Elgin City manager Allan Hale speaks after 1-1 draw against Peterhead confirming Elgin’s League 2 safety.
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00:00I don't think anyone on the ground can fault what the players have put into that game today.
00:04Decimated with injuries and suspensions, people on the pitch that probably don't have much left
00:10in the tank for what they've put in, particularly the last four months. I thought the players were
00:16outstanding today, Taman, I really can't fault them. I think they displayed everything that I
00:20want from an elegant City team today. First half, I thought we were brave, I thought we were
00:25aggressive at the right moments, got ourselves in front, defended really well against one of the
00:31best teams in the league. They've got players that have all played at a higher level, that are so
00:36comfortable and assured in possession. They move the ball really well side to side, which makes
00:41you have to defend quite a lot. Then we go down to ten men in the second half. I won't say too
00:47much about that, it was definitely a foul, but two minutes, three minutes or something like that in
00:52the second half. I think it was a bit quick to get the yellow card out in that, in what wasn't
00:58really a dirty game as such. Then it's about closing off the spaces, shuffling side to side,
01:04making sure that we're forcing them into the wide areas and make sure that we've got that
01:10cover and balance. The players were outstanding, any cross came into the box, putting our bodies
01:16in line. It's just unfortunate, I thought we were going to hold out, but it's just unfortunate.
01:21It's disappointing because we've got a zonal system there at the front post and
01:24it's zonal for a reason that we should be able to go and attack that space. We've not done it,
01:29so it's disappointing, but I'm not going to stand here and say anything other than
01:33the players were outstanding today and deserve the ovation that they got after the game.
01:39The fact that we're safe was a brilliant achievement, because I'll be honest,
01:44I thought early in my tenure here that that was going to be an extremely difficult task.
01:49I think a lot of people reminded us of the fact that it would be extremely difficult and many
01:53people put us favourites to go down, but what you saw over the past four months is a group of
01:58players that are full of spirit, full of effort, full of commitment and full of a real work ethic,
02:07where we've went and picked up a lot of points that's put us in a good position. I think we've
02:12still got an opportunity to finish sixth now as well, which would really cap off a tremendous
02:17second half of the season. In saying that, I don't really want to celebrate the fact that
02:20we've stayed up too much, because for me I don't think this club should be celebrating
02:25being safe. I think this club needs to push the boundaries to really go and recognise its
02:30potential. You see another great crowd here today, we're averaging about 800 to 900 fans
02:36at home game and that's when we've been ninth place for the last three seasons. So I think for
02:42us the potential here that if we can grow a team that can really go and sustain a challenge for
02:46the playoffs, you're going to get over 1,000 fans through the gate here. That tells me the
02:50potential of this club is huge. Every Tuesday and Thursday we walk through the stadium before
02:55training and you just see what it is and what it can be. What gives me a lot of hope and a lot of
03:03confidence is the new chairman, Alan. I think he's come in full of really bright ideas. I think
03:10next season will be difficult in terms of the budget. It's going to be difficult to really go
03:15and build just based on where the club's been financially for the past few years.
03:21But with Alan Murray at the helm, I think the club is in really good hands and I know his ambition,
03:27but it's got to be a sustainable plan. But for me, I think this club needs to really start
03:34recognising its potential again. You see the spirits came back to the place and we need to
03:39hold on to that heading into next season and try and generate the momentum that we've built up over
03:43the last four months and collectively work together to try and put a team in a pitch that
03:47can go and progress again next year. You did say during the week that if you did confirm safety
03:52today, there'd be no relaxation in the last two games of the season, but you might try a couple
03:56of different things with the squad? Yes, I think we'll definitely try a couple of things. I think
04:00without that pressure that's been on the players for the past four months, and trust me, there's
04:04been a lot of pressure. I mean, I'm physically, emotionally, mentally exhausted. We've put so
04:11much work in, as have the players and the board and the staff, to just make sure that we still
04:16stay in the league next year and that was no easy feat, I can assure you. So I think everyone's in a
04:21position where we're looking forward to the break because of what everyone's put in. But yeah,
04:27there can't be any resting on laurels. That's the spirit and the mindset that we want and for me,
04:32I'm quite glad that the next two games it rides on potentially finishing sixth place as well.
04:37I think that's a really good incentive for us because finishing sixth and getting away from
04:41that bottom three, I think would signify that we've got a lot of quality in this club and a
04:46lot of quality in the dressing room. Hopefully, as I said, in the summer we can do some bits of
04:51business that can get more quality in certain areas, certainly apply more depth in certain
04:56areas. As I said, hopefully have a good pre-season and go and progress and try and continue where
05:03we've been and that has to be the aim. So yeah, one or two players will definitely get an
05:09opportunity because, as I said, players have been playing through the pain barrier for a number of
05:13weeks now to try and achieve what we've achieved today. So yeah, now it'll be time for maybe trying
05:20one or two things.