"We're unlucky not to get a result"
Waterford FC manager Keith Long with match day mascot Noah Clements.
Waterford FC Head Coach Keith Long was pleased with the performance despite losing to champions Shelbourne in the first home game of the season as the Blues went down fighting against Damien Duff’s side at the RSC.
Speaking after the game, Long said: “It was a good team effort again tonight and there was very little between the sides. Shelbourne obviously had the majority of possession but we looked comfortable without the ball for long periods.
“We have to defend the goal much, much better. Sean Boyd can't come out of that channel with the ball. Mipo’s movement in the box, and Kasper probably could do better there, but we should stop it at source. The goal we give away is soft.
“There’s not a huge amount of chances, but I thought that on the break at times in the first-half, we were really good. Like I said, Shels, the way we set up, dominated the ball, but we had to be comfortable outside of the ball.
“We have moments in the first-half. We start the second-half really well, then we go down to ten men. Ryan Burke overruns the ball, and we go down to ten men. Having come out at the start of second-half so well, there wasn’t a huge amount in the game.
“I think that we’re disappointed not to come away with something, but obviously it was a good performance. The boys really battle hard. They dug in there in difficult conditions, down to 10 men for 30 minutes of the second-half, and I think there was very little between the sides.”
Long added: “The key moment for us in the second-half was the scramble in the box and I think that we need to be more ruthless in those moments. You need to be finishing off those moments and we had a couple of efforts cleared off the line.
“We really need to score at that point and maybe that changes the game a little bit. As I said there was very little between the sides, very little in terms of goalmouth action so we’re disappointed not to come away with a point.
“We had to change our shape a little bit to try and re-group after the sending off of Ryan Burke. Then we changed it again because we wanted to get pressure higher up on Shels in terms of their build up. They were having it too comfortable across the back four so they changed their shape too.
“We had to give it a go, but listen, ultimately, I'm proud of the performance. I think there's not a huge amount in it tonight in terms of performance. They're champions for a reason. They're able to dig out a result and they go to win.
“We should have scored in the second-half, be more clinical in that moment, and maybe the outcomes is different from our perspective.”
The Head Coach concluded: “As you can see we're missing five bodies tonight that will probably start. Let’s be brutally honest with you, five players. We’ve got a lot of Academy players out on the bench, which is great for them, and we're pleased to have them.
“But the sooner the better, we can have a full complement of players back, challenging and compete for starting places. We've got some good players and we're not bad side. I think we can gain confidence over the last two performances.
“We’ve got to move on into next week. We’ve got a tough one in Derry, which is another very long trip away from home before the Munster derby on the Monday. The games are coming big and fast so we’ve got to be ready. We've got to make sure we recover well, get bodies back on the pitch and be ready to play.”
