Gavin Cooney

STEPHEN KENNY SAID his St Patrick’s Athletic side are paying the price for errant finishing as their poor form was extended with a goalless draw away to Cork City. 

The game marks City’s first clean sheet of the season in what was their 22nd game, and it means that Pat’s have taken only one point from their last four games and have slipped to sixth in the league, fully 17 points behind leaders Shamrock Rovers. 

“It was probably fair overall”, said Kenny post-game.

“In the first half some of our play was very good, our possession play, I thought Jason MccLelland was probably the most influential player on the pitch from left-back. Incredible range of passing, really got us playing. Cork were still dangerous on the counter attack, but we had a lot of the play. Zach Elbouzedi had two great chances, Mason[ Melia] had two headers, one was a good chance to be honest. 

“We had a lot of play, that final bit wasn’t to the level it needed to be, but we need to take the lead. We actually didn’t play as well in the first-half earlier in the season here, when we won 2-0, we didn’t play all that great and we went in at half-time 2-0 up. Chris Forrester and Brandon Kavanagh pulled goals out, we didn’t play all that great, but we are two up and it’s a different game. 

“Not taking the lead is hurting us. Cork came at us in the second half, three forwards, into the Shed End, free kicks and corner kicks, not really clear-cut chances, but still very dangerous. We didn’t do enough to win it, I didn’t feel. We misplaced passes second half, we actually caused some of our problems. We didn’t create enough in the second half.

“The game the other night against Derry, we dominated start to finish and played really well in, probably our best performance in weeks, I don’t know why we’re not scoring at the moment. We are just missing our opportunities, maybe snatching at chances at the moment.  

“It wasn’t a game of a lot of chances. It was important we didn’t lose the game, we probably didn’t do enough in the second half to win it but we should have went in in front. 

“It has been a poor two weeks for us. We have gone from having an unbeaten home record for a full year to losing two 1-0s, with one shot each, Shels and Derry. Missed a penalty to take the lead against Drogheda, so it sort of stemmed from that. Momentum can take you up, like Derry winning their two games 1-0, but it’s probably have a negative effect with us, in that we haven’t capitalised on the opportunities.

“We have gone from being last year’s goalscorers, and even if we haven’t been firing on all cylinders at times this season, we were still been first or second top scorers, until this period. Scoring goals hadn’t been an issue for us, but it has been for the last couple of weeks, it has hurt us and moved us right down the table. We have to regroup and get back to wining ways.”

Kenny says Pat’s will not make any “kneejerk decisions” in the transfer market, though admits his side are missing the influence of injured midfielder Romal Palmer.

City boss Ger Nash, meanwhile, is open about the scale of change ahead for Cork City in July, with defenders Rory Feely and Fiacre Kelleher along with Aston Villa attacker Charlie Lutz confirmed signings and eligible to play from 1 July. There will be outgoings too, though Nash declined to specify who would leave. He declined to comment specifically on Tein Troost, the on-loan Dutch goalkeeper who has been linked with an imminent exit according to reports in the Netherlands.

“We are pleased with the performance, we are pleased with the clean sheet”, said Nash. 

“It was really important that we played with passion and made ourselves harder to beat. We were pretty good value for it, we limited them to very few clear cut chances, and while I am not saying we were brilliant, we created the best one or two chances in the game. I am pleased with the point, but disappointed not to get three.” 

The best chance of the game fell to Kitt Nelson in the box just before half time, but he blazed over having been teed up by Sean Maguire. Nelson today confirmed he had extended his loan spell from Preston through to the end of the season. 

“It’s a big moment, but it’s football, it happens”, said Nash. “It’s a big moment in the game, but I am pleased Kitt Nelson decided to stay here. It says a hell of a lot about him and a hell of a lot about us and what we want to do. Happening people like him opt-in is incredible and in my experience that is not always the case. He will score goals this season.

“There’s going to be some changes. We have brought some players in, some players will leave.It will all come out in the next couple of days. Some players will leave the club and we will wish them well, and some players will join the club.

“On the other side of it, by the middle of July I’ll have people who are desperate to be here, that’s really important when you’re a football manager when you look around the dressing room.

“The players who will leave I have been very pleased with, they have been great, but I need players who are here for the fight. The staff are up for the fight, the dressing room needs to be up for the fight. We are fighting for this football club and that’s really important to me.” 

Asked whether he felt some of the players he inherited had not given him the impression they wished to be at the club, Nash declined to comment.

“We are fighting, you could see that tonight. ”