying that they are good players but you need to get results, you cannot afford to start games the way we started that game."
- - Listen to Ayr United manager Ian McCall
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