Allan Hale, Elgin City manager after 2-2 draw with League 2 leaders Stenhousemuir

Highland News & Media

Elgin City manager Allan Hale assesses his team’s 2-2 draw with runaway SPFL League 2 leaders Stenhousemuir at Borough Briggs.

Transcript

00:00 Yeah, it kind of feels like a defeat in many ways because I thought our performance, especially

00:04 first half, was excellent. I thought we played a lot of good football at times. Defensively,

00:09 I thought we were resolute. We created goal-scoring opportunities and it's probably not having

00:15 that conviction in the final third. We missed two really good chances right before half-time.

00:20 Kees won especially. 1v1, those are the chances, especially when you play against teams at

00:26 the top of the league that you've really got to take advantage of. Scoring, getting yourself

00:30 a two-goal cushion just before half-time, that's a really big question. A senile smear

00:35 and one that they've got to come out and try and respond to. Unfortunately, we never took

00:39 the chances and I don't think we started the second half well. I'm not making excuses,

00:45 but I do think the schedule that the players have had recently with the volume of games

00:49 and the difficult nature of those games maybe played its toll. We're just a little bit sluggish

00:55 coming out. I thought we started to sit in as opposed to engaging them in the right areas

00:59 and gave away a really poor goal. It took us a wee bit to respond again from that, but

01:06 then we finished the game strong. I think a point is probably the right result and the

01:12 right outcome of the game. But from my point of view, there's so much to be pleased about

01:16 and we've just got to continue it now with the 11 games that we've got left.

01:22 That disappointment that you touched on with a 2-2 draw against runaway leaders, can it

01:25 tell us a lot about just how far the team's progressed?

01:27 Yes, and it's good again to see the reaction of the dressing room. Really angry and disappointed

01:32 dressing room in there because they feel within themselves it was maybe a missed opportunity.

01:37 When you're on top against the top teams and you get that opportunity, you've got to punish

01:41 and you've got to take advantage of them. We've not done it today, but again, so much

01:45 to be pleased about with the performance. We played a lot of good stuff at times and

01:50 created opportunities again. Just the second half, we probably wanted to create a little

01:53 bit more, try and be in the front foot. But the way that we're asking them to play takes

01:58 a lot of energy and it's quite sapping out the players. As I said, with the schedule

02:03 that we've had, we've had to go quite light in training this week, just based on the fatigue

02:07 of the players and that sort of stuff. But we've displayed plenty of energy again today

02:12 and put in a strong performance. Just frustrating that we maybe couldn't have taken another

02:18 couple of points out of it. We spoke about that at half-time actually. The reaction to

02:22 go 1-0 behind was really positive and that's exactly what I want to see out of the teams.

02:26 There's a long way to go and I think in weeks gone by that certainly would have affected

02:30 us, especially because at that time we conceded we were on top of the game. We were the team

02:35 that was creating the chances and I think that was actually the first chance of the

02:39 game. Again, we just switch off, they play the short corner, we're too slow to get a

02:44 second man out. Then the boys put a good delivery in. But we responded really well, which was

02:50 really pleasing to get the penalty through a period of pressure that we had in the game.

02:55 Then Brian scored an excellent goal, Lizzie, to put us 2-1 ahead. As I said, we had two

03:00 really good opportunities to then add a third and we've not done it and we've been punished

03:05 for it ultimately with a point in the end. We've probably been reluctant to change too

03:08 much because the performance levels have been really consistent. I don't want to just continually

03:14 chop and change the team. I want to have players that have got the jersey and then the other

03:18 players on the bench are fighting their way in to go and get that. I think it's just with

03:24 the volume of games, it's just felt a tweak in its hamstring. But Connell came in and

03:28 done really well. Again, we'll get the players rested up. We've got another two tough away

03:33 games coming up with Peterhead and Clyde. We'll just get them rested up and then prepare

03:39 on Thursday for Peterhead again.

03:41 It's getting very competitive in that bottom half of League 2, as I'm sure you would have

03:45 expected. Everyone's fighting for their lives down there.

03:47 Yes, and look, our situation has not changed at all. I don't really care what the results

03:52 are in the league, if I'm being brutally honest. I think for me, it's about us taking care

03:55 of ourselves and focusing on our own performance levels. If we get that right, then we'll pick

04:00 up points. As long as we take care of what we're in control of, which is trying to win

04:05 games of football, then what happens with the league table will really take care of

04:09 itself. I don't really want to focus on this team's picked up that many points and blah,

04:14 blah, blah. That's not really for us to focus on. We knew what our objective was when we

04:19 came in. That's not changed. We know we're still in the fight, arguably at both ends,

04:24 which is the tight nature of the league. But as I said, we've just got to keep focusing

04:28 on ourselves and doing the right things. Our form's been good and we should be taking encouragement

04:33 from that.

04:34 And that good form and the positives you've taken today, you'll take them into what will

04:37 be a tough game at Peterhead next week.

04:39 Yes, but what we're finding is every game is really tough in this league and it doesn't

04:43 matter who the opposition are. It's really tough and different teams ask different questions

04:48 and we've got to make sure that we prepare the players for what those questions will

04:51 be. We know Peterhead's got a lot of quality. They've got a healthy budget, which has allowed

04:58 them to recruit players with experience and quality. So we'll be prepared and we'll be

05:04 ready. As I said, it's just the next game. It's the next game now. So today's over. We'll

05:10 get the players rested up, as I said, and we just need to focus on the next one. Then

05:14 after next weekend, it'll be the next one after that. So a lot of games to come and

05:19 a lot of twists and turns, I'm sure.

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