POSITIVE COLLY DETERMINED TO REBUILD VILLAGERS

Rookie boss looks to future and can’t wait for poor season to end

SEAPATRICK boss Colly Martin admits he can’t wait for a frustrating season to come to an end.

The Banbridge outfit slumped to a fourth defeat on the spin on Saturday – a run which has seen them ship 17 goals in the process.

They’re sitting second bottom of the table but basement side Broomhedge Maghaberry have nine games in hand on them.

Fifteen defeats from Seapatrick’s 22 league matches thus far tell their own story – as does the 72 goals let in.

But with just two more league fixtures to fulfil, the suffering will soon be over.

And Martin, above, who took over in December with the team on its knees, insists the future is bright despite appearances.

He told Match on Tuesday: “We’re at a point where we are looking forward to getting the season over with so we can regroup.

“I came in halfway through the season so didn’t have a pre-season with the players and didn’t know what we had and didn’t have.

“The aim is to take stock of what we have and try and re-energise the playing squad over the close season.

“The type of work I want to do here can’t be done in the space of a few weeks, it will take time.

“The good thing is we have only got another couple of games to play so we will finish early and the players will get a good break.

“The plan is to try and recruit the right profile of player and get a good run at it next season.

“It’s actually an exciting time because I feel if we can get the targets I want in then we’ll be a much stronger force next season.

“Seapatrick is a great club – the chairman, committee and players have all been great since I’ve been in charge.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to build a team here which can represent the club with pride, enthusiasm and energy.”

Saturday saw Seapatrick, below, once again give their all for long periods of a game without getting their reward.

They led Lower Maze approaching halftime with goals from Stefan Donaghy and Stephen Mcgrath.

But an equaliser on the blow for the break, coupled with an early strike to turn the game on its end almost as soon as the second half kicked off, left Martin pulling his hair out.

Even a spectacular overhead kick by Mark Douglas to reduce the arrears to 5-3 late on was little more than an attractive consolation.

“The final scoreline of 5-3 was probably fair enough in the end,” he conceded.

“I thought we were the better team in the first half and created the better chances.

“They scored to make it 2-2 at the end of the first half and went in front very shortly after the restart. The timing of those goals really hurt us and our heads dropped because of the sucker punch. Luck definitely hasn’t been with us this season.

“On Saturday we had a lot of players missing – I could probably count 11 who weren’t available for various reasons and six or seven of those are defenders.”

He added: “We have a short break now before the final two games of the season against Broomhedge and Lurgan Town.

“That gives us a chance to catch our breath and work on a few things in training.

“Lurgan scored their winner against us earlier in the season late in the game so it would be good to get some payback for that one.

“And the Broomhedge game is definitely one we have to be looking at to win as well.

“So hopefully we can finish the season with two wins and that will set us up well for next season.”