Hat-trick hero Jay Boyd needs to play with less pressure on his shoulders, says Crusaders boss Declan Caddell
Crusaders chief Declan Caddell believes Jay Boyd needs to play with less pressure on his shoulders after netting a hat-trick to see off Coleraine at Seaview.
The men from the Shore Road inflicted a fifth straight win over the Bannsiders this season as Boyd made it a day to remember as Crusaders moved up to fifth in the table.
The hosts wasted no time in taking the lead as Boyd shrugged off the attentions of Charles Dunne to bag the opener with just 27 seconds on the clock.
In truth, Coleraine had several big chances to level at the break but they weren’t clinical in front of goal, unlike Boyd, who added his second with a well-executed finish just before the hour mark.
At the death, Crusaders were awarded a spot-kick after Josh O’Connor was adjudged to have been brought down inside the area and there would be no doubts as to who would take the penalty as Boyd completed his hat-trick.
The 22-year-old started the season on loan at Loughgall but has since returned to his boyhood club and Caddell wants his target man to play with a bit more freedom.
He said: "Since he's come back and we know his capabilities in terms of who he is and what he can do...he was a big goalscorer for the reserves and I had a chat with him last week about having a bit of pressure on his shoulders since returning, which it shouldn't be.
"It's obviously his boyhood club, he's a Crusaders and his family are fans...but it just seemed he had that bit of pressure.
"When I told him he was starting today, I told him to relax and enjoy it.
"Jay works hard for you, there's no doubting that, it's just doing the basics well and putting the ball between the sticks, which he did today.
"He was clinical with his first two chances and other coaches were talking about taking him off, but I said no in case he got a third, and thankfully he did.
"There's a big difference between scoring two and getting a hat-trick and being able to go home with the match ball.
"The decision was to keep him on in the hope of getting that opportunity and obviously we had fresh legs with Josh O'Connor, who had that little bit of magic to win the penalty.”
Coleraine hit the crossbar in the first-half through Matthew Shevlin’s header, whilst Rhyss Campbell and Declan McManus also had sights of goal for the visitors.
However, Caddell believes his team were guilty of giving away possession cheaply for Coleraine’s opportunities.
"I think Coleraine's big chances were from a loose pass by Jordan Forsythe which allowed them to go through one-on-one and the second one was a lapse moment from Johnny Tuffey which allowed them in,” he explained.
"They had a couple of half chances thereafter but no real clear-cut ones.
"I can't remember Tuffey having a meaningful save to make in the first-half.
"To be fair, they had plenty of possession without really hurting us.
"Obviously they had to change shape to get something but I thought we were clinical today and it's something we haven't been lately."