INSTITUTE: Deery frustrated after defeat at Holm Park

The former Derry City midfielder even admitted that it was the first time since he stopped playing that he wanted to get the boots back on, as he watched his side struggle at Holm Park.

“It was a frustrating game and it was one of those games that for the first time since I became a manager I was dying to get on the field, because I just wanted someone to get on the ball and get us going,” he stated.

“If I had have been anywhere near it, even six or seven players had have been anywhere near it, we would have won the game, but we weren’t and that’s the frustrating thing as I keep telling the players about consistency.”

Deery also conceded that he was worried going into the game that his players may not have been as focused and as up for the game, as they were for last Wednesday night’s JBE League Cup win at Crusaders.

“I did tell the players before the game that I would find out a lot more about them if they could go again,” he added.

“It’s easy to get up for a game against Crusaders and unfortunately I was proved right, because we just didn’t get going in what was a lesser atmosphere.

“Prior to kick-off we tried to highlight everything which might go wrong in the game and while we were comfortable enough at half-time where we were drawing 1-1, but the second half we were non-existent.

“We were giving balls away and were sloppy, it was like our recent performance at Limavady United where we were poor, so I was really angry because we prepared well going into the game.

“We prepared as best as we could, with the ice-baths and had a wee light session on the Friday night before the game, but the players just didn’t perform.

“There’s no point in me or the management team beating ourselves up, we did the best for the players, but they didn’t perform and that happens sometimes.”

Deery is also hoping that having conceded six goals in their last two outings his team will start to tighten up again, however he was quick to point out that in the league they haven’t been that bad.

“I think if you look at our league form most games we have only conceded one goal a game, apart from the first game of the season we conceded three at Harland & Wolff Welders in the space of ten minutes and Saturday was the second time that we have conceded three,” he said.

“So we aren’t conceding that many, I think prior to Saturday’s match we had the second or third best record in the league, but yes the goals we conceded at Armagh is something you would see at a very, very low standard and certainly not what I would associate my teams with, they were nonsense goals.

“But I keep saying it to myself that it was just one of those days and I firmly believe that if my team are at it, they will beat anyone in Championship One, but they really frustrated me on Saturday.”