Dundalk FC :: News

29 MARCH 2008: POST MATCH REACTION // JOHN GILL

With the weekend games now over, Dundalk’s win over Wexford Youths at Oriel Park on Thursday night has given the Lilywhites a two-point cushion at the top of the First Division table, as they prepare for two tough games in the next fortnight against Sporting Fingal (away) and Waterford United (home). A double strike in the opening period proved enough for victory despite a second-half fight-back from the visitors, and, afterwards, home manager John Gill admitted that he was pleased with the result, if not the performance.

“I’m happy with the result,” Gill told dundalkfc.com, “but I thought we made hard work of it. I thought we should have been out of sight at half-time. We started off very edgy in the first ten minutes, and then I thought after that, we controlled the game, and we should have probably been three if not four up. A 2-0 lead is always a difficult one to defend, because if you give them a sniff, they get back into the game.

“The guy that scored the goal, Aidan Lynch would have actually been picking him up from a set-piece, but Aidan was obviously off the field at the time. We lost our way a little bit after that, our defensive shape, but I thought we dug in and we still should have killed the game off.

But three games in six days is a big ask. I know we made a lot of changes, but a number of those players played on Tuesday, so we looked a little bit jaded. We looked a little bit tired, both mentally and physically, in the second-half, but in saying that, three wins in six days is a great achievement, and full credit to the players.
“It’s very early doors yet, but you’re trying to put psychological pressure on the teams behind you. I know there’s only four games gone, but ten points out of twelve is an excellent start. Wexford are a difficult side; they beat Cobh on Tuesday, so they’re improving every time we play them. Again, we showed great patience tonight. I remember here last year, there was 66 minutes gone before we scored, and then we got three more.
“I said to the players tonight that it was about patience and concentration, and I thought we did that very, very well in the first-half. We were keeping the ball very well, we weren’t trying to force things, and we opened them up a few times, and as I said to you, we probably should have killed them off. But full credit to Wexford; they never do give up, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from a Mick Wallace side. They had a right go in the second-half, and there was a few hairy moments there, but in saying that, on the night, I think the better team won.”