Cork City and Ger Nash left staring into the abyss after Bohs defeat

Ten points to make up. Ten points that will almost certainly not be made up. Cork City have crept closer to relegation for the second consecutive Premier Division season after last Friday’s defeat to Bohemians.

It leaves everything – what’s left of it – resting on Friday night against Waterford.

Since he arrived, Ger Nash has trafficked in belief. Belief in his players, in their effort, in his management team’s effort. But last Friday night in Dalymount, for the first time, his words carried a different weight. Something closer to concern.

That concern is understandable. City are trying to dig themselves out of a hole that grows faster than they can shovel.

They have improved a lot in recent weeks, but there are simply not enough games left.

“We’re just hugely disappointed because we knew that tonight was a big night for us. And it's really simple ,we have to beat Waterford now,” Nash said after the defeat to Bohs. “It’s as simple as that, there's no point in us talking about anything else.

“We have to win a game next Friday night against Waterford, it’s as simple as that. It’s a hugely disappointed dressing room. The players care and I’ve continuously said that, they really do.” 

Right to the end, City hung in there. Bohs were better, sharper, but not out of sight. Then came the 85th minute, and the second goal. Sligo took a point elsewhere, leaving Nash’s side with no way out unless they can start playing like title chasers for the remaining eight rounds.

“The immediate focus is on Friday, right. We've to pick up that dressing room. We've got senior players that are really hurt at the moment, they're giving absolutely everything they have for this football club. They really care, they really care.

“They want to be successful at this football club. And we've got a really young group, we had six teenagers on the pitch tonight, if I remember right,” he said. “There might not be six teenagers playing across all across the other games in the league and that’s the reality of it.

WOUNDS

“We need to pick them up, we need to be together. Those young players need to learn, because they’re learning in a really tough environment. It's really tough for them. So we need to lick our wounds and work and get ready for next Friday.” 

In truth, the 3-0 scoreline came from elsewhere: the failure to create, the failure to finish. City’s defence bent, and bent again, but for long stretches did not break. That offered them the faintest hope, right up to the moment when Bohs twisted the knife.

“There's no doubt they were the better side in the first half. There were conditions that made that tough, I think if you’re watching the game, you see the first half is played in our half. They were good value for the lead. I can't say otherwise, there’s no doubt about that.

In the second half, if any team was going to score, I think it's us. 

"For the most part, we were on top. With 15 minutes to go in that game, we're thinking we were going to get something out of this game.

“I think just a couple of decisions in the build for the second two goals which are really clear fouls and we don't get the benefit of that in my opinion,” Nash said. “We still have to defend those moments better. It’s the first time since I've been here that I've spoken about a decision that went against us or something like that, but I think it's fair.

“But look, it's not why we lost the game. We still need to defend moments better.” City went in at half-time only a goal down, grateful more than anything. That was what they clung to.

“We knew it could have been more, so we were pleased that we were actually in the game,” Nash explained. “They [Bohs] dropped off, they had to defend their goal in the second half the way we did in the first half in many respects.

“So we wanted to get in top. We did that. We started brightly. We weren't creating chance after chance after chance, that's for sure.

We were better in terms of playing higher up the pitch, more of a threat.

“I'm really disappointed with the two goals that we conceded towards the end, because they’ve obviously killed us off.”