Next season starts now, says Robertson
SLIGO Rovers manager Dave Robertson told his players that next season starts now, as they look to stake their claim as a “team to be reckoned with” for 2017.
Rovers surprised many with their 3- 0 victory over league leaders Dundalk on Saturday evening.
“It’s good to get three points on the board. We showed a real good defensive resilience tonight. We needed to throughout. We’ve come to the home of the champions and won 3- 0. In the last three games we’ve kept clean sheets, it’s a real positive that we’ve managed to make it four on the spin. Dundalk were the last team to score against us back on the 6th of September,” said Robertson.
He continued: “It shows you the run that we’re on and what we’re putting together. I asked the players to put the finer touches on their finishing and we’ve taken three goals very well this evening against a team that doesn’t really leak goals that often. I also challenged the players, I said that next season starts now. I think we’ve built something good here that I can we can develop further next year and I asked them to show that in 2017 we can be a team that can be reckoned with. I feel we’ve done that.”
Rovers had not scored since August prior to this game, and Robertson feels that his side proved they can score, with three excellently taken goals.
“They’re like buses aren’t they, they all come at once. That’s football. Sometimes it can be frustrating but you have to maintain the confidence and belief in the team and in the players. We have got goal- scorers in there. The goals we got tonight, particularly Roberts’ and Raff’s were excellent goals.
“Achille was magnificent, he’s gone and forced that Gary Rogers mistake and followed it up and scored. We played against Dundalk and scored three goals which is brilliant. I would argue a case that against Pats we probably created more opportunities. Sometimes you have to look at football a little and it will frustrate you and you will pull your hair out. The bottom line is I’ve got a real belief in this group of players and what they’re capable of.”
Goalkeeper Ciaran Nugent was challenged by his manager earlier in the season to keep as many clean sheets as possible, and Robertson says the American has risen to the challenge.
“He’s kept a clean sheet here tonight, in a game that they had the most amount of chances. Nuge showed his worth tonight, that’s four clean sheets on the bounce for him. I have to say he’s been different class. I can’t speak highly enough of him. I challenged him to keep as many clean sheets between now and the end of the season. Four on the bounce is a great start for any ‘ keeper.”
Negatives for the Bit o’Red on the night were a red card to Liam Martin, and injuries to John Russell and Achille Campion.
Despite being reduced to ten, Rovers organised themselves quickly enough to deal with it, although the manager agreed it was a harsh decision: “I felt it was harsh. I felt it was a yellow card. What can you do you just have to get on with it. Our players knew what they had to do when they went down to ten, they did it before.”
Robertson is also confident that both Campion and Russell will be fit for Friday night’s game against Longford: “He ( Campion) is slightly tight in his calf. I don’t think the surface helped that for him. It’s precautionary, he needs to be ready for the Longford game next week and I’m sure he will be. He’s assured me he will be. The same with Russell, he took a knock on his shin. We’re going to need Russell next week in our pursuit of picking up another three points.”
While Rovers have not been as productive against bottom teams as they have been against the top teams, Robertson says there is a solid foundation in place, on which they can build next season.
“I think it’s the quality and the style of play that we’re used to. The players are used to playing against top players, Dundalk are top players. Derry is a squad of top players, we have to find ways to win against those other teams. I’m happy with the progress we’ve made especially for our first season, it’s given us a brilliant foundation to build on.