Massey urges Dundalk teammates to bounce back from tough week
DUNDALK defender Dane Massey has called on his team-mates to bounce back from a hugely disappointing week for the club to ensure they finish the season on a high.
In the past few days Stephen Kenny’s side crashed out of Europe following an extra-time defeat away to Rosenborg before going down 1-0 to Shamrock Rovers at Oriel Park on Sunday.
It was Dundalk’s second defeat to Stephen Bradley’s men this season but Massey believes the champions must respond by going on the sort of run that followed their 2-1 defeat in Tallaght back at the start of May.
‘The last time Rovers beat us we went on an unbelievable run of wins so I think we’ve got to regroup and try to do the same again,’ he said.
‘We created very little tonight and I don’t think we deserved to win even. It was a poor goal to give away, through the centre of our defence. Overall it was very disappointing tonight.’
While Rovers had also been in European action during the week, Massey admitted the hangover had affected Dundalk more.
‘It looked like it on our part even though we had 24 hours more recovery. It was very disappointing.
‘They didn’t come here and play football. In the second half there they just played for fouls and tried to get it up the pitch as much as they could and tried to break up the play as much as they could which kind of killed it for us but we’ve got to overcome that if we want to challenge at the top.’
Asked was motivation diffi- cult to come by, the left back said there was still plenty for Dundalk to play for this season with fringe players battling to get into the side ahead of the forthcoming cup games away to Galway in the EA Sports Cup and at home to Derry City in the FAI Cup.
‘We can’t take second for granted even. There’s still two cups to play for and there’s still competition throughout the squad.
‘Players want to play every week. It’s hard for players who aren’t playing because they have all come from clubs where they have been playing so I’m sure the likes of Sean Hoare and Paddy Barrett will want to stay in the team.
‘Everyone is playing for a place in the team. We can’t take it for granted at all,’ he said.