"Football Can Change Quickly": Kilduff

Manager Ciaran Kilduff admitted his side received a "reality check" in Monday night's 4-0 defeat to St Patrick's Athletic, but insisted the squad must now regroup and focus on responding positively when they return to action on Friday against Shelbourne.

Reflecting on a difficult evening, Kilduff acknowledged the quality of the visitors and the challenge his team faced against a side currently enjoying an excellent run of form.

"It was a complete reality check for everyone at the club," he said. "You could see two teams at very different stages. St Patrick's Athletic are really motoring at this stage of the season and we looked a little bit fatigued and short of confidence."

The manager was honest in his assessment of the goals conceded, highlighting the need for improvement in dealing with set pieces and key moments.

""For the first 20 minutes I thought we were at it. The press was good and we were competitive, but we gave the ball away and they punished us. From there, we found it difficult. We have to own it. There is no point dressing it up. The players are trying their best, but at this moment we have to call it what it is. A free-kick, a corner and a quick throw-in all led to goals, and those are things we need to address."

Kilduff also pointed to the confidence and momentum that St Patrick's Athletic have built in recent weeks.

"They're in an excellent run of form and they played with a certain swagger. That's the level we want to get to, but on the night we struggled and it didn't improve as the game went on."

The Town boss admitted his side's confidence suffered as the game developed, something he was particularly disappointed with.

"When things started going against us, the composure went and the confidence dropped. The energy seemed to get sucked out of the place and we couldn't recover. That's probably the most disappointing aspect because we never really got going again."

With injuries and a stretched squad presenting challenges in recent weeks, Kilduff was keen not to use them as excuses, although he acknowledged the difficult circumstances facing some of the younger members of the team.

"Luke was thrown into a tough situation. He's only 18 and probably didn't get the protection around him that he deserved. But I'm not going to come out and focus on who was missing or what we didn't have. We still had more than enough on the pitch to show a better account of ourselves."

There was, however, some positive news on the injury front, with several players edging closer to a return.

"The likes of Harvey Warren are getting back fit, JR Wilson is making progress, and there are other players coming back into contention. Those are positives we can take."

Attention now quickly turns to Friday's fixture, with Kilduff believing the short turnaround could help his side put Monday night's disappointment behind them.

"The games come fast and I think that's a good thing. We have to address what happened, learn from it and move on quickly. Football can change very quickly."

While disappointed with the performance, the manager remains determined to ensure the team finishes the campaign on a positive note.

"We know we're not in a great place at the moment, and we can all see that we're flagging a little bit. But football is funny like that. Hopefully we can inject some energy back into the group, get some players back available, and still finish the season strongly."