jack ross at starks park

So pleased for the players, I think I said this after the Falkirk game that people think because you are in this role you become obsessed about it and results for yourself, but the players work so hard and they have performed over the last three games the way they have trained as a group not just the players on the pitch but the whole squad and I am just delighted they get their rewards because they have had an awful lot of knocks this season, it’s not easy its human nature that you lose confidence and a bit belief, so delighted for them tonight and I’ve told them to enjoy it, some people say don’t get carried away, go and enjoy it and develop that taste for it and hopefully there will be more of these days between now and the end of the season.

I think the game could have went either way and I think Raith had the abundance of clear cut chances dropping around our penalty box, I thought we defended brilliantly as a team, as the game from halfway through the first half we started to get to grips to it a lit bit more and started to look more of a threat, I thought in the Falkirk game we could have had a case to get something out of the game, which we didn’t, and certainly Raith Rovers could have a call they could have taken something from the game tonight, so that’s just what happens sometimes, you need little bit of good fortune and we had them tonight, listen of course I’m going to say I thought we deserved the victory because these guys put an awful lot into this game tonight.

Everybody who played and came on tonight was terrific and that’s important, to keep a squad happy is not an easy thing, especially when these guys make the sacrifices they do, so to see the reaction of those who were involved was brilliant, even after we had to reshuffle things due to injuries, it comes down to attitude and desire, you can talk as much as you like about tactics and shape and ideas of how to play but if you don’t have the right attitude and desire it doesn’t matter and we had that in abundance tonight.

Colin Hamilton is an example of a player whose season has maybe been a bit of a difficult adjustment for him coming up a division, I spoke to him after the St. Mirren game, I hadn’t really had a chance before to work with him, but since then we spoke about a couple of little things on sometimes you just have to concentrate on doing your job to begin with and I think he has done that in the last couple of weeks and I think he has been excellent, be a defender first and foremost and anything after that is a bonus, he certainly had a couple of important tackles and blocks in the game tonight and looked solid defensively.

Michael Doyle, it was what it was, and then we have managed to secure him on a short term contract at the moment, Michael still has an ambition to play full time, if that opportunity comes up for him then we won’t stand in his way, but if he continues to be available for us he will be in our squad, look Michael has been a terrific player for this club, even long before I was here, the club have a lot of respect for him he has been great and so we have an understanding if something happens we will look at it, if not I will be delighted for the club.

Isaac deserved his opportunity for how he has performed at Brechin, circumstances we don’t have a lot of options in the striking department, speaking to him after the game, he said it was different for him, more difficult, people think there is no difference in the leagues, there is, he was playing against some good defenders tonight, even the tempo and pace of the game, it was a challenge for him and I think he did ok and he enjoyed it and played his part in us winning the game, I’m sure he will be pleased with himself.

We must now develop that taste for winning which is an important thing and hopefully the players have started to do that, Saturday will be another huge test for us but one thing I am really determined to do is turn round our home results because we need to do that to give ourselves a platform, coming to places like this and winning is great but without picking up victories at home it makes it even more difficult.

This was a game for large periods “The Wasps” played attractive football and they would have been disappointed not to have taken at least one of them in the first half, but goals change games. It was important for “The Wasps” not to conceed an early goal as they had done in past two league games, but it took a spectacular goal to open the scoring for the home side and five minutes later they scored the crucial second to take a hold in the game. The end result looks cruel on Danny Lennon’s side but they will know themselves it could have been so much different if they had scored the crucial opening goal.

DANNY LENNON AT STARKS PARK

If the half time whistle had been the full time whistle I would be a very happy chap at this time, but the two halves were a totally different contrast, a lot of pleasing stuff particularly in the first half, we looked compact, we defended as a team, we broke as a team, we passed the ball well and created good opportunities. Likewise did Raith Rovers, I thought it was quite an open and exciting game in the first half, but in the second half it took a wonderful goal, you can actually see as that ball goes in, the mentality then changed and we stopped doing all the good things which got us success in the first half and we went longer and more direct and that put pressure upon us that we got deeper and deeper and gave a quality Raith Rovers side time on the ball. It’s important that we once again learn from that, I think you can always learn in any defeat, but what we have to do is rise above that, sometimes you just have to hold your hand up and say what a wonderful strike that was, and you can do absolutely nothing about it, you can’t let a goal like that change your mentality, if we had continued to play in the manner we did in the first half we would have still caused Raith Rovers one or two problems, so it is very difficult, the second and third goal, one from a set play which always is bad to lose and the third one we drop runners, which again is very basic, although we were pleased with the first half performance, overall we have got to prove that we can do both sides of the game as well as we did in the first half for the full ninety minutes.

A lot of people have us down for finishing in the bottom of the table, so we are so far proving these people correct but we will certainly take that challenge and go out there and prove that’s not the case, I certainly believe we have a good balance and that was evident in our first half performance but what we have to do is bring these qualities for a full ninety minutes and we will then give ourselves a good platform but we need to make sure we do the basics right, we do not drop runners, very basic things have cost us severely. The goal gave Raith Rovers a massive lift and we have not had that the last couple of weeks, we need to make sure that the quality of chances that we did create especially in the first half we have to be ruthless in front of goal and ready to take these chances.

I saw a change in the mentality when the first goal went in and that was my message to the players, we needed to let the game settle down again before we lost the second goal so quickly thereafter. When the second goal goes in it became more difficult but if we had got one back we would have put them back on the back foot but losing the third it was game over.

The frustrating thing was when we were playing well we needed to get in front, we created good opportunities and had good possession but we failed to hit the net, what was pleasing is the way we created more clear cut chances that we did against Elgin City, but I want to stick with the positives as much as we have got to learn and we move forward, they are a hard working group of players , they will come in on Tuesday and they will give absolutely everything again but we have to make sure we play for the full ninety minutes. Points are important and that’s what keeps you in this league but I have asked the players to go home tonight and look at the good things we did in the game and learn from the mistakes and if they do that and show the same appetite and hunger and belief they will be ok and they will give every team in this league, perhaps outside Rangers, they will give every single team problems if they continue to play like they can and stick by it for the full ninety minutes.

The Wasps display at Starks Park against Raith Rovers was probably a reflection on our league campaign this season. We’ve gifted too many goals and passed up too many chances in a league which was always going to be difficult. We again contributed to our own downfall when we lost a bad defensive goal after creating chances of our own. The players never gave in and Liam Buchanan scored a great equaliser only four minutes after the team had gone behind, his twelfth goal of the season and his second of the week. However losing another goal so early in the second half again put the team behind again. The team battled on and looked to get back into the game but the home side nearly caught us out as the team pushed forward for an equaliser, Craig McDowall had to be at his best to keep the Raith Rovers forwards from increasing their lead. We now go into a massive game next Saturday against Livingston, the important thing is not to think about other teams, but only look after ourselves and secure a victory which would be massive. There have been some wonderful highs this season but as we enter the final games of the season we have six league games and one cup final to look forward, let’s go and show what we can do.

paddy connolly at kirkcaldy

Gutted at losing the game, in the first half I felt we had a spell when we were on top in the game, we created a couple of better than half chances but didn’t take them and the goal we lose at any level, it is a poor goal to lose, that seems to be where we are at this moment giving away cheap goals, I have said to the players in the dressing room, just clear the danger and we will argue about it at half-time, obviously there was a wee bit of indecision, but the striker showed good instinct to get in between Michael and Craig but from our point of view it was a poor goal to lose. Then we worked hard to get back in the game and Liam took his goal well but at the start of the second half switched off, but we will pick the boys back up at training on Tuesday and go again, nobody has really gained any points today in terms of the teams in the bottom three and we are all fighting it out to gain eighth place in the table. The players are fighting hard and on another day in the first half if we could have edged in front then maybe we might have been able to hang on. In the second half we lost our shape a bit as we pushed to get back in the game, I put on Michael Chopra and Greg Rutherford later in the game and had to sacrifice a wee bit in midfield, Craig had a couple of good saves to keep us in the game as we had to go man for man at the back. Our best spell was in the first half but we could never edge our nose in front and I think the second goal so early in the second half knocked the stuffing out of us a wee bit. We changed our formation but really huffed and puffed and never created too much in the second half. Next week’s game now becomes massive. We cannot afford to give away cheap goals but for our goals we have to work really hard, Liam took his goal well, it was good goal from our point of view, Liam held the ball up well and turned and had a decent hit into the bottom corner, which was pleasing, good for Liam, but he is a player who never lacks confidence. For next week we will be as we were in the fact that the chairman has asked me to take care of the team in the meantime and until he tells me different, but I’m sure if something was to change the club would make an official statement but at this stage I will continue game from game,  the players are fighting tooth and nail, but I’d just wish we could get a win  even if it takes a scrappy 1-0 victory for us but it doesn’t seem to be the case at this time but we will keep our spirits up, they were down after the game today, but they will be ready again to go next week, although we will need to check on Jason who looked to pull up after getting a knock with his hamstring, we are hoping it’s a tweak but it might need time, in the short term he might have to miss a couple of games, we have some walking wounded and are maybe top heavy up front just now but we will be ready for another huge game next Saturday against Livingston.

“The Wasps” collected a well deserved point at Stark’s Park against Raith Rovers with a very positive display in which the players in Black & Gold took all the credit after the home fans booed their team from the pitch at half-time & full-time. Indeed there would be few people in the crowd could have argued that Alloa Athletic had the best chances in the game in which Grant Murray’s side rarely threatened the Alloa goal. The point moved “The Wasps” of the bottom of the league and hopefully the players will take credit confidence in this display and the fact they always looked like taking something from the game.

barry smith at starks

A great spirited performance today and even when we went down to ten men the grit and determination made sure we didn’t concede another goal and it’s a great point at a difficult place to come and we look to move forward from that performance. We definitely got a reaction after our poor display last week against Cowdenbeath, we weren’t flat this week, I felt it was a little flat last week and I felt the boys deserved everything they got today. We have had good performances but probably not the results we have wanted and this week we do look to build on this performance, the result we would have loved three points but to come to Kirkcaldy and take a point – we will accept, I was more pleased with the grit and determination by the players and how hard they worked to make sure we came away with something. We had the best chances in the game especially in the first half, we felt that we did extremely well but we knew they would come out in the second half and put us under a wee bit pressure but when it came down to it we were able to withstand that pressure and still had chances at 1-1 in the game. I don’t like singling out players, but Ryan McCord was fantastic, he did well but it was a good team performance and that’s the most important thing. The team performance today was excellent along with their spirit and determination to get something from the game. Stephen Simmons went off due to a back spasm, we will just have to wait and see how he is. I went in and spoke to John Fleming, the referee’s chief after the game, but I don’t think the decisions went for us today – at the red card, it was a foul, but the referee has the decision whither it is a booking or not, I don’t think it’s a booking but all we ask for is consistency and what I would say was – Mark Docherty is going through late on in the second half and he is pulled back and if you get pulled back that is a booking, a foul and a booking but the referee never booked the Raith Rovers player, now I don’t want players booked left, right and centre, but all I ask for is consistency and at this point, it’s not a criticism by any means but we don’t feel as a club we are getting consistency in decisions.

barry smith at starks park

I am delighted with four points out of six from our last two games because they were two very difficult away trips. I was delighted the way the players dug in when they had to in the second half especially after the shift they put in against Morton at the weekend and we showed some good resilience. The boys are all very fit. We are a team that work very hard for the full ninety minutes and I think that shows. Liam is just a young boy but he has came in and did very well for us. He still has a lot to learn in the game but he definitely going in the right direction. There were at 1-1 some small chances for us. They had the majority of the play and there was a lot of good blocks from our defenders but you always hope you can maybe nick one on the break after defending so well. We just need to concentrate on ourselves and take all of the positivity from the last few games into the weekend now against Hamilton. Hopefully now the boys are starting to get that wee bit of confidence coming back as well as some self belief and we will take that into Saturday’s game.