Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley insisted his side's late first-half turnaround against Shelbourne didn't raise the mood in the dressing room at half-time after a lacklustre opening 45 minutes at Tallaght Stadium on Monday evening.
Rovers trailed to an Ali Coote goal in their Dublin derby with Shels as the game ticked towards the tea break before a two-goal haul in two minutes from Pico Lopes and then Michael Noonan appeared likely to alter Bradley's half-time team talk.
But the Hoops boss knew his reigning champions would be unsatisfied with their first-half showing - despite what the scoreboard read.
" Look, the two goals were big, there's no point in saying anything different, but it didn't change the mood in the dressing room," the Rovers manager told RTÉ Sport's John Kenny.
"We were annoyed. We were really frustrated in how we were performing. The players, the top players, they knew that we were miles away from the levels required here.
"We had a chat and the second-half response was brilliant. But the goals, the timing of them was really important."
"If you said to me, this is where you'll be after our 10 games, I'd say yeah, we're happy with that."
Graham Burke added a third for the home side after the break before a Jack Henry-Francis strike for Shels made it a tense last 10 minutes of play. Burke's effort was his 100th competitive goal for the club and his manager was full of praise for the former Irish international as his side ran out 3-2 winners.
"Graham's a special player. I'm on record as saying when it's all said and done and he puts the slippers on in a few years, he will have a seat at that top table with the greats.
"He's one of the best to ever play in this country and definitely one of the best to ever play for this club. When all said and done, that's how he will be regarded. He'll be up there with the greats."
Despite a relatively unconvincing start to the season, Rovers find themselves just a point off St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians at the top of the table, a situation Bradley seems more than content with at this early stage.
" Yeah, we've left points behind. Friday [draw with Waterford] was frustrating. We should win that game... we've one or two like that. But look, that's the season. If you said to me, this is where you'll be after our 10 games, I'd say yeah, we're happy with that."
The result means Shelbourne have just 13 points after 10 league encounters. Their defensive frailties particularly annoyed manager Joey O'Brien.
"If you give them the three goals we gave them tonight – it's under-12 stuff – you're not going to win any game of football," he admitted.
"I thought first half we absolutely dominated the game. I don't think they got near our goal for 44 minutes.
"Then there is a setplay and it's awful by us; accepting it, allowing it. We knew what was coming.
"The players have got to take responsibility."
Wessel Speel's howler for Burke's goal meant a Shels comeback was always going to be a major ask.
"The third goal is an awful mistake," O'Brien said. "3-1 down here, it's a hard night. But the lads stuck at it and I thought we were still in the game and playing some good stuff.
"We made it 3-2 and then just couldn't find that equaliser."
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