DL Reaction: Paul Sheerin & Ryan Harrington

After last night’s Development League victory over St Johnstone, Paul Sheerin & Ryan Harrington gave their reaction

Paul Sheerin

“I’m really pleased and delighted with both sides of the performance in terms of game management and defending well.

“In terms of overall chances, we certainly had the more clear-cut ones and if we had been more clinical the game could have been more comfortable.

“Even at the death we showed a maturity that we’ve not had. The back four were good and rigid when it was right. The wing backs got higher up, which is something we asked them to do more that they have done in previous games. We were a real threat when going forward.

“Certainly, in the first half we had some good play, but I think in the second half we could have played a bit more, albeit we still have the better chances within that 45 minutes.

“I was really pleased with keeping the clean sheet. The chance they had right at the death is something we maybe shouldn’t have allowed to happen, but I think we deserved a bit of luck at that stage of the game. It was good awareness from all aspects for our goal.

“Firstly, Ethan Ross recognising that Ryan (Harrington) was winning it and didn’t hesitate in getting himself forward. From there he sees things and I’ve been desperate to get Ethan in the team because of these kinds of situations. He’s only 16 years old so he has got plenty of time to get stronger. In terms of his ability and what he sees in the game I was confident that when it breaks to him that he would make the right decision and that proved the case.

“David Dangana was also as good as I’ve seen him. He’s had some good performances so far, but he stepped it up a notch tonight so I’m really pleased for him.

“Seb (Ross) does what he does best. He gets himself on the end of things. I keep calling him Bryan Robson and he’s got no clue who Bryan Robson is! He’s got a real knack of just getting himself in the box (from midfield) and finding space, but his composure once he’s there is really good.

“Stepping up from 17’s level to the 20’s is never easy, but we know from the lower levels that he’s done that and he’s always scored goals throughout. I think at times last year because of the make-up of the team he was played a bit deeper, but this season we’ve allowed him a bit more freedom to get forward and we are all reaping the benefits of that.

“I thought both centre halves found it a bit difficult for the first ten minutes and we were a bit nervy and we invited pressure that we didn’t need to invite. Once we got to grips with the game we dealt with two good young strikers in Hendry, who’s a real handful and Denny Johnstone has played a lot of football. So I thought both (of our players) were really good. I enjoyed the way they managed the game, pulling full backs in at the right time and keeping deep at the right time so they weren’t exposed.

“The communication is a big part of it as well and they must keep speaking and making sure people know what you need of them.

“The lads that were away with the Scotland U17s (against Wales) were excellent. Archie Mair played the first game and kept a clean sheet. Dean Campbell played both games and he’s up to about 30 games already this season. He’s invaluable to us and you will keep hearing us constantly barking at him, but we do that because we know we will get the best out of him. He’s got so much ability and you want to play him in every game. He’s the type of player that gets on the ball, makes passes for you, makes things tick for you and we just want so much more from him in terms of how he can communicate better. That’s why I made him my captain. It will hopefully develop him into a captain for the first team one day if he keeps going the way he is going. He’s still got a long way to go, but as a 16-year-old boy, to have already played in the first team was an unbelievable experience for him.

“Joe MacPherson is out in Peru. He’s got two weeks as part of a shadowing role with their National team, who play Argentina and Columbia. So for him to see and gain that experience in and around that international set-up in South American football will be invaluable. I’m pleased for him and although we are missing him, in terms of experience it will be brilliant.”

Ryan Harrington

“It was a good performance, especially as it was a bad defeat in our last game two weeks ago against Dundee.

“Paul wanted a reaction tonight and we I think we produce one.

“We could have got more goals, but I thought defensively and as a team we stuck together and did well.

“For the goal, Paul wanted us to get forward, attack and press them so I saw the opportunity to go in and win the ball. I gave it to Ethan and we created a chance with Seb took with a good finish. There were a number of good chances we could have scored from in the game, but at the end of the day we won and everyone’s pleased.

“I had a few chances myself, but at the end of the day we won the game and we kept a clean sheet. As a defender my job is to stop the other team from scoring. On another day, we will score more goals.

“It is a young team. When you look at Ethan who started, it was a great opportunity for him. The young lads in the squad need to make sure they can cope with the 20’s League, which he certainly did tonight. I’m sure whichever of the young boys play, they will manage and do well.

“I’m loving it here and enjoy playing my football. I enjoy playing right back, playing centre midfield or wherever Paul puts me because I’m just happy to play. Looking to the future I’ve got to keep going and keep working hard.”

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