Barry Smith expects a massive reaction from his Elgin City players at home to Stenhousemuir on Saturday following last week’s crushing loss at Peterhead.
The 6-0 defeat against the new League Two leaders was a sore one for City, who fell to the foot of the table as a result.
Leaking Scott Ross and Rory McAllister goals inside the first four minutes was a tough start, with a Kieran Shanks double, one from Hamish Ritchie and another from Ross after the break making it a day to forget for the visitors.
‘Naivety’ costly in Peterhead match
Smith, who has only been in charge for three matches since replacing Ross Draper in the hotseat, takes his share of the blame as the side aim to blast back against second-top Stenny, who are on a four-game unbeaten run.
He said: “You would expect a massive reaction after a result like that.
“In fairness to the players, they work hard in training and they have worked hard in games, but having watched the game back, naivety cost us a wee bit.
“We have got young players and young players will make mistakes, or be naive in certain situations. Not all the goals came from their naivety, but we haven’t defended properly.
“We got what we deserved and I don’t want to take anything away from Peterhead, who were very good. Rory McAllister’s experience showed. He’s a very good player.
“At 2-0 at half-time, we’re still in the game, but I made changes, so I take responsibility for what happened. We changed shape slightly and you have to hold your hands up and say you got it wrong.
“We had a great result (a 2-0 victory) against Dumbarton recently. On Saturday, whatever could have gone wrong, did go wrong and that’s why we’re on the back of that result.”
Elgin have been ‘chasing’ games
That recent victory over the Sons in Smith’s first league game as manager showed what Elgin are capable of, but he admits the concession of early goals is leaving them too much to do.
He said: “It was a great result recently against Dumbarton where we had loads of energy and determination and we didn’t concede any goals.
“In the past two games (including a 2-1 loss against Clyde), we’ve conceded early goals and left ourselves chasing the game and needing to open up a bit more and become more vulnerable.
“We have to ensure we start games properly, which has been a problem in the past two games.”
Smith – ‘We just have to dig deep’
Gary Naysmith’s Stenny were held to a 2-2 draw against Clyde last weekend and will head to Borough Briggs one point off first place as the first quarter of fixtures are completed.
Former Dundee, Alloa Athletic and Raith Rovers manager Smith added: “We are down to the bare bones, even more so than last week.
“We just have to dig deep. It has been tough since I’ve come in as we’ve never really had a full squad.
“There will be hard times and we just have to make sure we come out of the other side.
“There are 28 games still to go, so there are plenty of points for us. We just need to keep picking up points, whether it’s home or away.”
King arrives to challenge McHale
There was goalkeeper movement at the club last week as ex-Caley Jag Daniel Hoban, 25, signed for Highland League club Banks o’ Dee after three years with the Moray club.
Smith swooped to bring in former St Mirren and Clydebank number one Kyle King, 20, to challenge Thomas McHale for a starting spot.
He said: “We wish Dan well. Prior to me coming in, there had been an offer on the table and Dan wanted to be closer to home.
“We didn’t want to stand in his way. Everyone has a personal life. We were fortunate to be able to get Kyle in as quickly as we did. He will push Tom for a starting position.
“Kyle’s not here to be a stop-gap. He’s here to push Tom and, if he gets his opportunity, he’s got to take it.”
King, who has also been with Queen of the South, has most recently been with West of Scotland Premier Division side Clydebank.
Hoban’s last appearance for City was a stunning performance against Forfar Athletic in the SPFL Trust Trophy.
Saves within the tie, which ended 0-0, and in the penalty shoot-out helped Elgin reach the next round where they lost 2-1 at Championship hosts Morton.