Allen up beat despite cup exit at the hands of ’Stute

In fact Allen was more annoyed that for a second time this season at Drumahoe, his side didn’t get started and in the end he concedes that poor start meant his side were always on the back foot and never recovered.

“In the North West Cup final we didn’t start well and were 2-0 down in the game but managed to come back, now we talked about it but we took too long to start again on Saturday,” he conceded.

“You can’t give teams like ’Stute a head start and expect to get away with it. We were forced to make changes through injury, there was nothing we could do about that.”

Allen also told his players and supporters that while the 4-0 defeat was disappointing they also have to be realistic, he felt there were positives particularly in the second half.

“Institute are a top team, they’re a Championship One side, we’re an Intermediate team, we’re going places, but we’re not where they are yet.

“There were positives in the second half, we wanted to go out and give a better performance for the fans that came and paid to watch us play, and I think we did that, but we were 45 minutes too late.”

The former Maiden City Academy coach knows his players will bounce back from the loss, as it’s something the club has always done.

“This club always bounces back, we have a history of bouncing back. We have a group of proud players that are hurting right now.

“This is a derby after all and we were heavily beaten, but we’ll bounce back, there’s no doubt about that.”