1st Team Preview vs. Gretna 2008 FC (11/02/2012)

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Category: News

Created on Friday, 10 February 2012 21:12

Managers’ Thoughts: 

Last weekend was yet another Saturday where we went without playing a game.  Since the 10th November (twelve weeks), we’ve only played three competitive games and whilst two of those weekends were set aside for the festive period, to have only three games in ten weeks is not good. 

We decided to give the players last Saturday off, so with no training and nothing on locally, we travelled to watch our under 21’s team in action and Paul and I had a look at the next batch of players coming through the great youth system that we have at Leith Athletic.  The game finished 3-3, but the team played well, especially in the 2nd half, with really good performances coming from George Gibson and Lachlan Thom. 

Having had Saturday off, we expected to see the players firing on all cylinders at training on Tuesday night, but that wasn’t the case and we felt that we didn’t work hard enough.  We had a few words before training last night and the players reacted well and we had a cracking session and everyone was looking really sharp and we’re looking forward to tomorrow. 

Unfortunately, we’re missing Jack Combe and Neil Lowson through suspension tomorrow and Jon Manson is coming back from a knock to his ankle.  Martin Macaulay is unavailable, but Iain Gordon returns from holiday and we include Sean MacPherson from our Under 19’s. 

Gretna are a very good team and we’ll need to play well tomorrow if we want to win the game.  We played each other a few weeks ago and whilst the game finished 2-2, I felt that we done enough to win the game.  Very few teams will leave Raydale with anything this season and if we apply ourselves as we did that day and for 70 minutes against Edinburgh City, we’ll do well tomorrow.  I just hope that our players go into the game with the sharpness and hunger that they showed us last night!

Derek