AUCHINLECK Talbot boss Tommy Sloan has slammed his side for a "soft" half-hour which saw them slump to their first league defeat of the season.
The Beechwood Park side were on their travels on Saturday, September 21, in the only game being played across the West of Scotland Football League - with most other sides in Scottish Junior Cup action.
It was a match which left a bitter taste in the mouth of manager Sloan, as he saw his side fall to a 3-1 defeat.
At a wind-swept Barrfields Park, the home side took the lead just 10 minutes in through Will Sewell - before the floodgates opened.
Lewis Davidson added a second on 18 minutes, before Blair Devine made it three less then ten minutes before half time to give Thistle a commanding half-time lead.
All thoughts of a second half Talbot comeback then suffered a major blow as two soft yellows for Ross Smith saw them reduced to ten men before the hour mark.
Ruaridh Langan did claw one back on 70 minutes but despite chances at either end there was no further scoring in North Ayrshire.
“The game is practically over when it’s 3-0," Sloan told the club's own social media team after the match.
“Largs were barely up the pitch in the first 10 minutes, we had the lion’s share but they didn’t have to do much to get two or three goals.
“We showed a definite weakness there, wanting to defend, and I’m not just talking about defenders there. We looked a soft side for a good part of that first half.”
And Sloan refused to use the blustery conditions as any sort of excuse, instead drawing frustration on how his side dealt with the weather.
He added: “The wind impacted the game but we showed a bit of naiveness throughout the game.
“We are going short – just let the keeper kick it. We’re putting ourselves under pressure, we lost a wee bit of composure there.
“The biggest disappointment is the first half an hour we looked a wee bit soft, that’s not what I’m wanting.
“If I’m going to be here, it’s not going to be like that, that can’t happen – I certainly can’t watch that week in, week out.”
While Sloan admitted there were improvements in the second half, he said that is the minimum he should be expecting from his squad.
He continued: “Credit to the guys that were on, they’ve had to battle but have we got to applaud them for wanting to battle a bit?
"That should be a given at this club, and it certainly isn’t at the moment – that’s got to change.”
Now, the Talbot boss says some soul searching is required before a massive Scottish Cup first round fixture against Albion Rovers this weekend.
He said: “We need to get together, be together, and they need to take criticism – as I will as well.
“It’s a big game, they games should take care of themselves. We will need to be a lot better than we were today or we’ll not be in it.”
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