Dixie Robinson 'can't be too hard' on Dungannon Swifts stars after unbeaten Irish League run ended by Crusaders
Dungannon Swifts assistant manager Dixie Robinson admits he “can’t be too hard” on his players after their five-game unbeaten Premiership run was ended with a 2-0 defeat to Crusaders.
Goals from Finley Thorndike and Fraser Bryden in either half helped the Crues secure just their second home league win of the season.
The Swifts went unbeaten throughout December, winning four and drawing one of their five Premiership matches in that period to solidify their spot in the top-half.
Here’s what Robinson had to say after their Seaview setback.
THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH?
"I thought particularly in the first half, I thought we probably had five or six really good chances to score.
"The big man (Musa Dibaga) in nets pulled off a few good saves, we hit the post and we got punished at the other end.
"We felt at half-time, to be fair to Crusaders, I think they could have got a second one close to the end of the half. We were sort of happy then to get in at 1-0, thinking we can tweak things a bit and hopefully if we continue to play we would get more opportunities.
"But I don't think we reached the same levels in the second half, to be honest.
"We didn’t change much at half-time in terms of tactics, but just maybe hoped we would show a little bit more composure in the opposition box and maybe be a bit more clinical with the chances we had.
"I didn't think we created as much in the second half, but once you concede early in the second half, for it to go 2-0, it's an uphill task.
"To be fair to the lads, over the last five or six weeks they've done the business, they've accumulated 13 out of 15 points over December.
"We have a few tired bodies but so has everyone. We can't be too hard on them, it's a disappointing result but they've done really well in the past while.”
SHOULD YOU HAVE HAD A PENALTY (FOUL ON BRANDON BERMINGHAM)?
"We felt it was a stonewall penalty to be honest when Brandon gets the other side of the defender.
"If it's anywhere else on the pitch it's a free-kick, so we don't see why it wasn't a penalty.
"At 2-1 with 10 or 15 minutes to go, it probably gives us something to go for and maybe makes life a little bit more difficult for the Crues.”
MISSING KEY PLAYERS – RESULT OF BUSY PERIOD?
"Yeah, it is.
"We had Danny Wallace and Tom Maguire suspended as well today, but listen, we're no different than anybody else.
"Everybody's got their injury worries, that's part and parcel of the game.
"A young bench today which is exciting because we've three or four teenagers there. Eoghan Liggett came on towards the end at 17 and I thought for the 15 minutes he played he done really well.
"We're always hoping to bring good young players through at the club and that's what we're about.
"The kids train with the first team once a week. It's been really good for them and it's benefitting them all. We can see improvement and development all the time. Looking forward, we've still got plenty of talent coming through at the club.”