Motherwell boss Craig Brown was happy with the 1-0 victory over Breidablik in the Europa League Second Qualifying Round First Leg.
A Ross Forbes goal just after the hour mark secured a tight victory for the Steelmen and Brown is confident that his side can finish the job in Iceland.
“I’d like to think I’m used to taking teams to Europe and getting results, and I hope that the emphasis I put on not conceding serves us well.” he said.
“I’m happy we didn’t concede. That is the most important thing in Europe and I now expect them to attack at home, and perhaps commit their fullbacks further forward. That will suit us fine with the pace of Chris Humphrey and Jamie Murphy to exploit their offensive play.
“We have been to difficult places. These lads have been to Glasgow to play the Old Firm and they have gone to Edinburgh for tough games there. These are places where you have to pull out all the stops, so we are used to difficult encounters.”
A significantly larger margin of victory would not have flattered the hosts and ‘Well will perhaps look back on a string of missed opportunities and half-chances ahead of the trip to Iceland.
Brown believes that the profligacy of his side had more to do with a lack of match sharpness, rather than any fault of his forwards.
“We missed a number of chances in the first half,” the manager admitted after the game. “But then again their coach will point out that they missed two good chances at the beginning of the second half.
“I think we could have been ahead earlier – certainly when you look at the number of good balls into the box we put in. Perhaps the sharpness in front of goal wasn’t there.
“This match will help the sharpness and help the fitness of the players. We’ve had three friendlies but we have to concede that competitive football is completely different in terms of the requirements.”
Despite being outplayed for much of the evening, Breidablik could have put a very different hue on the score-line had they taken their chances just after the break. One effort wide and a shot which hit the post illustrated the danger the Icelandic table-toppers pose – a fact Brown is aware of.
“I thought the opposition conducted themselves very well and played very well.” he added. “So all-in-all I think it was an excellent game for our lads to play in.”
The Motherwell boss was full of praise for Gary Smith who came on in the second half to make his senior debut. Brown believes the young striker has a big future ahead of him, along with a few others coming through the ranks at Fir Park.
“We brought on big Gary Smith, and it’s a tall order to come into a game like this, but he was the leading scorer in the U19s league last year and is one for the future.
“I thought he came on and looked comfortable and laid the ball on for others. We have young talents like him; Saunders and Hutchison on the bench ready to come in.”
