Bannsiders boss challenges his side to cut out the soft goals

The Bannsiders have shipped quite a few goals from set pieces this season.

And it proved to be the case again on Saturday as Aaron Burns and Mark Haughey both evaded their markers to score and seal the win for the Blues.

“When you play against the likes of Crusaders, Cliftonville and Linfield if you are going to take three points off them you don’t concede from set pieces,” he told Times Sport.

“It’s very frustrating as a manager because people have jobs and everyone is assigned a player, we go through that the same way every team does.

“For me a set piece is about two things - pride and desire.

“Me going on a Tuesday night and taking 100 corners and 100 free kicks and getting everyone to come and win headers is so fake, it would achieve nothing and it doesn’t match the real real life of a game on a Saturday.

“It’s about how badly you want to stop your man.

“I spoke about Winkie Murphy to the players and very rarely did his man score against him from set pieces.

“Why, because he just dominated him and had so much pride he just didn’t want anyone scoring.

“His mindset was it was his job to stop players from scoring and it just wasn’t going to happen.

“It’s something you hope to develop with players.

“Our progress has been brilliant. When I zoom out from today and as much as I’m disappointed with the result, big parts of the first half were really good today.

“Young Brad’s goal was superb, and there was so many more big positives.

“But to go on now and to really kick on from a mid-table side we have to deal with that part of the game.

“It’s about being physical, being strong and throwing your boday in front of things.

“Too many people are taking risks and passing the back thinking someone else will do it for them.

“At this point in time it’s killing us. We have conceded too many from set pieces this year.

“If we cut that number in half we’d probably be sitting third or fourth at this point in time.

“I feel helpless, but I’m not passing the buck.

“There’s so much we can do in training, but it would just be a waste of a night to stand and fire in corners, and the guys agree.

“It comes down to desire on match days and that’s the most disappointing thing.

“We started the game so well and we should be in 2-0 at half time, that would have given us a hell of a chance of getting something out of the game.

“Their first goal just before half time was a real killer, and from a set piece too.

“We know they are dangerous from set pieces. I wasn’t sur where there was going to come from in open play in the first half.

“They had a few sniffs but I thought we defended quite well. I thought we had weathered the storm of going 2-0 up and them having a wee 10 or 15 minute spell.

“Then of course the corner comes and disappointingly for us it’s a free header.”