MANAGER'S VERDICT: Stephen Baxter admits Carrick Rangers will need 'courage, calmness and quality' in their Premiership 'dogfight'
Carrick Rangers boss Stephen Baxter admits his side are in a “dogfight” after their 3-1 league defeat to Dungannon Swifts on Saturday.
The ‘Gers currently sit eleventh, 11 points behind closest rivals Ballymena United, and haven’t picked up a Premiership win since November 30 – a run spanning 10 games.
Here’s what Baxter had to say after the match, where Andrew Mitchell, Leo Alves and Adam Glenny scored for Dungannon while Paul Heatley netted for the visitors.
THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH?
"The first 20 or 25 minutes of the match I thought Dungannon were excellent, passed the ball with great quality, got in behind us too easily, we dilly-dallied on the ball and allowed them to come onto us far too easily, which got them the opening goal.
"Joe (Crowe) dilly-dallied on the ball, got caught, they were straight through the middle and the overloads were evident.
"We had to change our shape to stop that flow and we did. For 15 or 20 minutes we settled into the game and in the second half we were very, very good.
"We scored our goal, had them under constant pressure, but the damage was done. When you’re 3-0 down at half-time it’s an uphill task.”
HOW FRUSTRATING THAT CARRICK ONLY SHOWED THEIR BEST AT 3-0 DOWN?
"It’s very frustrating because you shouldn’t need to wait to go 3-0 down to have a go at it.
"We talked about what we wanted to try and do in this game, which is what we did in the second half, but in the first half we didn’t do any of it and got dragged into playing a game the way they wanted to play it.
"Ultimately that wasn’t the way to play from our side of things. A couple of slick passes, slick moves and they scored the goals...that’s good from them and they’ll be very pleased with that.
"I said at half-time to our team that we had to show character, fight and belief, forget about the score and told them to go out and win the second half, and they did that.
"Ultimately that’s only pride you’re playing for – you’ve lost the football match. They showed a bit of character and resilience.”
HAPPY WITH THE SECOND HALF SHOWING?
"It was really, really good and we were camped in their half looking for a second and third goal, but we just ran out of time.
"You can talk all you want about that, it was 3-1 and the result is in their favour.
"I thought in that 20 or 25 minute spell Dungannon were very good.”
THINKING BEHIND MAKING SEVEN CHANGES FROM CLIFTONVILLE DEFEAT?
"You’d a lot of key players returning – Joe Crowe, Seanan Clucas and Paul Heatley would play in any Irish League team.
"We had to freshen up the legs...Cliftonville did that against us on Wednesday night and it worked very well for them.
"Those are things you do and with the games you have to utilise your squad and do what you think is the right thing.”
GREAT TO HAVE SENIOR PLAYERS BACK WHO CAN HOPEFULLY MAKE AN IMPACT?
"I hope so. We’re in a dogfight right now and it’s going to take a lot of courage, calmness and quality.
"We’ll see how that all unfolds.”
IMPACT OF DANNY GIBSON OFF BENCH – KEY PLAYER IN COMING WEEKS?
"He’s been going through a barren spell and foraging up there on his own a bit.
"He has had a heavy run of games and it was time to give him a bit of a rest and he responded well with his second half performance.”