Kris Macdonald's Post-Match Reaction

It was one of those games that Rangers Reserves played out against Boroughbridge AFC Reserves today at Barr Field.

A scrappy affair with very few chances, the visitors took the lead after 20 minutes. Deighton were level early on in the second half through Craig Hall, but an 85th smash and grab goal from Boroughbridge saw them take all the points.

Speaking to KDRFC TV after the game, this is what Manager Kris Macdonald had to say.

On today’s match …

It was definitely a case of smash and grab today. They have had a couple of real chances and scored from them both and from our point of view, they have probably been the worst goals that we have conceded all season, but they all count and in truth, we should have stopped them long before they got to our goal! The first one was a free-kick that we should have defended a lot better, but the second one was perhaps one of the most frustrating as we had worked hard to get back into the game, but then a long ball down our throat and it all changes.

Maybe I should have gone to 4-5-1 and said just sit in and consolidate what we have, but I thought that we were on top and could have got the win. It’s a game of fine margins sometimes and it went against us today.

We have to pick ourselves up and the match against Salts becomes even more important now, but we will do that and fortunately we do still have that match to change things.

Overall, I was pleased with the performance, just the sloppy goals that we conceded!

On how he will motivate the team against Salts FC Reserves …

I honestly won’t be saying a lot different from what I have been saying over the past three or four weeks. The good thing about this group of players is that they understand what we are trying to do, and they know what is at stake, they don’t need me to constantly remind them and I don’t think that it would be of any benefit to constantly tell them. My team talks at this stage have probably been shorter than they have ever been. They don’t need me to stand there and try and motivate them further as they already are motivated, I see it in dressing room, on the pitch, at half time and after the game. They know what they have to do.

On Chris Plews in the heart of midfield …

He has been massive for us. I asked him to help me manage the team at the beginning of the season and told him he wouldn’t probably be playing much of the season and for the first couple of games he was with me on the touch line. We then needed him on the pitch one week and since then he has been my mouth on the pitch. It’s one of the rare seasons when I don’t have a hoarse or sore throat because Chris sees what I see and knows what I want the team to do and tells them! He knows football instead out and manages the team from the inside, which is perfect for me as I can look at the bigger picture.

As you know, he is our top scorer with 16 goals from central midfield and he’s around 36! It just shows his quality!

The character of the team …

They are a fantastic bunch of lads and they will be up for the final two games. They will battle and they will play for one another, that’s the character that they have.

We have beaten Salts before at their place when we arrived with about five minutes to go, no warm up, went two nil down after ten minutes and then kicked in as a group, dug deep and won! That sums them up to me. They don’t give in, yes we will have games like we did today, I thought that we showed character, but it was the first time in a while that it didn’t pay off, but over the season they have been excellent, and that is what they bring as a group.