Sauchie Juniors...........................1

Crossgates Primrose...................2

Qualifying League Section C

SAUCHIE boss Iain Diack admits some fatigue had creeped into his players as they lost to Crossgates on Saturday.

The gaffer highlighted the midweek exploits against Linlithgow as a major contributing factor after he watched his side ship two goals in the first half.

However, he refused to slate his side and backed them to come good over the course of the upcoming season.

Diack told Advertiser Sport: “On another day we could have put the game out of sight, but I think it’s fair to say we had some tired legs out there.

“We played mid-week against Linlithgow and we put a lot into that.

“I only finished playing recently and I know what it’s like to have a demanding schedule like that. Sometimes you just don’t feel yourself in the first part of a game.

“I think what maybe the case from now on is that we make a few more changes for a Saturday game if we’ve played mid week.”

Despite the defeat, Diack insists he saw plenty from his players to ward off any potential concerns over ability.

He added: “I thought we were a better team than Crossgates for the most part, but we just didn’t turn up in the opening stages.

“We were really off the pace in the opening 25 minutes or so.

“We got ourselves sucked into playing the way they want to play with a lot of long balls – and we just started doing the same.

“But then for the last 15 minutes of the first half and the whole of the second half, we dominated.

“We had five or six goalscoring chances and we hit the post, but it wasn’t meant to be.

“It’s just one of those games. We were better than Crossgates on Saturday and better than Linlithgow on Wednesday.

“We are moving in the right direction. If we keep the performance up then the results will come.”

Diack feels he has built a side more than capable of competing already and won’t be in any rush to bring in any more recruits.

Sauchie recently secured the signatures of Craig Donaldson, Darren Petrie and Conor Langton, previously of Falkirk.

And with around 18 players, the manager is confident his side can cope with the demands of the league and cup competitions coming thick and fast.

He said: “We’re really happy with how it has all come together.

“When myself and Adrian first got the job, we made a conscious decision to go out and get some younger players as we knew that would be key to how we want to play.

“I think we’ve got the right players in now and we’re both very happy about how it looks.”

SAUCHIE: D Dolan, McKeown, Finlayson, Cross, Houston, Taylor, Millar, Donaldson, Langton, Petrie, Bruce. SUBS: Wells, Sharp, S Dolan, Cairney.