Post Match Reaction: Boss Tells Players 'Prove Your Worth'
Nairn County were knocked out of the Highland League Cup at the first round stage as league leaders Cove Rangers ran out 2-0 winners at Station Park thanks to two second half goals.
It was tough on Nairn who had been the better side throughout the first half and had almost double the amount of shots at goal as their visitors did during the match. But a perfectly-executed free kick from Paul Coutts and an injury time tap in from substitute Jamie Watt ensured it was the same two players who scored during Cove's 2-1 league win at Station Park in November who netted this time out as well.
"We looked a lot more like ourselves today though. We had a go and our passing and movement was good. We probably dominated for most of the game if the truth be known.
"We did have our chances. Scotty Graham had a chance early on that the goalie saved and Brian Macleod's shot was also saved but it just seems that nothing is going for us at the moment. We just need to keep battling and working away at it."
Fridge had Graham back in his starting line up after an injury lay off while Martin MacDonald also returned and Garry Black debuted.
The manager said: "It was good to have Scotty Graham back. He lasted 70-75 minutes because he was a bit tired after missing some training due to being out for three and a half weeks."
Nairn came close on several occasions to clawing the game back to 1-1 when they were one goal down with MacDonald, Gregg Main and Chris Finnigan all going close.
Fridge said: "We had a lot of chances overall in the game but when we went 1-0 down in the last 20 minutes we pushed three up front and had a go but we got caught a bit with the second goal which
The manager hinted last week that he was planning to rebuild the team again and outlined that from now until the end of the season he will be looking for his current squad to prove they are worth a jersey come the start of next season.
He said: "It has been an up and down season with the rut that we got ourselves into. We thought because of the way it had gone it was time to start looking and building towards next season."
He added: "We knew this season was going to be a bit of a transitional period for us. We lost players in the summer for once reason or another and we brought in other players but we do have a very young team. We have Gregg Main, Toshy (Wayne Mackintosh), Glenn Main's there and Marc MacDonald so we're trying to build on that but it will take time.
"It's the route we're finding that we have to go down now. You'll find that other teams round about us have done it. Clach, Forres and Buckie have done it and Inverurie are doing it now and we're not any different.
"I think that's the way football clubs go - in cycles every three or four years. It is something we have to look at now and we'll be looking at boys between now and the end of the season and saying 'prove your worth' and we'll take it from there."
Fridge added Forres defender Garry Black and Andrea Coletto from Nairn St Ninian to his squad recently and both have made their debuts over the last two weeks.
Fridge said: "I thought Garry Black had a good first start for us. He looked quite comfortable in midfield and he's an experienced boy who has been around the block. He can play in various positions and I thought he looked very good today. He's very good on the ball and has fitted in well.
"We've brought back Andrea Coletto who was at Nairn St Ninian for the last couple of season. That was mainly due to us losing Darren Jarvie as Andrea is also a left sided player. He's a player I have watched a couple of times and it was good to bring him in as well."
Fridge's men go from playing the league's top team to the bottom side as they entertain Fort William at Station Park in the Highland League on Wednesday night. Kick off 8 pm.
Fridge said: "If we can play with the same attitude as today and put in a similar performance then I would like to think we could get a result. But I still think there are no easy games in this league but we are looking forward to the game."