FULL POST-MATCH REACTION: The view of Dean Smith after Loughgall's 4-3 Premiership defeat to Carrick Rangers

On the match

"It was a bit of a crazy game from our point of view.

"We probably concede four goals that is very unlike Loughgall and it’s really disappointing.

"If you look at the game, it takes us 60 minutes to be us and even though we got back into the game a bit, I still don’t think we played to our strengths.

"Carrick have a very different way of playing to us and we probably got sucked into that a wee bit and fair play to Carrick.

“It probably takes us too long to find our identity again and come out and play football.”

On difference in performance against Carrick compared to against the likes of Coleraine and Glentoran at home

"We were well prepared and knew what was coming with the intensity they bring and their work-rate.

"I personally think, and this is no disrespect to Carrick whatsoever, but I think if we come here and play like we did against Coleraine, Glentoran and Larne then I don’t see why we can’t do it against Carrick Rangers.

"That’s our disappointment.”

On potentially having to adapt

"Not really because I don’t think we’re built to be anything different.

“You train twice a week with the boys and everything is ball-related.

"Yes, we do a lot of fitness work, but we train with the ball and I don’t think we should come here on a Saturday and tell them to launch it 90 yards up the field because it didn’t work.

"The physical side of the game we’re fine with.

"If we don’t win the physical battle at times I’m alright with that because we’re built to play a certain type of football and our style is possession-based.”

On disappointment in way they conceded the goals

"I’m really disappointed.

"We gave Carrick the chance to put balls in the box, we gave away stupid free-kicks and we kept playing to their strengths.

"They get a ball into the box for the first one, the other two are carbon copies and for us they are poor, poor goals.”

On impact of the substitutes with Andrew Hoey and Benji Magee scoring

"We’ve always got Benji in the back of our minds because he’s a game changer whether he starts or comes off the bench.

"Maybe today I’ve got to hold my hands up and say I’ve got it wrong because we started with two players who are similar up front in Nathaniel (Ferris) and Jay Boyd and it probably didn’t work.

"I have to hold my hands up and say I got that selection wrong and maybe we should have started Benji, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.”

On Benji Magee’s superb solo goal

"He’s done it more than once this year and his goal is as good as anything we’ve scored this year.

"He gets the ball out wide, beats Albert Watson twice, cuts inside and it’s a great finish.”

On potential to have broken into the top-six with a win

"We didn’t even mention it.

"Whether we won and got into the top-six or not, it was never even in our thought process.

"It’s about taking it one game at a time and it’s just disappointing that we didn’t get something from a game that we maybe should have nicked something from.

"Overall, it was just a poor day at the office.”

On looking to break into the top-six and progress

"Everybody wants to break into the top-six and we’re no different.

"We have our own goals and aspirations and sometimes you just have to accept that it was a bad day at the office.”

On reflections after playing every team in the league and first 11 matches

"It has been fantastic.

"We have 15 points and I just said to the players that we need to put this one to bed quickly because this is the first one in 11 that we’ve been off it.

"We just have to reset and get another 15 points from our next 11 games – that’s how we have to break it down.

"I’m just disappointed with today in terms of us.

"The league is getting better month on month, the crowds are getting bigger and the TV audiences are getting better, and I think we have to get the officials to come along with us.”