Clyde - Post Match Reaction
Saturday 18th July 2009
It was a naturally frustrated Ian McCall that www.ptfc.co.uk caught up with after this afternoon's 2-1 defeat against Clyde at Broadwood.
"That was a disappointing game to lose and while I wasn't too hard on the players after the game I probably would have been had that been a competitive fixture. I felt that overall we were a bit flat. In saying that we really should have been about four of five ahead by half-time. We may well have been but so far this season Liam Buchanan hasn't found his shooting boots. That's not something that I'm worried about in the slightest as I know Liam will score goals for us. Knowing Liam he will start to do just that against Airdrie United next Saturday."
"With a large number of trialists in the Clyde side I think this afternoon we saw a team that were playing a friendly as if it was a real game. That won't necessarily have been a bad thing for us. That's what we are obviously going to come up against when the season starts for real albeit we will playing against sides of a higher standard than we faced this afternoon. I think that today's game will have done some of the new players no harm at all because it will hopefully have taught them a bit more of what will be required in the First Division this season. Today I thought that we tried to be too clever and pretty with our play. There is a world of difference between friendly matches and competitive games but my players are going to have to realise that as well as producing good football that they will need to graft if they won't to be successful."
"In many respects pre-season games are nothing more than a necessary evil and I am pleased to see that out fitness levels are improving. It shouldn't be forgotten that we haven't fielded a settled team or formation in our pre-season matches played thus far. I think you will see a much more settled team and formation in our matches with Airdrie United, Berwick Rangers and Kilmarnock. We obviously want to win these matches, particularly the two cup ties with Airdrie United and Berwick, but they will also be important in terms of setting things up for the opening league game of the season against Ayr United."
"Chris Erskine missed the game today with a slight injury. He could have played at a push but I didn't think it worthwhile to risk him in a friendly match. What today did demonstrate was that with Chris and Willie Kinniburgh the only two players injured that we are still a little short in terms of numbers. Who you saw today is pretty much our first team squad and we are a couple of players short. I am hopeful that I might be able to add one of those two players to my squad over the course of next week but we will need to see how things work out."
