Central Fife Times | Sport | Welsh: team not good enough on the day

Saturday, 5th July, 2008

Published: Thursday, 8th May, 2008 10:00

Welsh: team not good enough on the day

By Jim Stark

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Scott Linton is comforted at full-time

Cowdenbeath will be back in the Barrs Irn Bru Third Division next season.

Manager Brian Welsh felt his side just did not play well enough over the two legs to beat Arbroath in the play-offs.

An extra-time goal put the Fifers out of the division but the manager said after Saturday’s game that the team were unable to create enough good chances.

He told the Times, “I felt awful at full-time in extra-time realising that we had been relegated.

“But when I looked at the two legs we just did not play well enough to beat a big, physically strong Arbroath side.

“We knew from the first leg that what we would face and they did not disappoint us. Their big players posed problems but we coped pretty well at the back for the most part.

“No it was going forward that we just did not create enough perhaps apart from a period before half-time.”

The manager added, “I looked at the players in the dressing after the final whistle and they were hurting but it is how they react to the situation that is important for them.

“There are a lot of young players in our squad and they will now have to look at playing in the Third Division and the challenges that this will bring.

“We hope that they will quickly adapt and help the club into a challenging position next season”.

The manager went on to say that the injury problems which plagued Cowden all season had finally come home to roost at the weekend.

The Blue Brazil have consistently been four or five players short every week and on Saturday four key players in John and David Armstrong were missing as were John Dempster and skipper Mark Baxter.

Said Mr Welsh, “It is something which has been with us all season and on Saturday we had four of our players missing who could have dealt with Arbroath’s physical challenge.

“Maybe next season we will be injury free, I certainly hope so”.

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