First-half show annoys Dickov

Photo: PICTURES by ALAN HOWARTH

I’M BEHIND YOU: Warren Feeney attempts to hold off his Falkirk marker.

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Athletic 0, Falkirk 2
PAUL Dickov was frustrated with a slack first-half show from his side at Northwich as Athletic slipped to successive friendly defeats.

It wasn’t the result that irked the new boss, more the way that Falkirk were allowed to dictate the terms of play, establishing a two-goal lead before the break that they never looked like giving up.

“I wasn’t very happy with the first half, to say the least,” said Dickov, who gave a 45-minute debut to new striker Warren Feeney.

“I felt we set our standards last week (against Barrow and Burnley). I am not looking too much towards results, as pre-season games are about fitness and work-rate.

“But I didn’t feel as if I got those things in the first half.

“I do expect a little better in terms of closing down than I saw here.”

Athletic’s squad featured four trialists, the most impressive of whom was second-half centre-back Rod MacDonald.

A total of 21 players got game-time and with so many options available to him, Dickov admits he has yet to formulate his ideal starting line-up ahead of the new season starting at Tranmere on August 7.

One thing he is sure of is that his team will need to play smarter to gain a result at Prenton Park.

“I won’t fault the lads for effort, as it was there,” Dickov added.

“We need to be a bit more clever and take a bit more responsibility in our decision-making, as in when to close down and when not to close down. That will come.

“I am still very much aware that we are still three weeks in to me working with the boys.

“Bearing that in mind, I am still happy with the way things are going.”

Athletic were poor in a first half which failed to get going before the sparkling opening goal by impressive Torquay-born Falkirk winger Jack Compton.

The Scottish outfit, managed by former national team centre-back Steven Pressley, were relegated from the Scottish Premier League last season and were the sharper side from the off.

When Compton picked up a ball Athletic lost in midfield, there appeared little danger. But the wide man strode forward and pinged a delightful left-footed shot from 25 yards out which arrowed past Dean Brill, finding the top left corner of the goal with the ’keeper not even moving.

While there was little his side could do to stop a strike of such quality, other than by respecting possession more, Dickov would have been far from happy at the nature of the second goal.

A quick free-kick was whipped in towards the near post and centre-back Brian McLean got across his marker to turn the ball past Brill.

It was a poor goal to concede, reflecting a lacklustre opening from Athletic who came closest to replying when on-trial Lanre Oyebanjo’s cross from the right wing had to be punched over from under his own crossbar by Falkirk goalkeeper Robert Olejnik.

Athletic made three changes at half-time and improved markedly after the break, albeit still struggling to create opportunities on goal.

The best of them arrived just after the hour. Jason Jarrett, hoping to earn a contract at Boundary Park and fairly solid throughout, floated a free-kick into the area which found the head of Pawel Abbott.

Athletic’s 13-goal top scorer of last term in turn found Joe Colbeck near the penalty spot, but the former Bradford winger was stretching and his shot dribbled two feet wide.

A mass of further changes followed but there was little action of note.

A Tom Eaves shot was saved low down by Olejnik five minutes from time and Ferenc Fodor was booked in the final minute for a hack at bright former Boundary Park junior Kallum Higginbotham, who signed a two-year deal with the Bairns last month.