INSTITUTE: Two in, two out

Institute manager Kevin Deery admits he would take a poor display, if it could guarantee his side three points at Ards this Saturday (KO 3pm).
Can free scoring Gareth Brown be Institutes Mr Clinical when they travel to high flying Ards, this Saturday?Can free scoring Gareth Brown be Institutes Mr Clinical when they travel to high flying Ards, this Saturday?
Can free scoring Gareth Brown be Institutes Mr Clinical when they travel to high flying Ards, this Saturday?

Although it isn’t time to start panicking but with three teams relegated automatically and one other team in a relegation/promotion play-off the Drumahoe club really need to start getting points on the board.

The Waterside men, who suffered their sixth league defeat of the season at Bangor last weekend, sit three points behind fourth from bottom side Ballyclare Comrades, but Deery believes in his young squad.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I would take a disappointing performance or a grinding out display on Saturday at Ards and come away with three points,” admitted Deery.

Niall Currie’s side, who currently sit a point behind leaders H&W Welders, had an impressive 6-1 win at third placed Larne last weekend, so Deery knows his team are in for a tough game.

“It’s a tough game for us, but I’m backing my players again.

“Maybe this time we might be the team up against it but nick the result, which teams have done to us.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Although it’s his first year in senior management the 30-year-old has been in the game long enough and believes if his side can get the first goal then their luck might change.

“I have said it before that there isn’t a lot of difference from all the teams in the division and I think if we get our noses in front it will help our young sides confidence,” he added.

“I’m not being naïve or foolish but we haven’t been up against it in any of the league games which we have lost, I hate saying it but we have been the better team and the performances have been there, but it’s about time now that the boys start to be more clinical and start scoring goals, as we need to score goals.

“This last month we have managed to score goals but they have come in cup competitions and we need to start scoring more in the league.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We definitely aren’t getting the goals ratio for the chances we are creating so as I said we need to be a bit more clinical and it’s something we have to work on.”

Going into the game at Clandeboye Park, Stute will be without striker’s Garbhan Friel and Robbie Hume, but in-form Gareth Brown returns from suspension and Declan McKeever is available for selection and Deery wants his young squad to keep the faith in what they are doing.

“Gareth Brown comes into the equation again and he has been on a good run of form himself, I think he has scored four in four, so maybe if we continue to create chances he might be able to take some of them,” he said.

“I think apart from Mark Scoltock our squad which played Bangor was very young, our average age was early 20’s or late teens and because of that they start to get anxious when they don’t score when they are on top.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“But we must keep believing and I certainly don’t believe that we are a million miles away from it changing, we just have to keep working hard.

“We’ll have to keep digging in and fighting for each other, because Ards are a good side, they are second in the table, but when we create our own chances we need to be clinical and then kick-on and see out games.”

Related topics: