Kee expecting cup tie improvement

Kee believes last weekend’s lacklustre win over Kilroot Rec in the Intermediate Cup could be a blessing in disguise.

“We were a bit complacent against Kilroot Rec but I don’t think that will happen against Donegal Celtic, because it will be like a cup final for us,” insisted the Drumahoe man.

“The oppositions will have to come and take the game to us because they are the Premier League team and they’re expected to win, but that will suit us.

“They will be direct and we’ll have to be on our game and because of that everybodys intensity I will say will lift about 10 or 20 per cent for the tie.”

The Northern Ireland Under 17 boss also feels that some work on the training pitch with the attack minded players needs to happen as they aren’t turning all the possession into either goals or chances.

“We are going to have to obviously address the last third of the pitch stuff at training this week, because even up until Christmas we haven’t been prolific in the final third.

“Even the Craig Memorial Cup final on Boxing Day at Tobermore, we went 1-0 up but they equalised late on and that probably could have happened again last Saturday, so it’s a problem we have to address, because most of the games we have been pretty solid at the back, but we are only winning 1-0 in matches.

“There is definitely room for improvement particularly in the final third of the pitch.

“As I have already said next week’s match will take care of itself but if I’m to be honest in the next couple of weeks training programme I’m going to have to look at our final pass and movement in the final third, because teams coming up against us all season have put up two banks of four and made it hard for us to get in behind them.”

Midfielder Thomas McBride maybe available after he trained this week, while new signing Darren McCauley could make his debut, after he signed on loan from Coleraine on Thursday night, however Neil Harkin misses out again through suspension.