Jonny: ‘East Fife must be a one-off’
Berwick Rangers captain Jonny Fairbairn has declared that lessons must be learned from the ‘Gers disappointing 5-0 defeat at Bayview Stadium on Saturday if they are serious about having as successful a season as their prior games suggested.
Jonny and the team discuss a disappointing first-half at Bayview
“In honesty, we were second best from start to finish. It’s difficult to specifically pinpoint what went wrong from our point of view.
“We never really got a foothold in the game so struggled going forward, and defensively we were making fundamental errors that were unsurprisingly leading to goals.
“The result certainly wasn’t what we’d hoped for, but we’re all keen to learn from the experience.”
Despite difficulties pinpointing exact causes, Jonny does go on to reveal that an inquest into the nature of the defeat began immediately after the game after being asked about how he as club captain helps to pick his teammates up.
“We began the analysis of the defeat in the changing rooms at full-time. As captain, I see it more as my responsibility not to necessarily lead the ‘inquiry’ into the defeat, but certainly to ensure that there’s a culture whereby the whole team can feel comfortable in offering their opinions on where we could improve.
The new ‘Gers skipper is looking to drive improvement by creating a culture of involvement
“The last thing we need is finger-pointing, so I’m glad that we remained unified in defeat. It’s says a lot of the lads that we took the defeat as a team.
“And the most encouraging thing is how eager we all are to make sure there are lessons learnt. We’ve had a good start to the season but we want to use this result as a wake-up call for everyone.
“We’ll work hard in training this week to make sure we get things right, and come Saturday we’ll make sure there’s a reaction in terms of both performance and result up in Stirling.”
Expanding further on his new role as skipper, Jonny confesses that the opportunity to get involved with Berwick’s improved community focus is one that he won’t shy away from.
“I see it as a responsibility of mine to build and encourage relationships between the club and the local community, and in honesty it’s something I quite enjoy.
Jonny Fairbairn with the 8+ age group at Berwick Rangers Summer Camp 2015
“Taking the Summer Camp for example, I saw it as a pleasure to have the opportunity to join Matty (Moor) and the kids.
“I’m looking forward to seeing some of those younger guys at the games this season, and hopefully in more initiatives if the club are looking to continue their good work.”
When asked who he saw as Berwick’s rivals this season, Jonny refuses to be drawn into East Fife’s win whist encouraging fans not to be too concerned about our heavy defeat, as he reasons:
“At this stage of the season I don’t read too much into results elsewhere in the league. Most teams have new faces, much like ourselves.
“We have a few new guys who aren’t used to this league. I don’t think early results really show the full picture. But a result like Saturday can be useful in relation to making those who maybe haven’t had the experience in this league realise the level of concentration required to not only reach your best, but stay there.
“On a personal level, my only goal is to simply contribute to team having a successful season.”
