the skipper speaks to RedMatchday
“Getting beaten in the Scottish Cup by Hibs last Sunday was a really bitter pill to swallow because we dominated the majority of the game. We created the bulk of the chances, but yet again we find ourselves knocked out of a cup competition and the long wait for a final carries on for another year.
“It’s a blow for the players, especially when you look at the magnificent support that we took with us to Edinburgh. We are all gutted for them and I know how they’ll be feeling because I had friends and family in the crowd and they don’t feel any different to the rest of the supporters. Our fans have been fantastic this season and we wanted to give them the chance of a couple of days out at Hampden, but sadly, it wasn’t to be.
“Ben Williams was the hero for Hibs, he had one of those games where everything he did turned out perfectly for him. He made some really good saves but even so, we feel we should have been coming away from the capital with a draw at the very least. But the harsh reality of football is that if you don’t score your goals, then especially in cup competitions, you will pay the price for it.
“It’s not simply a question of finishing. I feel in a number of the games recently we should have created more because we get into some good positions without really creating any clear cut chances.
“It’s been the story all too often over the last few months that we’ve been the better side in games and ended up coming away with less than we deserved and that is a situation that we have got to turn around over the rest of the season because there is still plenty to play for in the SPL. There are a lot of points still up for grabs and if we can get some wins on the board quickly, we can put pressure on the teams above us going into the split.
“There’s no magic formula for getting over a bad result. You have to be resilient, be strong mentally, get yourselves back out on the training pitch, work hard and then be determined to put it right in the next game, which is our aim tomorrow
“St Mirren are on a great run at the moment, they’ve got a League Cup final to look forward to and they’ve been getting good results ever since Christmas, so it won’t be an easy afternoon. But our results haven’t been good enough for too long now and we can’t bang on about not getting what we deserve because in the end, it’s the results that matter, especially at this stage of the season. However it comes, we need to deliver a win on Saturday, whether we play well or the game is a grind. That has to be all that we focus on.
“I’m really pleased to have signed for another year here. It didn’t take too long to sort out because there wasn’t that much to discuss to be honest. Since I came back, I’ve always said that I wanted to play for as long as I could and that I wanted to play here so it was an easy deal to do.
“On a personal level, this has been a good season for me because I’ve played more games than I have in a long time, maybe since I left here to go to Sunderland, and so purely on a fitness level, I think I’ve proved something to a lot of people. I still feel that I’ve got something to offer the club and the game so hopefully both myself and the team can end this season strongly, then have a break in the summer and come back refreshed for the new season.”
