We just did not take our chances - manager

IT was a massive disappointment for us.

I can’t fault any of the boys for their efforts and I thought that we deserved something out of the game. The most disappointing thing about it all is that somebody who has been a consistent performer since I took over the job let everybody in the changing room down.

It was the massive turning point in the game and the 10 other boys and even himself up until that point, had worked their socks off.

At that point in the game, there was only one team in it. They had scored to make it 1-0 but that was against the run of play in my eyes. All the chances were from us and it’s just disappointing.

We didn’t take our chances but I’ll never blame a player for that. It’s the hardest part of football and everybody misses chances.

They had the better of the game for the first 20 or 25 minutes but after that, we were as good as them. I thought that we outplayed them in the second half and it’s just very disappointing. I’m more disappointed for the fans and for the players that worked so hard and deserved something from the game.

The ball into the box for their first goal could have been dealt with but there was only one player in the league that could have scored that goal and that’s Kevin Braniff. I’ve said from day one that he’s the closest thing I’ve seen to Glenn Ferguson and he is.

On Monday, he probably didn’t do much for 85 minutes but ends up with a great finish and that’s the type of player who is dying in the league. There aren’t many players left who could pop up with something like that.

There have been a lot of positives for us in the three games I’ve been in charge.

We said when I took over that the first four games were going to be very difficult. We probably looked at those games and said we could sneak a draw here and there. After the first game against Linfield though, I look at every game and hope to win every one because the lads gave me a lot of hope and a lot of things to look forward to.

We’re not conceding as many goals now either. It’s the top teams that we’re playing at the minute and we’ve got good performances from the players so it’s encouraging.