Kee wants players to be more competitive

The Waterside man wasn’t happy with the side’s first half performance at Taylor’s Avenue, but despite starting the second half the stronger of the two sides, still conceded two goals in their 3-0 defeat.

“We aren’t playing with the desired level of confidence, we started off not too bad but then Carrick being the home side and the team who are top of the league started to force the issue and we kind of let them to be honest, we weren’t competitive enough, particularly in the front line, there was a lot of balls going forward and they were coming straight back.

“Because of that the back-four and the midfield was continuously worked and that meant they (Carrick Rangers) were having a lot of possession and kept the ball in our half and I don’t think we dealt with it enough, so at half-time we had a chat about it.

“In fairness after those words at half-time for the first 20 or 25 minutes of the second half we were excellent and I think if we had have scored then it would have been a different game but at the minute goals are hard to come by and that’s something we are going to have work on.

“I heard Carrick supporters behind me in the early stages of the second half saying that there side ‘hadn’t came out yet’ and if we score during that time it would have given us a wee bit of momentum and it would have given us certain confidence. But whenever we didn’t score and the longer the match went on the harder it became for the group of players and then when Carrick scored the second goal it really was a kick in the teeth for us.”

Kee is also worried that the club’s only natural striker at the club is youngster Joe McCready and unfortunately at the minute he can’t really buy a goal.

“At the end of the day there is only really young Joe as a striker in the squad, Declan Divin is playing up front but he’s more a midfield player and that’s it, I don’t think there is any other striker’s at the club, to be honest I haven’t seen that before.”

The Drumahoe man want the players to roll their sleeves up and be up for every game from the off, which he felt wasn’t the case on Saturday.

“What I notice about this league is that it’s very physical and very aggressive and I think you have to match teams in those departments and then you have to try and find something else to try and win the games.

“Now I was disappointed that we weren’t physical or aggressive enough in the first half on Saturday, because I feel there’s enough good players at the club. There’s enough players who have ability but we have to invest a wee bit more time on belief in themselves.

“Now I can encourage and promote so much, but they have to kind of meet me half-way and I’ll be happy enough if they do that. In fact I don’t mind getting beat if you give it a real good shot, peppering their goal and their keeper making a host of saves and you still lose, that’s fine and you can take it easy.

“But whenever you are beaten maybe by a lack of desire, which I think was the case in the first half at Carrick, now I don’t think it’s deliberate. I have seen this before, where the team is just flat and have lost their way a wee bit. Now I know people will be saying that is what a coach should be doing and that’s what I’m trying at the minute, but it’s easier said than done.”