"It was a game where both defences were on top and both defences were excellent. The match was intriguing and, in the last half-hour, I felt that one goal would settle it.

"Casey Maclaren and Sam Flegg were magnificent in the middle of the defence and Kevin Maclaren and Lee O'Leary were outstanding in front of them.

"However, I am sure if we would have scored early in the second half we would have won it. For the first hour, we were the better team and looked the more like team to score.

"I was really pleased with the way we started the second half, but we failed to take the chances in those 15 minutes.

"The level of commitment from my boys was so pleasing. I couldn't have asked much more of the boys, other than taking one of those chances.

"In recent months we have lost four key players, Tony Taggart and James Fisher to injury and Carl McCluskey and Jefferson Louis, who moved on. This doesn’t even take account of Scott Cousins and Elliott Brathwaite who have, to all intents and purpose, not played this season. But we have not let that us derail us and lose our focus."