Team to Gunn for new winning run
Manager Ross is pleased with swift response
Jeanfield Swifts’ boss Ross Gunnion has warned his players about becoming overconfident after a strong start to the season.
The Perth side convincingly responded to their cup defeat to Broxburn Athletic to beat Vale of Leithen 4-2 at the weekend.
Swifts won their first seven competitive games in a row before the Broxburn defeat, scoring 24 and conceding just four.
Despite the sides recent win and strong league start manager Gunnion thinks there is more to come from his players.
He said: “Like any sport as soon as you suffer a set back it is important to get a response.
“For the Broxburn game I think we went into that game a little over confident and didn’t quite keep our standards as a high as in previous weeks.
“I think the players realised that they had dropped their standards.
“And they have reacted very quickly to get them back up again.
“We played well but a matter of fact is the scoreline was probably a bit flattering to Vale.
“I thought there should have been a bigger margin of victory.
“We played well and controlled the game.
“Their keeper made four or five very good saves to keep the score down and the goals that they did score, one was a penalty and one was a fortunate break in the box.
“It was a pleasing performance but the margin could have and should have been bigger.”
The Perth side have only played two league games since the start of the season due to a build up of cup matches.
They now have four league games in the space of two weeks and the manager is looking for another winning run, starting with Stirling University EOS at home this Saturday (September 22). Manager Ross Gunnion is looking for another winning run
Gunnion continued: “Going into a few league games on the back of a win is pretty important.
“Cup games are great and you want to do well in the cups but ultimately unless you win it nobody really remembers the guys who were in quarter finals or semi finals.
“It’s been good to build confidence in the cup but it means we’ve only been able to play two league games.
“So now we’ve built that confidence hopefully we can show that the Broxburn result was just a blip.
“We will certainly be targeting four wins in our next four league games.
“The first two games being at home you want to set your stall out and win your home games.
“We’ve talked a lot in pre-season and through the opening fixtures about how you approach league games and you need to go in with the mentality that at home you set out your stall and be clinical.
“But in cups you focus on not getting beat, if you don’t get beat you’re still in the cup.
“When it comes to the league you have to be clinical and ruthless otherwise teams like Stirling, who have talented young players, can cause us problems.”
Swifts are currently on six points in the league in seventh but every team above them has played one, if not two more games with just at two point gap to the top.
With a competitive league campaign ahead, Gunnion is looking for a top five finish.
He said: “I think we are going into the unknown here.
“You can’t set too many targets in the cups, you just take the draw that comes to you.
“We want a top five finish first and foremost.
“Anything over and above that, if we can get it, then so be it.
“We want to be in the top five, and certainly be playing what will turn out to be premier league football next year in the East of Scotland.
“That’s the ultimate goal and we will see where that takes us until Christmas and go from there.