The manager at full-time. Picture: Bob Crombie
He admits they were fortunate to be just 2-1 behind at half-time in the KDM Evolution Trophy against a young Aberdeen side on Saturday.
And while he praised the performance in the second half which saw Elgin earn a point with a late goal from Kane Hester, he says the players have to hit their potential more often in games.
“We are going to go the shops in the local high street and buy all the balaclavas because I thought we got away with one today.”
Elgin took the lead in the 10th minute when a rejuvenated Ryan Sargent scored his fourth goal in three games.
However, a double from the excellent Joseph Teasdale in the 14th and 21st minutes, turned the game on its head and only a top save from Tom McHale prevented Teasdale bagging a hat-trick before the break.
McHale made a number of good saves to keep City in the game in the first half.
City pressed Aberdeen more in the second half but struggled to find a route to goal.
Hester popped up in the 89th minute to level and ensure City qualified for the knockout phase of the competition with a game to spare.
Hale said: “I thought Aberdeen were excellent and in the first half they were outstanding.
“They were brave, played through the thirds really well, their rotation was excellent and the tempo that they moved the ball, but the one thing that really impressed me was what I would expect to see from my own team in that when they lost the ball the hunted in numbers to win it back.
“I thought we were very lucky to get to half-time just 2-1 down. It should have been three or four. They cut us open far too easy. As much as you can say we were poor you have got to praise them.
“We have a good relationship with Aberdeen, they are well coached and have a lot of good players.”
He added: “We made our feelings pretty well known at half-time.
“The one thing I am getting frustrated with this season is we are really passive in games. We work on certain things at training pretty regularly and that involves applying pressure on the ball, being brave, being aggressive, working hard and suffocating the opposition into making mistakes.
“In the second half, I thought we did that and we got ourselves into countless areas where we had opportunities and should be getting shots away. by making better decisions.
“When we got in those areas, our decision making wasn’t good enough.
“There have been too many times this season, where we haven’t had 90 minute consistent performances.
“When we play the way the players are coached to, they have to be brave, they have to be confident and commit higher up the pitch. When we do it and do it well, the players understand their role and responsibility, but when one person doesn’t do it, the whole system gets disjointed. For me that has happened too many times.
“We are not in sync enough, we leave too much space and are too passive. That second half, for spells of it, out of possession, was the way I want our team to be and you can see when we play that way, the lift it gives the stadium.
“The stadium believes we are on the front foot, we are winning the ball back and playing in the opposition half, and we can then get our attacking players in possession of the ball and effect the game in a positive manner.”
