We need a miracle if we are to catch Blues, says Crues ace Lowry
is a step too far, I don’t think that will happen anytime soon.
“I know there is a fear of losing European places and I can’t see that happening.
“Travelling doesn’t worry me personally, but Coleraine would be disadvantaged in terms of the distances covered for the games.”
Sports Minister Deirdre Hargey this week told the Belfast Telegraph that football in Northern Ireland will receive £36.2m of government money, as agreed five years ago, but there is no guarantee that the finance will go to the original designated areas.
Now that Stormont has returned, Hargey has confirmed that the £36.2m will be made available, revealing that she ordered a review into where it will end up — suggesting the Irish Football Association will play a key role in who gets what.
In November, Coleraine revealed their own ambitious plans to transform the club’s Showgrounds home.
The League Cup holders proposed to regenerate the pitch, grandstands and surrounding areas at the Ballycastle Road ground. Included in the proposals are a new 4G pitch and training facilities, as well as major work on a new clubhouse and stands.
The club says it hopes to install the artificial pitch in the summer ahead of the 2020/21 season.
McKendry believes the Irish FA must step up to the plate to ensure any additional funding goes where it’s needed.
“I think the distribution of the money will have to come through the Irish Football Association,” he added.
“In terms of delivery, we’ve seen a massive project at Windsor Park and it was dealt with very well by the IFA. Government support is vital and I believe the money will come.
“There will be a public consultation, but Coleraine, like other clubs, are in great need and we will state our case.
“As a parent association, the IFA would have a say in the grant distribution, and the Northern Ireland Football League board would need to be involved also as they are part of the football family.
“We are building a relationship with our local government, the Causeway Coast and Glens and hopefully we can establish a constructive working relationship.
“We are an ideal community hub and we can open our facilities to more than just the football community.”
It’s hoped that facilities will become more family friendly, no matter what time of the year we are watching matches.
MIDFIELDER Philip Lowry admits Crusaders’ title chances are now hanging by a thread.
The Shore Road team’s winless trauma continued on Tuesday night when they were held to a scoreless draw by rivals Cliftonville in a lifeless north Belfast derby at Seaview.
Stephen Baxter’s boys have reeled in merely one point from a possible nine in the Danske Bank Premiership campaign. They were also beaten by Coleraine in the League Cup final, while their interest in the Irish Cup went down the tubes when they controversially lost to Glentoran at the weekend.
It means there is every possibility of Crusaders missing out on a lucrative European football ticket this season. They currently trail table-topping Linfield by 10 points, with only eight games remaining.
“It’s a long way back for us at this stage,” admitted Lowry (below). “It will probably take a miracle for us to reel in the Blues.
“But we must keep believing. We’ve already seen the league leadership changing hands quite a few times. The top six teams will all take points off each other.
“If we can string a run of four or five games together, then who knows what can happen.
“To be honest, we were glad to see the end of February.
“We had a great January, not even conceding a goal. The gaffer (Stephen Baxter) and BJ (Billy Joe Burns) won the manager and players of the month — everything was going well.
“Two or three of our best players then all had a dip in form at the one time and we just lost our way a bit. Obviously there were a few contentious decisions which didn’t help either.
“We’ve a big squad, with plenty of old heads and experienced heads, so it’s up to us to rally the young ones and get a strong finish to the campaign and look ahead to next season.”
The Crues entertain basement side Institute at Seaview tomorrow and Lowry admits nothing other than three points will be acceptable.
“They are now all must win games for us — we can have no more slip-ups,” he added. “We face Institute, Glentoran and Carrick Rangers before we go into the split. We need nine points — bottom line.
“If we can put nine points on the board, we’ll then see where we are at.
“Again, we’ll take one game at a time. This league can be so unpredictable. No team has really put 10 or 15 wins on the spin. There is still hope for us, there is no doubt about that, but we need to get back to what we are good at.
“I know Institute are down at the bottom of the table, but they are fighting for their lives.
“It won’t be easy. We must show more creativity and quality in the final third if we are to get anything from the game.”
Lowry admitted even the midweek north Belfast derby, usually full of fire and passion, failed to ignite.
He went on: “It felt like a typical end of season affair. It certainly didn’t have the spice or rivalry of a derby. There wasn’t a bad tackle over the 90 minutes, which probably said it all.
“We are struggling with our confidence at the minute.
“That’s probably reflected the way we are attacking and defending... we are hesitant in everything we do. We got the point and a clean sheet, so we’ll move on to Saturday.”