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jack ross after dumbarton game

I think I am always honest in my assessments of games and I thought we were the better team against Dumbarton. We played very well in the first half, but the goals we concede we have gifted them. We have been guilty of that all season and teams don’t seem to have to work very hard to score against us. The first one is a poor mistake and then the second goal is well taken by the powerful Nade, but I still felt we were the better team. They started the second half well and score a tremendous goal straight away that had us up against, but to be fair to the boys they rallied well and did not throw in the towel. We dominated possession for the rest of the game. Obviously, the sending off gives us impetus, but I though we did well against the ten men without really creating that clear cut chance that we needed. It has been a problem for us all season and we just don’t have seem to have that cutting edge. We have a number of very good footballers, who give their all and create some good opportunities, but we simply lack a Christian Nade type who can finish them and it is as simple as that.

We know where we are as a group and we know what the Dumbarton result means for us. We can’t get away from the fact that things look very bleak for us now. But it is a test of the individual characters of my players now. In this situation you have two options. You can buckle and let the season peter out or you can rally and have enough pride in what you do to battle until the end. For the majority of my tenure here we have done a lot of good things, but we have fallen short results-wise. At the end of the day, league tables don’t lie. It is human nature that the players are all devastated after this result. It has been tough for them recently when they have in the main performed quite well, but ended up getting nothing from all of these games. But I have told them that they have to have a goal or motivation individually now until the end of the season.

As a team now our focus must be to put this home record right. That has got to be the aim now because anything outwith that at the moment is now very difficult for us. So we will look to go and put that right first and foremost on Saturday. That would at least put one thing right for the season and so that is what I have asked them to go and do. It is too early for us to say we’re simply going to look towards next season and rebuilding. There will likely come a time for that, but I think until it is mathematically impossible to stay in the league then it would be foolish of us just to dismiss it. It is obviously very difficult, but while it is not impossible we will always give our all and see where it takes us.