Cork City manager Frank Kelleher: We’ve got to give the players time
‘There is a huge amount of improvement. The character is better, but the football we play is much, much better now’
Cork City manager Frank Kelleher said he was ‘hugely disappointed’ after his side fell short in their bid to claim a share of the spoils against Shamrock Rovers in the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division on Saturday evening.
Following a 13th-minute opener from former Republic of Ireland international Aine O’Gorman – a rebounded finish after an Emily Corbet effort had taken a wicked deflection off a City defender – Joy Ralph also found the range to ensure Rovers brought a 2-0 cushion into the interval.
Yet City were much improved in the second half and gave themselves a lifeline when Eva Mangan rattled the opposition net on 76 minutes.
City ultimately suffered a 2-1 reversal in the end and given how well he believes his troops performed upon the resumption, Kelleher was frustrated to come away empty-handed from the Dublin venue.
“I’m hugely disappointed that we didn’t get a draw here today because the second half we dominated for 45 minutes.
“Simple as that.
“What we wanted to do, we changed the formation at half-time because they were getting too much control in the middle.
“We made a few tactical changes, it worked away. I’m hugely disappointed with that result,” Kelleher explained in the aftermath of Saturday’s game.
“That [O’Gorman’s opener] is a deflected goal. It was an aimless shot, a deflective goal and it goes in. The offside up in Limerick.
“I could go on and on and on. There’s three or four. One of the great things today, we didn’t concede from a corner.
“That’s a huge positive for me, we’ve corrected that again today.”
Despite picking up just one point from their last six league games, Kelleher, who returned for a second spell as City boss in early January, is confident his side are beginning to make significant progress.
The Leesiders will switch their focus to the Women’s FAI Cup and a first-round bout with Peamount United at Turner’s Cross this Saturday.
Ninth-place City will be looking to add to their current points of tally of seven when they subsequently return to Premier Division action against Munster rivals Waterford on July 12.
“There is a huge amount of improvement in this team. The character is better, but the football we play is much, much better now.
“It has taken me six months to get to this stage,” Kelleher added.
“I’m in late in the pre-season, I lose 11 players. What do people expect?
“It takes time and it takes players playing to a system that they’re now very familiar with it. They know their roles and responsibilities.
“You’ve got to give them time, but now it’s inches rather than miles.”