Management thoughts on our game against Whitehill

Posted on Sunday, January 15th, 2012

Mike says –

“You could forgive everyone involved with Spartans Senior team having the title of a Jack Nicholson film going through their heads this morning. No, not “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” if you’re reading this Deano – I mean “As Good As It Gets”. That’s what the boys gave us in the second half yesterday and after the game I sat them down and spoke to them about the standards they have now set for themselves. Dip too far below that in the coming weeks and they can’t blame Sam and I for giving them a bit of stick.

No stick after yesterday of course but I admit my voice was raised more than once early on as Whitehill pinned us back and deservedly took the lead. Mike, Sam and I got together on the touchline about 15 minutes in and our combined opinion was that the opposition would not be able to keep that pace up for 90 minutes and that our lot would settle and play themselves into the game. It might have all been different had Whitehill got a second but as soon as Keith McLeod scored his 220th goal for the club (and one of the best) Sam and I relaxed a bit but no-one could have envisaged the football we would play in the second half.

There were big performances from everyone yesterday. Keith McLeod got man of the match but Omar Kader, Ali MacKinnon and John Grant must have run him close. John and Scott Fusco fitted in seamlessly for Kevin Sivewright and Kerr Dodds and it was an all round performance from a team on form.    

We are now 10 points clear at the top of the East of Scotland Premier Division. Sam and I will be reminding the players on Tuesday that not long ago in another Premier League in Scotland a team who were 12 points clear are now 2 points behind in second place. Whitehill were without their best and most influential player yesterday. They are a good team and will come back stronger. Gretna have already beaten us this season and are handily placed in the table and of course we have Stirling University. The students have played all the fancied clubs away from home and have the biggest and arguably the best squad in the league. Their fans on the P&B Forum have gone a bit quiet after last weeks defeat but they and their team will quite rightly fancy their chances of reeling us in.

Finally we play Selkirk next Saturday. Last week the English media were talking up Spurs chances of winning the title and yesterday they dropped 2 points at home to Wolves who are near the bottom of the table. If our lot have any silly ideas about how good they are and how next Saturday should be a walk-over you can be sure Sam and myself will start bringing them back down to earth on Tuesday. Until then, like the players Sam and I will reflect on yesterday’s performance. Unlike the players however Sam and I have to try to work out how to get Donal Henretty, Jack Beesley, Jordan Finnie, Jonathan Seeley and Kevin Sivewright anywhere near the starting 11.”

Mike