USETHIS HURT TO SEALTOP SIX SPOT

Martindale tells his dejected troops there’s lots to play for in league run-in

David Martindale insists the club won’t let their Betfred Cup disappointment derail their bid for a top six finish.

The Lions were unable to seal a first piece of major silverware for 17 years at Hampden as a disappointing display saw them fall to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of St Johnstone.

But the players won’t be allowed to dwell on that heartache for long, says

Martindale, as they still have to finish off the season in style.

He said: “I’m disappointed, but I won’t let it affect me. It’s gone, you can’t change it.

“I’ll self-reflect and see if there’s anything I could have done better to help the team but fair play to St Johnstone, they have to get plaudits for the way they managed the game.

“I’ll not let the boys dwell on it. It won’t define my season, we’ve still got a massive

amount of football to play and we’ve got a massive opportunity as a football club to finish in the top six and potentially try and push for a European spot.”

He added: “The boys have done great to get here and they should take a lot of credit for getting the club to a cup final.

“You want to get back. As a player or coach, you might not get the chance to do it too often so it would be amazing to get back.

“You want to try and replicate that, but that’s what you do every season. You try and get to cup finals. It’s not easy, but it’s something I’d want to replicate.”

As for the game itself, he admitted

Saints were simply the better team on the day, commenting: “Obviously there’s disappointment but I think you have to be positive in defeat and all credit goes to St Johnstone.

“I thought they defended their box far better than we defended our box and you have to give them credit for that.

“We weren’t aggressive enough from set-plays in the opposition box, either. We’re generally quite good at set-plays and that’s disappointing.

“But you can flip that and say St Johnstone were excellent at them.”

The Lions hope to continue their push for a European place when they travel to Motherwell on Saturday.