LIMERICK FC manager Stuart Taylor as left to rue the “mistakes” that led to their 4-0 drubbing by Sligo Rovers in the EA Sports Cup on Monday night.
Slack marking and careless passing were responsible for three of the visitors’ goals and Taylor conceded that such errors are punished ruthlessly at the highest level.
He said: “Unfortunately in this game you make mistakes and you get punished for it. The first three goals were straightforward mistakes. The first two, the boys didn’t pick up their markers, the third one was a misplaced pass and the fourth one somebody dropped a runner.
“It just can’t happen, not at this level. It’s been noticed, the players realise that and it’s how we move on from there. You make sure you don’t make them again, but when you make a second mistake exactly like the first, you’ve got a problem.”
Taylor rejected the notion that Limerick suffered from playing their second game in just three days following the dramatic 3-2 win over Dundalk just 48 hours previously.
He added that his young side cannot afford to wallow in self-pity, instead calling on his players to take lessons on board from one game to the next.
“I’m not making excuses. The mistakes that we made cost us goals and you can turn around and say we had two games in the space of three days. You can turn around and say we were against two top sides but I’m not interested. We’re a team that’s good enough to deal with whatever is thrown in front of us.
“We lost a goal by not picking up our marker. We lost a second goal by not picking up our marker. We lost a third goal by giving a slack pass away. They made mistakes; they’re human beings. It’s how they recover from the mistakes and it’s been a massive lesson for us tonight. Hopefully we take it on the chin, we learn from it and we move on.
“There’s no place for sympathy in football. You feel sorry for yourself and you’ll have nowhere to go. You have to stand up and be counted. Nobody in this life will feel sorry for you, whether you’re young or old, inexperienced or experienced. You’ve got to take it on the chin and stand up and be counted. You’ve got to put a shift in, simple as that.
“There’s no other way about it and it’s good experience for the young players to have that display. It’s not nice, that’s probably the best way to describe it. There’s no sympathy given but that’s part and parcel of their learning development.”
Taylor has shown the EA Sports Cup considerable respect with his team selections and approach to the games against Sligo Rovers and Waterford United, but he admitted that he made substitutions with the Premier Division in mind. Dave O’Leary and Shane Tracy were both taken off ahead of Friday’s trip to Bohemians.
Garbhan Coughlan made his return for the Super Blues last night after a spell with Athlone Town, and although Taylor said that his display was impressive, the gap between Premier and First Division football is noticeable.
“Dave came off with a tight hamstring; we have to make sure he’s OK for Friday. We’ve to keep an eye on Shane as well for Friday. The league campaign is the most important thing but I want to stay as long as I can in every single cup competition. I’d love to get to a final, I’d love to win a cup, but most importantly we must finish up the league table as high as possible so we had an eye on Friday night’s game.
“The First Division is a different standard from the Premier. Without being disrespectful to the First Division, [in the Premier] you’re playing against guys who have got experience of playing in England and Scotland, even in Europe. You’re playing against better quality players and it’s a different type of football on a higher level.”
