Dundalk boss Stephen Kenny has said his side have a chance to redeem themselves in next Friday’s SSE Airtricity Premier League showdown against Cork City.
Speaking after Dundalk’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Bray Wanderers, Kenny the game had been a “kick in the teeth” and that Dundalk had failed to adapt their style of play to deal with inclement weather conditions.
“To concede in the first couple of minutes was a real blow to us,” Kenny told RTÉ Sport. “The game was almost unplayable. It was in monsoon conditions. It became a lottery in the second half.
“Our goalkeeper and our defenders were trying to clear the ball and it was going back out over their own head out a corner.
“I don’t think most of our players would have ever experienced playing in those conditions. In the old winter soccer, maybe, but none of these players would have played in that.”
Kenny denied that Dundalk’s confidence had taken a knock after this draw and last week’s draw against Shamrock Rovers, and highlighted his side’s impressive defensive efforts.
“We basically had played four 90 minutes before tonight without conceding a goal and we scored ten in the three games. The other night, I thought we did very well against Shamrock Rovers.
“Tonight wasn’t a normal game of football. It was farcical, really. It was farce, really, but you do need to adapt sometimes and we didn’t adapt in the way that we might have.
“We’ve had an incredible season and a bad result tonight, a [game] that we desperately wanted to win and we’ve drawn. But, we have a chance to redeem ourselves on Friday.”
“I don’t think most of our players would have ever experienced playing in those conditions" - Stephen Kenny
Conditions at the Carlisle Grounds undoubtedly played a major role in Friday’s draw. Kenny said both sides had been affected, but that Dundalk had not made the most of the wind.
“It was the same for both teams; the problem was in the first half we maybe didn’t utilise the wind in the way we could have,” he said.
“We’re conditioned to play a certain way, a passing style which has served us well. The players are all comfortable in possession; they know how to pass it.
“But I think with the wind so strong, we probably needed to adapt a little bit more and put the ball in the box more often. And any time we did that we looked like scoring, but we didn’t do it enough. Bray made it difficult for us.
“The players put their bodies on the line. They gave everything. We’re just disappointed that we didn’t maximise the wind in the first half and we’ve paid the price for that.”
The Lilywhites are now a point behind Cork City who, with their victory over Bohemians, leapfrogged Kenny’s side with just one game remaining. The pair meet at Oriel Park next Friday for a title showdown.
“It’s essentially a cup final, I suppose" - Andy Boyle
“There are no grey areas,” Kenny said. “We’re [in] a clear situation: we have to go and win the game. So we’ll dust ourselves down and get ourselves ready for Friday.”
Dundalk captain Andy Boyle admitted he was disappointed following the week’s two draws.
He said: “On Monday, we would have liked a better return than two points from the games. But we can only look forward to next week. It’s a great game to be involved in and hopefully, if we can get three points the league is ours.”
Boyle refused to blame the conditions for the draw against Bray but said there was still “bags of confidence” in the camp heading into next Friday’s game.
“It’s essentially a cup final, I suppose,” he said. “If you can go and win it, there’s no better way than [to] win it on the last day.”
