Huntly manager Colin Charlesworth refuses to criticise his team for losing 3-1 lead in home defeat to Turriff United and relishes trip to leaders Brora Rangers
A visit to league leaders Brora Rangers is the perfect chance to bounce back from Huntly’s “freak day” on Saturday.
The Black and Golds crashed 5-3 at home to Turriff United having led 3-1, but manager Colin Charlesworth refused to read the riot act on his team.
He pointed to individual mistakes contributing to his team’s downfall but expects a strong reaction from his players when they take on this weekend’s tough challenge in Sutherland.
“The old cliché is a game of two halves because we started the game really well, played some really good football and scored some really good goals,” said Charlesworth.
“At the same time, Turriff started the second half with a lot more intensity that we never matched and we didn't really get to grips with it after that.
“The disappointing thing is that they didn’t really have to work for their goals - we gifted them. But I'm not going to berate my players.
“They've been really good this season. It was an off day, a freak day where individual errors cost us and I can guarantee you the players won't make them again.
“They know themselves. We'll just have to dust ourselves off and go again.”
Callan Gray punished the first Huntly error, a mix-up between keeper Calum Brodie and defender James Connelly to score on 18 minutes.
Huntly then played on the front foot and Angus Grant’s 28th goal of the season sparked a fine spell during which Matty Wallace and Ross Still both converted chances from corners to push Huntly 3-1 ahead.
Perhaps a turning point came in first half stoppage time when a Kai Watson foul led to a Turriff penalty which ex-Huntly man Reece McKeown converted.
That changed the half time team talks, with the visitors getting a huge lift going into the second period and turning the game on its head with two goals in as many minutes.
McKeown grabbed his second and Gray did the same, punishing a Brodie kick with a 40-yard lob over the stranded keeper’s head.
More sloppy home defending was punished by Ellis Clark’s long range strike to seal Turriff’s comeback win.
“The penalty just before half time kind of changed how they came out in the second half,” Charlesworth added. “We then resorted to a sort of default position of too deep and letting them come on to us.
“There was only going to be one outcome after that when the individual errors started happening as well.
“Turriff are a good side but I'm more looking from my own perspective. I'm more disappointed that we didn't take advantage of being on top and playing well in the first half.
And then the second half, we just looked like we didn't know how to put our foot on the ball and take a sting out of the game a wee bit, which is very much unlike us.”
A daunting journey to Dudgeon Park to take on big spending Brora strikes fear into most teams, but Charlesworth sees it as a great next fixture.
“We don't really have two games in a row where we're poor and hopefully that second half performance was just an ‘unlike us’ theme that we dust off and don't do it again this weekend.
“From my point of view, you couldn't ask for a better game to go into it. You have to up your standards and if you're going to have a below-par performance, it's never a good time to have one, but there's no better way to react than having to play one of the top teams in the league.”
The Huntly boss said he has faith in every single member of his squad and while he has scope to ring the changes, he must also decide if those who played on Saturday earned the right to make amends if they retain the shirt.
“It's a headache picking a team every week just because of how good the squad is. So we'll bounce back and I've got the option there where I put faith in players or I rotate for the boys that have been patient for their time.
“I've got some decisions to make this week, but I don't think there can be a bad decision to make because the squad's that full of quality.”