Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
IT’S TERM GAINS Breda boss Mcilwrath has his boys playing out from the back and points are a net result
NEW Knockbreda boss Colin Mcilwrath is used to winning with Linfield’s youth teams but has already stamped this onto the Championship outfit.
Mcilwrath took over a side with just six points from 15 league games and without a win in 14 outings, but Saturday’s 3-2 victory at H&W Welders was their third in four matches.
His successes came in youth football at Windsor Park and also took Suffolk from the Lisburn League up to Intermediate level, but has now been elevated to the Championship – and has hit the ground running!
“At Linfield it was a different job because this is a team and a club used to winning repeatedly, I just had to shape that my way,” Mcilwrath told Match On Tuesday.
“Coming into Knockbreda was totally the other end of the scale and we had a choice of cutting corners and putting points on the board by compromising our coaching approach, or to stick to our beliefs.
“Now there are things which are totally different for the players – I am telling my goalkeeper and defenders to play out from the back and not to launch it long and that isn’t what they are used to.
“To see a transformation within weeks was incredible and there are players who had missed the opening day win at Ballinamallard – so had been at the club for 14 weeks and not won a game.
“Now the players are going onto the pitch and thinking they can win today, which is a massive issue, and when you have the players buying into your approach wholly – it makes all the difference.
“A lot of teams are just expecting us to hit the front man straight away – on Saturday it was 87 minutes before our goalkeeper kicked a long ball and that’s a massive step for a side who went long always before.”
Mcilwrath has swiftly implemented his new ideals on Knockbreda but he explains playing out from the back is a logical – if bold – move for such a young team.
“The board of this club deserve a lot of credit for the approach they’ve taken,” he added.
“This season they were focusing on younger players and development, then taking me on board – it’s a gamble on a first-time manager at this level.
“They knew my style and what I would bring to the club for training, tactics and approach - the club bought into me so now it’s up to me for the players to come on board fully.
“Almost all of our players are aged between 20 and 24 so there is a lot of movement and energy, but all these guys are keen for playing good football too.
“The results are coming our way pretty much straight away – there is a chance for us to get out of the relegation zone before Christmas, which seemed implausible just a few weeks ago.”
The s i d e
East
Belfast triumphed in Saturday’s short trip to Tillysburn Park against a Welders side under the management again of the returning Gary
Smyth, while they have now netted
10 times in their last four outings.
“We were the better side,” Mcilwrath said.
“We missed a penalty and missed oneon-ones with the goalkeeper, but from