Oran Kearney plans break to help ease Coleraine players’ pain on and off the pitch

The 2-0 loss to Linfield on Saturday marked a second league defeat in five days for last season’s runners-up and third game overall in seven.

The loss of key striker Eoin Bradley to injury served to add to the week’s woes for Kearney and, with a blank date due to the postponement of the game next Saturday against Carrick Rangers, the Bannsiders boss is keen to take advantage of the sudden space in the schedule.

“I think it’s fair to say it’s probably a blessing (a free weekend), with the volume of work the players have had,” said Kearney on the club’s official social media platforms. “We’ll probably take Tuesday night off, I don’t think there’s anything to be gained this Tuesday with the game off next Saturday and amount of miles covered the last seven days, it could be dangerous to come in and have a heavier session.

“So for mind and body we’ll take Tuesday night off then go Thursday, Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday to hopefully leave us sharpened up for Larne next.

“It’s part and parcel of football, I’ve had the opposite as well when you’ve had all 20, 21 men fit and you’re having to upset three people every week by not naming them in the 18.

“It’s nice when it’s like and probably we had that for a big part of last season.

“Where we are at the minute is slightly different but it is what it is, there a couple of suspensions I suppose you could say are self-inflicted and the other injuries are freakish, not muscular from over-training but impact or hits you just can’t legislate for.

“It’s been a tough time for Eoin Bradley being out with suspension and it’s been good having him back in, so we will monitor that over the weekend.”

Goals by Andy Waterworth and Jordan Stewart left league leaders Linfield flying high in Coleraine on Saturday.

“It’s disappointing as we felt the way we set up and the way the game went we possibly had a good opportunity of getting something,” said Kearney. “But when you look at the two goals, they are two poor goals.

“It’s frustrating from that point of view so unless we eradicate that it makes it tough to pick up points in this league.

“There’s no getting away from it, it was our third game in a week, we are carrying bodies at this moment in time and we’re missing seven or eight constantly over those first games of the season.

“That’s fine when you go Saturday to Saturday but when you add in that midweek game into it as well it makes today even tougher, particularly when Linfield’s game with Glentoran is called off (on Tuesday)...they come here with a freshness.

“With that in mind, today’s when you need to go ahead or have that spark of adrenalin.

“Going 1-0 down is bad enough, I thought we had a couple of good chances at the start of the second half.

“If we take one of those chances then, all of a sudden, it lifts the ground, it lifts the players and tired limbs don’t feel as tired.

“We lacked that spark today, that little bit of luck you sometimes need to go your way.”

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