Stute foursome back in squad as Linfield visit Riverside Stadium

The Waterside men who like the Blues have lost once this season, but Warren Feeney’s side are two points ahead of Stute.

Nevertheless boss Paul Kee has been happy with side’s start to their return to the big time.

Kee did admit that his side have had a good open week back in the Premiership.

The Waterside out-fit collected four points from a possible nine in their open set of games and Kee also felt three games in a week caught up with his players in the closing stages of Saturday’s game against Cliftonville.

“If someone had have said to me would you have taken four points from three games, you might have taken it,” he said.

“But we were a few minutes away from taking five points from three matches and that was disappointing.

“As I said the players put in a big effort, but to go so close and then lose to the way we did in the end it was disappointing.

“However I can’t fault the players effort, commitment and they put a good performance in for Institute Football Club and they should be proud of themselves, but we have to learn from our mistakes, which we will do.

“But we must dust ourselves down and then get back up and at it for Linfield this weekend.

“Linfield have that fighting spirit right to the last minute and we have to deal with that.

“They are a quality team and they have brought in a couple of players who are adapting to Irish League football, but they are at Linfield because they are quality players, but we just have to worry about what we have to do and that is by playing with a certain quality, certain belief.
“We try to get game ownership and get players on the ball, sometimes that might get people worried particularly when we are doing build up play for example, but we are going to try and keep trying to play.

“I want us to try and keep being brave on the ball and keep trying to do the right thing in games and I think that will stand us in good stead over the course of the season.”

Stute, just last weekend against Cliftonville, aren’t expected to get anything from their encounter against the Blues and Kee is happy with the underdog tag.

“When we play the top teams we aren’t expected to get any point so to run Cliftonville so close on Saturday was excellent, but we have to try and maintain our belief, improve our mentality as a group and improve our physicality and if we keep them three things in check, everything else will look after itself.”

The Drumahoe man also concedes this weekend he may have a few players returning to the squad.

Midfielder Michael McCrudden, Cormac Burke and Stephen O’Donnell could all be available and Mark Scoltock returns after he missed last weekend’s game, as he attended his brother’s wedding.

“Mark will be back, Stephen has come back to fitness, John Curran has now had a week of training and played two games, so he isn’t far away.”