New Swifts boss Lindsay targets speedy lift-off
NO-ONE for sure can answer if Kris Lindsay is a fan of 80s dance outfit Yazz and the Plastic Population but for the new Dungannon Swifts boss the only way is up.
Narrowly defeated by the odd goal in three on his managerial bow against old club, Glenavon, last week, he’s hoping to get up and running in a crucial clash with Warrenpoint Town today at Stangmore Park.
Even at this early stage of the season you can be excused for reaching for the ‘six-pointer’ cliche with the sides occupying the bottom two spots in the table.
But after a crazy few days last week following his appointment, Lindsay is glad to get a chance to start making his influence felt on his new team.
“It’s good to get onto the side of the pitch and try to make things happen with matches coming thick and fast,” he said.
“We need to start stringing a few victories together to move up that table and obviously Warrenpoint are down around us so we’ll look to get the three points and start the process of moving up the table.”
And he is confident of doing that with a team that he sees as going in one direction.
“I said to the boys in the changing room when I first took over that we’re not looking down because with the quality we have, we’re looking up,” he stressed.
“We have a lot of talented players, I thought Chris Hegarty and David Armstrong were outstanding (against Glenavon).
“They are experienced players, Hegs is only in his twenties but he has been about the league for years and there are players like that in the squad with lots of quality and lots of ability and it’s about me getting the best out of them.”
And that will also mean a change for him, although having been player-coach at Mourneview Park made the move to management a little easier.
“It was a bit more stressful than when you were just sitting on the bench but I really enjoyed it,” he said.
“I had only been with them for one training session so there’s plenty to work on. The boys put in a great shift for me, with no lack of quality at times.”