Paul Sheerin reflects on the 4-0 victory over Falkirk in the Reserve League

The Match

“I’m delighted with the second 45 minutes.

“I’ve just said to them in there it’s everything we should strive to be with the talent we’ve got at the top end of the pitch.

I felt first half we started the game brilliantly but there was a wee malaise in terms of getting after the ball. We sat off them a bit more than we’d have liked but it showed in the second half, when you go and get after them with Sam and Jordan at the back, we were able to lock them in and they struggled to get up the park. By the end some of our play was really exciting and it allowed the expressive players to go and do that the more the game went on and they enjoy it. They came in at half time frustrated with themselves and it’s the total opposite at the end of the game, so I’m delighted with their second half performance. It’s really pleasing.

“As the shape was similar there was that space to get into them a wee bit quicker and we maybe took touches in the wrong areas at certain times of the first half. When we got forward in the second half you can’t keep that talent down. Bruce got his goal as he does because you could see his frustration from not having scored before. We’re pleased that he got it and young Shanks deserves credit as it was a great decision to slip it in when others, certainly Bruce, would have shot and wouldn’t have passed it.

“He’s got that quality and we see that week in week out with Connor in how much he twists defenders into the ground at times and then it was about his composure to finish. He showed it on that occasion. It’s good to get him more minutes and hopefully we keep building him up and he gets a run of games to keep him fit, which is the main aim.

“Ethan always has that impact and we would have probably made that change sooner, but I just felt for the younger ones it was an opportunity to give Sean and young Danny, who was excellent for the U18s against Hearts, a chance. That was the main reason it was longer for Roscoe (Ethan Ross) getting on. He’s always a threat and always enthusiastic and he’s desperate to get involved in it. He shows that coming on and showing good composure scoring his goal.

“We were a wee bit frantic with our defending in terms of the areas. We didn’t need to rush into things and there was a spell where they had corners and free kicks and we invited pressure we don’t need to. Once we managed it and got through that stage it was so much better. Once again, the clean sheet is very pleasing. I think David makes one save in the second half and maybe we were just a wee bit slack in controlling the game at that stage.

Aberdeenshire Cup

“We’ll go again and recover tomorrow and hopefully come Wednesday they’ll be ready to keep the standards that we’ve set in the second 45 minutes there. The challenge for us as a younger group is playing against men and seasoned Highland League or Junior players. We know it will be hard and we know we’ll have to apply ourselves properly. We’d love to win it and that’s the main aim and for that group to be together and hopefully start winning things is what we’re looking to do. The Aberdeenshire Cup is an opportunity to do that and we’ve not been in it for a while so it’s a challenge that we’re looking to. We understand by watching them they are on a good vain of form at the minute so it’s going to be a tough game and we’re going to need to prepare properly for it.”

“We’ll go again and recover tomorrow and hopefully come Wednesday they’ll be ready to keep the standards that we’ve set in the second 45 minutes there. The challenge for us as a younger group is playing against men and seasoned Highland League or Junior players. We know it will be hard and we know we’ll have to apply ourselves properly. We’d love to win it and that’s the main aim and for that group to be together and hopefully start winning things is what we’re looking to do. The Aberdeenshire Cup is an opportunity to do that and we’ve not been in it for a while so it’s a challenge that we’re looking to. We understand by watching them they are on a good vain of form at the minute so it’s going to be a tough game and we’re going to need to prepare properly for it.”