Dundalk endured a torrid afternoon at the Ryan McBride Brandywell on Sunday, slipping to a 1-0 defeat against Derry City.
The result ended the club’s nine-year unbeaten run at the ground and leaves the Lilywhites just two points above the relegation playoff spot.
Following the match, head coach Vinny Perth spoke to dundalkfc.com – here’s what he said:
On the penalty decision…
“People will maybe say that we had the rub of the green from referees over the years but that was such a tough call to take today. Jamie McGonigle kicked the ball off Andy Boyle’s hand from a yard-and-a-half away. That’s not a penalty. I don’t understand the logic of it.”
On the three injuries…
“They were a big blow. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a position where I’ve lost two players to injury before halftime. We won’t know the full extent until tomorrow but all three are significant, that’s for sure.”
David McMillan is attended to by physiotherapist Danny Miller after picking up a serious injury during the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match at Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in Derry. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
On David McMillan’s injury…
“That was just one of those things where two players went for the ball. It’s a bad bit of luck for David. I just hope he’s okay – because it looked serious.”
On the performance….
“We may not have done enough to win it today but we certainly didn’t do enough to lose it but we just have to take it. We had a difficult start to the game, which I expected. Derry got their dander up. They were a lot fresher than us and had a huge amount of time to prepare for the game but we got control of it and started to get into it and then the tackle on Patrick McEleney came in. It wasn’t a good tackle. It’s closer to a red card than a yellow and because the referee didn’t get in and sort the issue out, Dan Cleary was booked when people started to come in and push each other. Things like that went against us today.”
On bouncing back from the loss…
“We didn’t hammer the players, or anything like that, afterwards. We’ve had a difficult time recently playing Thursday, Sunday and it has caught up with us. The league is very competitive, you can win four in a row or lose four in a row. We have a bit of time to prepare for Drogheda United next week and that will help. There’ll be a freshness about us and one game a week will suit us.”
On the league position…
“It’s time we stood up and be counted. People have said we’ve steadied the ship but we haven’t played enough league games to do that – but I think we will. I’m confident of that.”
On seeing a nine-year unbeaten run in Derry come to an end…
“There’s a lot of stuff coming to an end and we have to turn that back in our favour and I think we will. We’ve got enough about us to do that.”
