Cork City manager John Caulfield believes a lack of experience is costing his side but he has backed them to come through this difficult period. City has now lost three games on the bounce at the beginning of the 2019 season – two league fixtures an
Cork City manager John Caulfield believes a lack of experience is costing his side but he has backed them to come through this difficult period.
City has now lost three games on the bounce at the beginning of the 2019 season – two league fixtures and also in the President’s Cup- following their disappointing 2-0 loss to Munster Rivals Waterford at Turner’s Cross on Friday night.
The majority of the 4,382 in attendance vented their frustrations at the full-time whistle and speaking to reporters moments later, Caulfield insisted his side will improve.
“A lot of these guys are young, they haven’t been in this environment,” said Caulfield.
“James Tilley has never played in an environment like this the last couple of weeks. Liam Nash hasn’t, Daire O’Connor hasn’t, he’s been playing in front of a hundred people.
“But they’re doing great. Dan Casey has come down here wow he’s realised the coverage and whatever. Ronan Hurley is one of the young lads coming through.
“The likes of Sean (McLoughlin) who came through last year really under the radar now he has to stand up and be counted.
“Conor McCarthy, they’re all regulars in the team at the moment so it’s a huge learning curve and that’s the difference when you have a team that has been around the like year in and year out having that cuteness and knowing if you lose a game how to bounce back.
“With young lads they’re great and they’re enthusiastic and we have to keep working with them and keep encouraging them and that’s what we will do.
“We know the team will gel because we can see it every day. There’s no reason when we looked at training this week and the way we worked the shape of the team and the way they played the fact that we didn’t carry it into tonight that’s nervousness and maybe a lack of confidence in front of a big crowd.
“But the lads will get that and they’ll adjust. We can see the talent in the team and we said that all along but at the moment do we lack a little bit of experience? We do but it will come.
“These are all good lads they have a great attitude and they’re all very disappointed but we’ll get them in we’ll get them going again and we’ll go up to Sligo on Monday another difficult game and hopefully we can score Monday night.”
The Leesiders have only scored once in the three competitive games they have played so far this season and that came direct from a free kick through Kevin O’Connor in the President’s Cup.
“Did we enough tonight? We didn’t,” admitted Caulfield.
“We haven’t scored in the last two weeks people are saying that and we know that and that’s frustrating but it’s not from the want of working at training it’s not that the guys aren’t working hard at training trying to finish.
“There’s no hiding place and you have to stand up and be counted. It will stand us in good stead and there’s no doubt we will turn it around it’s just frustrating at the moment.
“We will get better, there’s no doubt about it.”
