SAUCHIE manager Fraser Duncan bemoaned a poor 30 minutes that cost his team three points on Saturday.

Duncan’s side found themselves 3-0 down to Linlithgow Rose before clawing two goals back.

However, a fourth goal for the visitors put the game beyond any doubt and condemned Sauchie to their first league defeat of the season.

Duncan told Advertiser Sport: “It’s a hard one to take to be honest. [In the] first half we’ve been poor for half an hour and lost three goals.

“The goal before half-time got us back in the game a wee bit and we’ve came out really well in the second half and been the better side. It’s just unfortunate that we gave those three goals away.

“I just felt a wee bit disappointed in the players because I think for the first half an hour we’ve gave them far too much respect and sat off them.

"That wasn’t the team talk before the game kicked off. It was a case of we had to go out there and get right in about them and we didn’t do that until the second half after I got a chat with them at half-time.

“We done well, I’d probably say 10 minutes before half-time we started knocking the ball around a wee bit better but I don’t think we started ticking until the second half which is poor – really-really poor.

“Then, for me, when we’re on top we get the second goal, it’s 3-2 and we’re on top, doing really well and then a poor delivery and we’ve cost ourselves that fourth goal and that’s the sucker punch.”

Duncan continued: “It’s hard to take but I’ve said to the boys we’ve got to test ourselves against Linlithgow, they’re obviously a good side, they’ve built a good squad. I don’t think we’re too far away from them.

“We’ve maybe not played great at the right times but we certainly didn’t deserve that, I don’t think.

"Did we deserve to win the game? I don’t think so. I don’t think you can give three goals away like that and deserve to win a game but did we deserve to get something out the game? I think so.

"Second half we were the better side although they’ve went up the park and been clinical. We should probably have taken a couple of chances better.

“It's a hard one to take; we’ve got to lick our wounds now and move on.”

Duncan did praise Conor Kelly for his efforts with the winger providing two assists on the day.

He said: “Conor was outstanding, he worked really hard and I singled him out after the game because his work rate was really good.

“He’s done really, really well, second half especially. I asked him to keep putting balls into the box and he done that.”