'We need to put this right' - Derry boss Tiernan Lynch
Friday night’s defeat against Waterford was an unexpected setback for the new City boss and his players
St. Patrick’s Athletic vs. Derry City | Inchicore, Tonight, 7:45pm
Tiernan Lynch remains in no doubt that things will start to click sooner rather than later as Derry City head to St. Patrick’s Athletic tonight hoping to avoid a third defeat in four games.
Friday night’s 2-1 reverse against Waterford was an unexpected setback for the new City boss and his players and just increases the pressure a notch heading to Richmond Park. It has been a difficult start to life at the Brandywell for Lynch, but he is determined that the players he has at his disposal will show just what they are about soon enough.
“I keep saying this and this defeat is not going to change my mind,” he said after Friday’s defeat. “I work with these players every day and they’re a top bunch and you can’t ask for any more off them as far as their work ethic is concerned and their professionalism. I’m not going to sit here and say it will take time or this, that and the other. This wasn’t good enough on our part and we’ll take that on pour chin and we’ll move onto Monday night. There’s no hiding place, that’s me included, and we need that bouncebackability.”
After the victory over Bohemians a week earlier, the expectation was that City would build some momentum before their trip to Stephen Kenny’s championship hopefuls, but two first half goals from Waterford caused damage that the home side just could not respond to. In contrast, St. Pats’ recent difficulties were put to one side, just about, as they edged a seven-goal thriller at home to Sligo Rovers.
“We talked about it in the changing room after the game and there wasn’t a huge amount to be said – they knew,” Lynch continued. “They are a very honest bunch and they were hugely disappointed. We have to lick our wounds. It’s not something we’ll shy away from, we’ll look at the things we need to do better, and the things we didn’t do well enough and we’ll monitor them and we’ll assess them and we’ll move on from them.”
So far it is just one goa, from open play in three games, a problem which has carried on for Derry City from the end of last season. Lynch agrees that the mixture of new team mates may not have clicked just yet.
“I think there’s something in that,” he acknowledged. “The big thing is if you look at the chances we’re creating, we are creating the chances, we’re just not finishing them. We work very hard at that on a daily basis, and we’ll continue to work hard, and somewhere along the line, with the quality of player you have in that changing room, it has to click, so we have to just remain positive, remain together and keep working our way through this.”
Ronan Boyce missed Friday’s game against Waterford due to injury and he remains a doubt ahead of tonight’s game. Lynch otherwise has a full squad to choose from, with the manager himself also returning to the touchline after his one-game suspension for his recent red card against Bohemians.
Three weeks have passed since Lynch’s first competitive game in charge and his first game in Dublin against Shelbourne, and he is hopeful that the two other games since will stand his team in better stead ahead of a second trip south.
“I hope so,” he said. “I thought a win last week would have stood us in good stead going into this match. Waterford have to take credit because they had three chances and took two of them, while we had 15 shots and scored one, and that was probably the big difference after 90 plus minutes. But we have got to dust ourselves off, go down to Dublin and try and put this right.”