Russell turns focus on Connacht derby after flat display
Ellis Chapman
Ed McGinty (Richard Brush 81), Charlie Wiggett (Wilson Waweru h-t), Ollie Denham, Nando Pijnaker
(Conor Reynolds 72), Reece Hutchinson, Niall Morahan, Connor Malley,
Ellis Chapman, Will Fitzgerald, Fabrice Hartmann (Stefan Radosavljevic 81), Max Mata (Rein Smit 60)
Subs not used: Kyle McDonagh, Daire Patton, Kailin Barlow, Owen Elding St Patrick’s Athletic: Danny Rogers, Luke Turner, Joe Redmond, Conor Keeley, Anto Breslin, Jamie Lennon, Aaron Bolger (Jason McClelland 90), Alex Nolan (Mason Melia 77), Kian Leavy (Chris Forrester 77), Jake Mulraney (Brandon Kavanagh 29), Ruairi Keating (Cian Kavanagh 90)
Subs not used: Marcelo Pitaluga (gk), Alfie Taylor, Arran Pettifer, Cian Kavanagh Referee: Paul Norton
Attendance: 3,825
The number of losses for Sligo Rovers after eight games of the 2024 Men’s Premier Division.
IT WAS difficult to turn this frown upside down. Sligo Rovers manager John Russell had just seen his side capitulate away to St Patrick’s Athletic and this 3-0 loss at Richmond Park, Inchicore, diluted some of the feelgood factor generated by recent encouraging results.
Rovers won 1-0 away to Waterford on Friday last and on Monday they were in Dublin for another tough fixture.
He stated: “We have had two away games [in four days] and it probably looked like we weren’t fresh for this game.
“We couldn’t get to second balls and we looked a bit ‘leggy’ and tired.
“It is difficult when you concede from two set plays away from home. We got done for the first one but then to give away a second goal, just before half-time, kind of killed us a little bit.
“I thought when we went with two up top for the second-half we were a bit more of a threat but the injuries killed the game and we just weren’t at the races.
“We just didn’t perform – in and out of possession. We looked off it. We knew that St Pat’s would be up for it in front of their home fans.”
He continued: “We will just have to dust ourselves down – St Pat’s were the better team. We’ll move on.
“At the end of the day we approached the game trying to win it.
“But if you don’t play well and you don’t perform to the levels that you are capable of doing – as well as giving away cheap goals – then you are not going to win games.”
Another blow were the second-half injuries sustained by centre-back Nando Pijnaker and goalkeeper Ed McGinty following an accidental collision between the teammates.
It is understood that Nando Pijnaker sustained broken ribs and Ed McGinty suffered a head injury as a result of the clash. “It was a nasty one,” commented Russell, who was speaking to LOITV, “we’ll just have to wait and see what the prognosis is.”
Rovers, ideally, wouldn’t have