Barr: "We dug in"

11.02.2013

Darren Barr has praised his teammates' battling qualities as ten man Hearts succumbed to a 3-1 defeat to Dundee United on Saturday.

It was a day when nothing went right at all for John McGlynn's men as they lost a goal, the captain and the services of Ryan Stevenson all in the space of the opening 25 minutes. However, the Jambos showed resilience to claw their way back into the game.

Speaking to the press after the match, Darren said: "We dug in there. The goals killed us at certain times but we dug in. We knew we would have to sit in until we got a wee break so we could kick on.

"But they're a good side and they play good football. They keep the ball well but at the same time it was a shame that we just couldn't get that next goal.

"You need to have belief in your ability and the boys have been doing well and playing some good football. But at the end of the day we need to get some results, that's what we need to start to doing."

The talking point for many was the first half dismissal of Stevenson following a challenge on Gary Mackay-Steven. While Darren was unsure what to make of the decision, he was of no doubt that his teammate did not set out to act recklessly.

"See, the way football is at the moment, boys are committed and going into challenges," he stated. "You want to win the ball. He's not going in there to hurt him, there's no malice in that.

"It's one of those things. I'd need to see it again. To me it did look a bit harsh but it's one of those things where referee's are going to get bashed as well if they're not seen to be doing anything about it. Maybe they need to just take a step back from it, see how it pans out and how the other player was, but it's hard.

"It's killed us a bit today but we just need to get on with it now. There's got to be a bit of common sense prevailing in the game. I don't think Ryan's got that in him to do that to the boy. It's hard not to be committed. If you pull out of a challenge then it's not going to look good on yourself."

Despite lady luck deserting the Jambos, Darren and co dragged themselves back into the game with Michael Ngoo's second half strike, which halved the deficit. With three goals in four games, the big striker has impressed fans and players alike.

"Michael's made a massive impact," he said. "He's a good player. He hit the bar in the first half and again in the second half, then he scored and that's with ten men.

"He's a handful, I even find that in training, just trying to get round his arms at times is torture!

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