Post match interview with Elgin manager Allan Hale after 1-0 win over Stranraer.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00and it was a performance where we weren't at our best by any stretch of the imagination,
00:05probably one of the poorest in terms of on-the-ball ability, I think, and quality in the game.
00:10Even with 11 on the pitch, you know, I thought we were just quite careless in position.
00:17Things are stacked against us a wee bit at the moment as well.
00:20I mean, the volume injuries that we have at the moment, I've never seen anything like it.
00:24And to say that we're stretched beyond belief would be an understatement.
00:28And even, you know, Desjardins came off the bench and probably shouldn't have made the squad.
00:33And I think had we had more bodies, he wouldn't have even been in the squad.
00:37And there's a couple of players on the pitch that have been carrying illness and injury.
00:42So, yeah, we're really stretched.
00:45And you can see the fatigue that was in the players.
00:49I think even in the early stages of the game, we had extra time last week.
00:53And we went extremely light in training this week,
00:56just to make sure that we had enough energy to compete in the game.
00:59And, yeah, as I said, you know, we then get Daishon injured on Thursday at training.
01:05And, you know, Ryan's then pulled out this morning because he's had a setback from his previous injury.
01:10And it's left us, you know, really, really stretched.
01:13But the players deserve an enormous amount of credit because it was a really difficult game.
01:17I thought Sunar were really good, asked a lot of questions of us.
01:23But that last half an hour, well, that's twice this season that we've played a lot of time.
01:29You know, we are a man less.
01:31And the way that we defend our box and, you know, the way that we broke on them on transition,
01:37I thought that moments in the second half was really good.
01:40But just the ability to get across the pitch and cover the spaces and,
01:44you know, make sure that we defend and play with that aggression that we needed to inside our 18-yard box.
01:48And then moments that we didn't, you know,
01:50that double save from Aiden with a free kick and then falling the corner was just absolutely outstanding.
01:55Two world-class saves from an outstanding young goalkeeper.
01:59But I cannot put enough praise on the players for how deep they are digging for this football club.
02:05And the supporters should be appreciating how hard the players are working and, you know,
02:10what they're giving for this football club.
02:11And it's only going to get tougher because the injuries are not subsiding.
02:15And, you know, all the injuries, unfortunately, are, you know, mid to long term.
02:19So it's, yeah, we're in a difficult moment in terms of the squad being stretched,
02:23but the players are giving us absolutely everything.
02:27And that was displayed in that last half an hour.
02:31So, yeah, delighted with the three points.