Turn up for 90 minutes or we’ll be out the cup
Johnstone Burgh.......1 Ashfield.....................3
Craig Ritchie
Johnstone Burgh boss Colin Smith blasted his side following a first-half thumping at the hands of Ashfield on Saturday.
Smith and co- boss David Brolly couldn’t hide their disgust on the sidelines after Burgh failed to turn up in the opening period of the clash at the bitterly cold Keanie Park.
A first-minute strike from former Arthurlie strike Steven Dymock set the scene for a torrid 45 minutes.
And despite mounting a slight revival in the second half, with Scott Arthur reducing the deficit, Burgh couldn’t get themselves back on level terms.
Smith admitted that the Burgh weren’t good enough after conceding they were no match for their rivals in the first half.
He said: “We simply never turned up – we were sloppy and deserved what we got in the first half.
“We had a right good go at them at half- time, and rightly so. We didn’t hide our feelings and they were left in no doubt what we thought of their performance. We mixed it up and we were a lot better in the second half.
“But at the end of the day you can’t give any team 45 minutes of a head start. We were punished as a result and it was always going to be a long way back regardless of how we played in the second half.
“The boys have been warned that we expect better and with a tricky cup tie in Dundee this weekend, they know they will have to be at their best.”
Ashfield flew out of the traps, with Dymock opening the scoring inside the opening minute after pouncing on a