Tickets remain on sale for the 7pm kickoff in Tallaght Stadium. The match will be shown on LOITV
It was two more points dropped in Cork with a 1-1 draw after being ahead for the fourth game in a row. Is that trend beginning to really irritate you and the group?
“Yes, it is, because we’re not doing a lot wrong to be honest. Small margins are going against us at the moment. But that’s football, sometimes that happens. Sometimes over the course of a season things like this happen.”
Like many of the recent games, we’ve had enough chances to put the game against Cork out of sight. We need to really find a ruthless streak in front of goal.
“I said last week, and the week before and again, it was the same after the Cork game, we need to take our chances and then it’s a different game. As I said, a lot of what we’re doing is really good and just those small margins are going against us at the moment.”
Cork equalised with probably their only chance of the game. That gives them energy although we’ve still chances to win the game after their goal.
“We should be 3-0 up at half time. When it’s only 1-0, your opponent knows they just need something to fall their way and they’re back in the game. Cork kept fighting, they got that chance, it goes in and then they have something to fight for and hang on to. We still had chances to win. Victor Ozhianvuna was disappointed he didn’t score at the end and Graham Burke is disappointed he didn’t score with his chance earlier in the second half. So once it’s still 1-0, Cork are always in the game, and when they scored they had that something to hang onto.”
Sligo come to Tallaght tomorrow evening buoyed by a point against Drogheda having been 2-0 down and a recent 4-0 win over Waterford. Where do you see the dangers in this Sligo team?
“We’ve seen the last few weeks they’ve been scoring goals. They have good attacking players and like in any game in this league, if you’re not right, or at it 100%, then you’ll get punished. So we need to make sure we’re again focussed and give Sligo the respect they deserve.
The top of the table remains exceptionally close after 13 games. Does that make our run of form more frustrating or do we take heart that nobody is chasing down a league leader yet?
“You can look at it either way. As I said, throughout the course of the season, you’ll get spells like this and if you’re to say this is our little spell and when we are where we are, you’d be ok with that. We’re obviously frustrated we haven’t got more points but, as I said, that’s football and sometimes that happens. It’s just about Monday and doing all we can to get three points.”
Josh Honohan hobbled off in Cork. Is it too early to assess his damage and will any of Aaron McEneff, Danny Mandroiu, Dan Cleary, Dylan Watts or Gary O’Neill return for the Sligo game?“
We’ll assess them all over the weekend. Josh didn’t feel too bad after the game in Cork. So we’ll assess him this morning but I think Josh will be ok.”
