The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Smith looking for Brechin to take lessons on board
Brechin boss Barry Smith has praised his players for their battling qualities but admits they have to become more streetwise at both ends of the pitch.
The Angus side are still looking for their first competitive victory of the season after losing out to a late winner at Edinburgh City in the league last Saturday before going down once more in the Challenge Cup on Tuesday night, suffering a 5-4 defeat to Elgin.
Brechin found themselves two goals down after just three minutes in midweek and although they ultimately exited the competition, Smith was still pleased with the character shown by his players – something he hopes will finally help them secure that first win against Queen’s Park in the league this afternoon at the Glebe.
The manager said: “I think a draw would have been a fair result against Edinburgh.
“We created numerous good chances especially in the first half and probably had four one-on-ones.
“We didn’t take them and they scored a good goal.
“They scored in the last minute which was a wee bit naive from our point. We have a lot of young boys in there and they were just a little bit naive. “We need to learn and learn quickly. “Tuesday night against Elgin was the same. We needed to start the game better and if you are going to concede one so early, you certainly don’t concede another straight after.
“But the positive to take was the reaction we got to going 2-0 down so early.
“We showed a lot of character and fight to come back into the game. The boys deserve credit for responding to go in at 3-3 at half-time – but again we have to do better with the goals in the second half.”
Smith will enjoy the rare luxury of having a full squad to choose from for today’s game against the Spiders, with the manager determined to finally give the club’s loyal fans something to cheer about.
He added: “We made a few changes from the Saturday game, some enforced, some just to get game time.
“We have a full squad available for the Queen’s Park game so we have more options. I think this is only the second time since I became Brechin manager that has happened so we will also have a full bench.
“There are a couple who aren’t fully match fit but they have certainly trained.
“You always want to win your home games, first and foremost, especially for the group of supporters who come week in, week out.
“It has been tough for them but they have stuck behind us so we want to start picking up points away but especially winning games at home.”