Cork City manager Tim Clancy: Sloppy performance must be improved on

CORK City manager admitted that his side were “sloppy” after their victory against Bray Wanderers. 

Despite a below-par performance, City managed to claim their 14th league victory this season, leaving them 13 points clear at the top of the table. Evan McLaughlin scored the goals only game but it was Brad Wade that impressed the most with the keeper making several saves throughout the contest.

“I’m happy with the three points but it’s a performance we can definitely improve on. It’s probably the best week’s training we had, with the lads looking so sharp and they were really looking forward to the game but it’s one of those games where everything was a little sloppy for us. 

Passes were going astray. It just wasn’t connecting for us. 

"Brad has had a busier evening than he has had all year and he’s pull off some top saves and he might eventually get into team of the week.” 

The City boss wasn’t prepared to use the excuse of the mid-season break as the reason to why his side didn’t perform to their usual standard.

“I don’t think it was down to that. Bray were obviously on the break as well, along with every other team. I don’t know. We were really looking forward to it. The pitch was perfect. It was a big game for us because the run-in is important with 15 games left before tonight and now it’s 14. 

"The first thing we wanted was to win. We kept a clean sheet and we won, and again Brad has pulled off a few great saves to get us the three points.” 

After scoring against Cobh Ramblers in his last match it was a bit of a surprise to see City’s top scorer Jack Doherty on the bench but Clancy explained the reasoning behind his decision.

“His partner was due a baby today so I couldn’t plan the whole week with Jack, that if his partner had to go into labour and he had to go last minute, so we spoke about it and said that if everything was okay that he would be available on the bench. Fortunately enough he was. 

"He came on at half-time and I thought he made a massive difference. I thought he got on the half-turn. 

He looked after the ball for us. He was making things happen.

“Muzz (Sean Murray) had a little bit of a dead leg as well so that forced that change. Unfortunately with Muzz going off and him being one of the players that picked-up (marked at set-pieces), we needed to make another change and putting Conor Drinan on for his seize so Josh (Fitzpatrick) had to make way as well, so sort of an enforced change to make. I thought Conor was excellent as well. 

"It was brilliant to see little Cathal (O’Sullivan) back on the pitch as well. We have missed him for five or six weeks and again you saw him cut inside and give an unbelievable pass to Conor Drinan who was just offside and he showed little glimpses of his magic.” 

Next up for City is a trip to Ferrycarrig to face Wexford on Thursday night.

“We will tweak the week now. We will do a two-day lead-in. We normally would be off earlier in the week. That is going to be kicked back now a day. It will tweak it a little bit but we haven’t beaten Wexford this season we have drawn the two games against them and it is certainly one we are going to try to win.”