Manager blasts Clachnacuddin defending is not up to scratch
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Jordan Macdonald knows that his Clachnacuddin side will need to improve at the back to get their first points on the board in the Highland League this season.
A 5-2 defeat at home against Huntly last weekend marked the second game in a row where the Lilywhites conceded a handful of goals.
That has left them rooted to the foot of the table on goal difference at this early stage of the campaign.
Their defensive woes, therefore, are clear for everyone to see, and Macdonald admits more resilience in the backline will be needed to start picking up more positive results.
“We can have all the performances we want, but if we defend as a team like we did on Saturday, our performance can be anything – results are what counts to us,” Macdonald said.
“The defending from the team, not just the centre-halves because we defend as a team, was simply not up to scratch.
“It simply wasn’t good enough. We didn’t have a desire to defend our goal, and Huntly punished us for it.
“We got ourselves back into the game at 2-1 with a lovely goal, and then we go and give a third and fourth goal away with some sloppy defending.
“It’s frustrating, because it was a game that we were looking to win and we didn’t.”
There was an element of frustration among Macdonald and his coaching staff that Huntly did not spring any surprises on Saturday, yet still scored five.
“We told the players exactly what to expect, but we completely switched off,” Macdonald said.
“We told them exactly how Huntly were going to play, and they scored within a minute and a half of doing exactly what we had said was going to happen.
“It’s just a lack of concentration. There was another goal from a free header, their fifth goal was a throw in into our box when we had six players and they had two. That comes from desire and communication.
“Defensively as a team, it was simply not good enough.”
