It may have been defensive mistakes that cost Peterhead against Partick Thistle – but Jordon Brown says the Blue Toon also need to be better in the final third.
The Buchan outfit drew a blank in their 3-0 defeat against the Jags at Balmoor, meaning they’ve scored only three goals in six games since returning to action last month.
Brown had Peterhead’s only decent opportunity against Thistle, which was deflected wide in the early stages.
Joe Cardle then put the visitors in front before half-time and in the second period two sloppy concessions ended the Blue Toon’s hopes of taking anything from the contest.
Peterhead are seventh in the League One table, four points adrift of the promotion play-offs, but also only four points clear of the relegation play-off spot and Brown says they need to be better in front of goal to avoid being sucked into the bottom two.
The midfielder said: “We can’t concede the two goals we did at the start of the second half and expect to get anything from the game.
“Looking at the games this season every game has been so tight and people might look at it and say we were battered losing 3-0, but I don’t think that was the case.
“They got a lift in the first half from the first goal and then they got a lift again from the two goals they got.
“Looking at myself I needed to be more clinical with that chance in the first half, but I felt I’d done almost everything right and the defender got a little touch to put it around the post.
“Apart from that we didn’t create too much, which was also frustrating.
“The boys are together and the quality is there for everyone to see. But we need to score more goals because without scoring goals we’re not going to win games.
“That was shown against Forfar (1-1 draw) on Tuesday because we should have scored more.
“It’s frustrating when you don’t take your chances and then it costs you when you concede.
“I think the onus is on everyone and the goals have been shared around the team.
“Nobody has scored 10 or 15 goals this season, but everyone is trying to chip in and take responsibility.”
Peterhead’s best chance came after 12 minutes when Niah Payne returned the ball into the box following a Ryan Conroy corner, but Brown’s shot was deflected just wide.
Ross Docherty headed straight at goalkeeper Josh Rae from a Cardle cross and then Rae made a good block to thwart Conor Murray, who was free inside the area.
Five minutes from the break Partick took the lead with Scott Tiffoney releasing Murray on the left flank and Cardle tapped home his low cross from close range.
After the opener the home side lost Ryan Conroy to a hamstring injury, while Simon Ferry was subbed at half-time as a precaution.
On 52 minutes the visitors doubled their lead. Kieran Freeman sliced a clearance which let Cardle in and he rolled the ball across goal for Tiffoney to tap home.
Eight minutes later it was game over when Brian Graham’s header from a Cardle corner deceived Rae at the back post and bounced into the net via the woodwork when the goalkeeper ought to have stopped it.
Peterhead boss Jim McInally said: “They’re comic-cut goals. Kieran mis-controlled the ball for the second goal, but our goalkeeper should probably still be out picking it up at the edge of the box.
“For the third goal, the goalkeeper went to pick it up and I’m not sure if it was the spin that caught him out or what it was, but it’s a poor goal to lose.
“I didn’t have many complaints about the first half because I felt we were OK, but in the second half you can’t lose goals like that and expect to win.”