Paul Sheerin: Montrose wanted it more in the first half

Falkirk head coach Paul Sheerin conceded his side didn’t match Montose’s desire and hunger in the first half as they lost 1-0 in cinch League 1 to stay cemented in fifth place.
Paul Sheerin cut a frustrated figure on the touchline (Pics Michael Gillen)Paul Sheerin cut a frustrated figure on the touchline (Pics Michael Gillen)
Paul Sheerin cut a frustrated figure on the touchline (Pics Michael Gillen)

Cammy Ballantyne’s close range effort was enough for Stewart Petrie’s side to see out the victory, with Callumn Morrison missing a late penalty for the Bairns.

Fans voiced their discontent at full time after a tepid attacking display gave the visitors a relatively comfortable afternoon at the Falkirk Stadium and Sheerin admitted it wasn’t good enough.

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Disappointment is one of my main emotions at the moment, anger and frustration are certainly there too. First half they were aggressive and dominated us. They asked questions of us that we didn’t answer well enough for 45 minutes. It was a little damning on us to be honest because they wanted it more than us in the first half.

Callumn Morrison after missing from the spotCallumn Morrison after missing from the spot
Callumn Morrison after missing from the spot

Second half was better in terms of matching their appetite and their desire to win a football match. We asked questions without any real quality and we didn’t do enough overall.”Speaking about the games key moments, he said: “Leon McCann doesn't quite get back and out to stop the cross and it leaves Cal (Morrison) exposed at the back post and obviously that isn’t his strength. Ben Hall gambles and goes on the line to protect the shot instead of staying with Ballantyne and sods law it falls to him and he sticks it in. That’s the only shot they have on target the full game and that is the problem for me that we didn’t put them under enough pressure at the other end.

“The penalty was similar to the Alloa game with a late call and it would have turned the game on it’s head if we scored. Callumn has gone up to take it after scoring the last one and unfortunately he’s not put it away. You put yourself in the firing line when you step up for a penalty and he’ll be down because it wasn’t a great effort.”

The Bairns were unbeaten in four but have struggled to find consistency throughout the season and Sheerin admitted it counts for nothing if they can’t start winning matches no matter how well they play.

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“You can’t have it every week, we’ve been consistent for four weeks now in terms of our performance levels but we weren’t today. The better teams though find ways to manage football matches and win even when they aren’t at their best. We need to learn to pick up points even when we don’t play particularly well. Picking up scraps and being direct if you need to, you can’t always have it the way you want.

Montrose celebrate the opener on 37 minutesMontrose celebrate the opener on 37 minutes
Montrose celebrate the opener on 37 minutes

“Their effort isn’t in question but you need to add quality with that or it counts for nothing. They are desperate to do well but when a team comes after you like they did today, you need to stand up to it better and find ways to get the result.”