Gunnion gutted after Jeanfield cup exit
Jeanfield Swifts manager Ross Gunnion admitted he was gutted and his players hurting after exiting the East of Scotland Qualifying Cup on Tuesday night.
The Perth side were narrowly defeated in the quarter-final tie away at Dundonald Bluebell.
Gary Fergus levelled the game for Swifts but the home goals from Regan Lumsden and Billy Rogerson sent the Fife men into the last four.
There was no hiding Gunnion’s disappointment in the immediate aftermath of the result.
“In all honesty, I’m gutted with the result but couldn’t have asked more from the players and the way they played,”he told the PA.
“We controlled the ball from start to finish and moved it well.
“We just lacked a little break in front of goal. We hit the woodwork, were thwarted by good goalkeeping and last-ditch bodies on the line defending.
“At the other end we had the misfortune of the wind causing havoc in the first half and forcing us into losing two unlucky goals.
“But, unfortunately, the end result remains the same and we are out of the cup now.”
Despite exiting the cup just as silverware was coming into sight, Gunnion witnessed plenty of positives to take into the next batch of fixtures.
He added:“i said to the players after the game, I wouldn’t change how we play.
“We always want to go out, dominate the ball and attack teams. That does leave us open to counter attacks occasionally but I think if we stick to our principles we will win more games than we’ll lose.
“The players are hurting but we have a season to finish off now and I want them to take pride in their performances.”
Swifts did have hopes of challenging for the Premier Division title but that ambition is out of reach now.
Regardless, Gunnion highlighted the importance of building momentum and impressing in the remaining league games. A trip to Broxburn Athletic awaits tomorrow afternoon.
“The pressure is off but we want to finish strongly and look to finish as high up the table as possible,”gunnion said.
“That starts with a visit to Broxburn against a good team needing some results to get them to safety.”