Management thoughts on yesterday and the season as a whole.

Posted on Sunday, May 24th, 2009

Mike Lawson talking on behalf of Sam and himself says

“Yesterday’s game couldn’t have gone any better than Sam and I hoped it would. Both Dalbeattie and ourselves were short of one or two influential players but Sam and my ascertain that we have a quality pool of players proved correct as Dalbeattie missed Sloan and co more than we missed Keith McLeod, Struan Preston and Ross Archibald. We scored three quality goals and the fast attacking football down both flanks was a joy to watch from the away technical area. Dalbeattie have had a magnificent season but yesterday the Spartan players had something to prove to the home players and support and prove it they did. It was a wonderful climax to our season.

As for winning the title over ten months Sam and I can’t praise our players and all the backroom boys (Mike, Eric, Walter and Dougie) enough. They had to deal with three huge disappointments going into and during the first half of the season. At this time last year and when they were all signing their contracts we were full of hope that we would be stepping up to play SFL football. Everyone had to cope with that false dawn. Then the players had to watch three of their group, Kevin Motion, Ross Campbell and Jonathan Seeley move up a level to play where they had hoped to be. As if that wasn’t hard enough to take our first three games were postponed because of the weather and they went on to miss ten Saturdays during the first half of the season. Saturday games being put off is soul destroying for everybody at a club.

To come through all that and still be in the Scottish Cup in January, win the biggest cup we can win at our level and then go on a win the league title when we were 18 points adrift at one stage is testament to the drive and ability this group of players have.

Sam and I were delighted for them all yesterday but especially for Dan Gerrard, Alex King and Omar Kader. Half a dozen of the team have won the title before and a few have only been here for a season or so. Dan, Kingy and Omar joined us a few years back and have had to wait a long time to pick up a league winners medals and we’re so pleased for them.

Let’s hope it’s not another four years until we win it again.”