McAlinden hopes his players will bounce back

The Larne manager has a refreshingly pragmatic outlook to situations, so he’s far from depressed at watching his team lose 6-1 to Institute.
Larne boss, Davy McAlinden.Larne boss, Davy McAlinden.
Larne boss, Davy McAlinden.

Instead of wallowing in disappointment, it’s onwards and upwards for Davy McAlinden who faces a crucial Intermediate Cup tie by saying he wants the same reaction as the last time they lost.

“After we lost 4-1 to Ballyclare Comrades, we had a great response from them, so we know it’s in these players to get up and get on with things. Hopefully we will do and it would terrific if they can win on Saturday and get us through to the last 16 of the Intermediate Cup,” he explained.

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“This is our only chance of winning something this season and it would be superb if we can keep that hope alive, not least because it’s actually a welcome distraction from the week-to-week rigours of the league.

“While there is not the same pressure as trying to get the points that will move us up the table, this is also a pressure fixture and I would be hopeful we will seize the chance to move a wee bit closer to securing some silverware,” added the manager, who impressively didn’t try to make any excuses for the hefty defeat at Drumahoe.

“You wouldn’t have wanted to have been talking to me on Saturday, but Sunday was a new day and there were other things to focus on and I prefer always to look forward rather than backwards.

“It was pretty much as bad as the scoreline suggests. We were pretty poor and Institute played very well. The 6-1 scoreline fairly reflects the way the game went. We didn’t close them down in midfield and we didn’t defend properly, so it was very comfortable win for them.

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“Even after we started brightly and went a goal ahead, via a penalty conversion by Robbie White, we didn’t seem too happy and I don’t know whether there was a change in focus or what happened. But, for the remaining 80 minutes, we were always playing second fiddle.

“On a day when your team plays poorly and the opposition play well, your side is never going to have a good afternoon. It was just one of those days, I suppose, but fair play to Institute because they played some excellent football.”

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