A Blether with Bomber

written by John Kelly, Club Reporter

A goal from Josh Watt gave the Warriors a vital win against Stranraer on Tuesday night but it was not just the points that pleased Bomber Ferguson but the way his team performed on the night.

“It was a really good performance,” he said, “I think other than the first 15 minutes, where Stranraer started the game pretty well and, perhaps, our defensive line was a bit too deep but other than that 15 minutes I thought we were outstanding.

“The effort from every single player was great and the most pleasing thing for me was we managed the situations in the game a lot better than we have in recent weeks, we concentrated for the full 90 minutes and when we were put under pressure we defended with focus and determination. We weathered any small storm that they threw at us and then went back and caused them more problems, so we responded at the right times in the game and I thought we thoroughly deserved the win, I am delighted with it.”

Bomber and his coaching team can only do so much from the bench and they need players to take charge of the situation on the pitch and that is an area Bomber was pleased with against Stranraer, saying: “They did [take charge] and that element of the game is where, perhaps, over the course of the season we have not done as well as we could do, although the players have got in in them to do it. We have seen it in them on occasions and on Tuesday they did it again and because of that we came away with the three points against a good team who were top of the table at that point.

“There were certain players, particularly the two centre halves, who stood up to the mark and it was not just their own performance but they led the people round about them. It was exactly what we needed.”

The win against Stranraer followed a loss at Brechin last Saturday and the Warriors will be in action again this weekend at home to Peterhead. It has been a hectic week but the confidence boost of Tuesday night is something Bomber hopes his team can build on.

“When games come so thick and fast it is sometimes hard to take stock and look at the process but because of the nature of the game results build confidence, that is how football works,” he said. “There is no reason why the result on Tuesday should not give us the confidence to take into the upcoming games, which are going to be difficult, and, like every other game, there will be certain things we need to focus on, but the result on Tuesday should give is a little bit of momentum over the coming weeks.”

That momentum should also be helped by the fact there are no major injury worries and no suspensions, so Bomber will have a full squad to pick from. He said: “Fitness wise we are fine. Jamie McCormack had to pull out Tuesday because of tonsillitis and he is on antibiotics, so we shall assess his situation closer to the weekend. From the first team there are a few bumps and bruises but nothing to cause a major concern.”