DUFC

ALEX SMITH'S ST. JOHNSTONE MATCH COMMENTS

12th August 2001

Alex Smith was pleased to take three points from McDiarmid Park and hopes confidence can be drawn from the present unbeaten run.

"This was the kind of game we could have ended up losing 12 months ago because we played some excellent football only to allow them to push us further and further back," summarised the Manager.

"However while there is still a little bit of inconsistency to our play there is also a bit of steel and that allows us to come through the testing times with the result we want. If you add our current run to that we achieved at the back end of last season, we are now unbeaten in our last seven league games which is very pleasing."

"Sequences like that build confidence and belief and we will build on this and take it into our next games. There is a tremendous spirit in the dressing room with the new arrivals freshening things up nicely."

"It was a great three points for us. It was the first victory of the season and our first away result of the season and that was very important," said the Manager.

"In the first half we played excellent football and we could have been 3-0 up in the first 20 minutes but for some great saves from their keeper Alan Main who had two stops from Jim Hamilton and one from Charlie Miller."

"We missed those chances and I wondered if we could get punished later on but, when we scored, we played well all the way up to half-time. In the second half, we did OK but then we began to defend very deep, giving the ball away too often and putting ourselves under pressure."

"At that stage Griffin, Jim Lauchlan and our goalkeeper Paul Gallacher were immense but everyone worked hard and gave a hundred per cent. Maybe last season we would have faltered in these circumstances and perhaps would have been beaten."

"It's a solid start to the season and we will improve with the
confidence of being unbeaten. There is a great spirit about the team, we're all pulling together and working hard at training. What we need is consistency in our performance for 90 minutes."