MANAGER'S VIEW: 'Humiliation and embarrassment' for Ruaidhri Higgins after Coleraine's loss at Dungannon Swifts
Ruaidhri Higgins says he felt ‘embarrassed’ by his side’s first half showing as they were beaten 3-1 by Dungannon Swifts at Stangmore Park.
A shell-shocked Coleraine conceded three times in the opening 45 minutes to leave empty-handed and this is what Higgins had to say at full-time.
DISAPPOINTED AT THE OUTCOME?
"I think humiliation and embarrassment at half-time is probably the two words that spring to mind.
"I've never been as gutted over 45 minutes of football since I've gone into management and it certainly won't be accepted.
"The most disappointing thing for me was that we've worked so hard over the last... since that Larne game really on the 2nd of January, we've worked so hard to put ourselves in a position where we can compete with the big guns, and we've served that up today.
"The first 45 minutes actually looked like an end-of-season game that meant nothing to us and that's hard to accept, and it's hard to stomach, and hard to comprehend.
"Ultimately, as a manager, I have to accept responsibility of the staff but I think today it's a real collective.
"We all have to accept it, take it on the chin, and the one thing in football is that you get an opportunity to bounce back, and we'll try and do that as best we can.
FOUR CHANGES AT HALF-TIME:
"If you make five and someone gets injured, then you're in trouble.
"So we made four, giving ourselves some breathing room.
“Aye, could have made more is the short answer.
FEELING IN THE CHANGING ROOM?
Everything. Every negative thought you can think of.
"Frustration, anger, embarrassment, humiliated...whatever you want to call it. It's just not acceptable.
"The quality of the player and the level of player that we have in the dressing room – it's not acceptable.