Avi Rikan, who scored the opening goal against Hapoel in the Derby said he was pleased with his performance on the night.
“I was very happy to have started so well, particularly as I have been out injured recently and wasn’t involved in play in the past month, but I was even happier in the way the game ended,” he said.
“Being honest, we could have been better on the night, but most important was that we won the Derby 3-0 and that we have kept our goalmouth tight shut for yet another game.”
The 3-0 win may not have reflected the course of play but Rikan said the win was nevertheless convincing.
“I think we were effective in our play, we weren’t sharp enough in our finishing in the first half when we had chances but towards the end they tired and we made some good substitutions which made the difference, although I do agree that this was not one of our best games this season,” he said.
“We are certain that we can play better than this but it would not be right to compare our form to last season, as we know that our opponents have prepared well to face us and we need to make appropriate adjustments. We did not play well today, although I can’t apologise after we won 3-0.”
The veteran said that he had recovered from an eye injury that had been a worry and he thanked family, friends and the club for their support.
He also said that he felt the coach had full confidence in each of the players and that even if they weren’t playing, there was always a moment when each of them would be needed to contribute and that they had to prove themselves worthy of their place in the side.
