Montrose boss Paul Hegarty did not pull his punches in the wake of last weekend’s disappointing Scottish Cup draw at non-league Lothian Thistle, saying his players had let themselves down with a performance that was simply not acceptable.
A week on, the manager stands by his comments and he hopes his verbal rocket will produce the right response when the Gable Endies entertain Berwick on league duty this afternoon.
Hegarty said: “The only good thing about last week is that we are still in the cup.
“We started brightly, got a goal and looked comfortable but ultimately we could have lost the tie.
“I stand by my after-match comments and my thoughts haven’t changed on the poor performance.
“A few home truths were said and as is often the case, I have had a good response from the lads in training this week.
Hegarty added: “Unfortunately, we will have four missing against Berwick.
“Jordan Millar who is on loan from St Johnstone, did really well in goal for us last week but he damaged ribs playing for Saints Under-20s in midweek and he is out. Adam McWilliam is still recovering from his ankle ligament problem and Ryan Kenneth will be missing because of a chest infection.
“Paul Watson has returned to light training after his hernia op but he is not ready for a full return.
“The squad will be stretched but we are determined to get back to winning ways against Berwick.
“There was very little between the two sides when we lost 2-1 down there at the start of the season.
“However, we have to improve hugely on last week and it is important we start at a high tempo.
“We need the same attitude and performance we showed when we last won three weeks ago against Queen’s Park at Hampden.”