Coughlin: “There’s still a lot to iron out”

John Coughlin admitted he was pleased to leave Montrose with a draw on Saturday – but knows his ‘Gers side can perform much better.

For the second away match in a row, Berwick kept a clean sheet to remain inside the play-off places and although the manager was pleased again with the defensive display, he says that work will be in progress on the training ground this week as the team looked to become more potent up top.

“I ended up happy to take a point,” said Coughlin. “I didn’t think we were much of an attacking force but defensively – we’ve played two away games now and got two clean sheets so from that point of view we’ve got to be happy.

“We also lost up at Montrose last year and that’s obviously a positive as well. However, I still think we can play a lot better.”

Steven Notman was carrying a knock on Saturday and, as a result, was only fit enough for a place on the subs bench.

And, although not risking the midfielder for that match means he’s fully fit for this weekend’s clash with Clyde, Coughlin conceded that Notman’s absence was a blow in Berwick’s bid to claim all three points at Links Park.

“We certainly missed Stevie Notman and him being the anchor in the middle of the park because that’s a big part of how we play.

“In the previous match [Cowdenbeath], I felt he was the key ingredient as he allowed McKenna, Thomson and Lavery to go and do their jobs which is to be a bit more attack-minded.

“There’s still a lot to iron out,” he added. “We’ve started playing three at the back again which makes us look more safe and the stats back that up. But at the other end, it’s about ensuring that we can turn one point into three and that’s what we’re going to be working on in training.”