Ger Nash: "It's difficult enough with 11 men and even tougher with 10"

A bitter end and a bruising way to bow out.

No fairytale finish, no Europa excursion, no windfall to soften the winter ahead. And with the FAI Cup gone and the Premier Division at least another year away, Ger Nash didn’t sugarcoat the urgency of Cork City’s next step.

“That's what we have to try and attain,” Nash said after the FAI Cup final defeat. “The club has yo-yoed, it's obvious, for so long.

“A lot of good young players have been signed on longer-term contracts, which I think is good forward planning for the club. I think of people like Conor Brann, Matt Murray, Matty Kiernan – some of our young players – along with some experienced players who want to be at the club and be successful for a long time.” Nash also acknowledged the challenge without the lure of Europe.

“With some of our best players and some of our players coming out of contract or [that] have shorter deals, it's probably easy to re-sign players in the First Division, if you're in Europe.

“Of some of the players today, a number of them are under contract. If I look through the team, Conor Brann, Fiacre [Kelleher], Rory [Feely], obviously Freddie Anderson will return to Stoke,” he remarked. “Darragh Crowley, Seani [Maguire], and a number of the players on the bench.

“Obviously we do have some players, Alex Nolan for example – who I have to say – I took him off at half-time and it hurt me to do it, because he's a really good lad. In recent weeks, in the second half of the season, he's really improved.

“He's really bought into what we've wanted to do. Alex Nolan's a player who's got offers from Premier Division clubs and I think will go down that route. He's out of contract, and I really wish him well because he's been a really good player to work with.” In a season littered with fine margins, the final swung on one. Cork City were in the fight until Harry Nevin’s red card put a countdown on their cup final siege.

“Often key moments in games, change the outcome, change the course of it,” Nash explained. “I thought we were in the game, started quite brightly.

CHANCES

“We knew Shamrock Rovers were a good side, they would dominate possession and territory, but I felt in the first 15-20 minutes we had a couple of decent chances. Darragh Crowley's shot and Seani's shot, good saves from their ‘keeper. I think they were on top and they forced a lot of corners.

“Obviously it gets more difficult when you go down to 10. We started the second half well, in relation to creating that opportunity, good delivery and a good header from Freddie and a really good save from the goalkeeper.

“The second goal was probably the key one. The players gave everything, they kept going. I'm proud of the players' effort.” And of the red card?

“I genuinely haven't watched it back, that's the truth. Obviously, it changed what we planned to do. We went in at 0-0, which we would have been pleased about.

“It would have allowed us to open up more in the second half towards our own fans, we felt. We also had probably the strongest bench since I've been at the club.

“Obviously, if the game was as it was in the 60-odd minute where it's 0-0, we've got people we can turn to that might be able to help us win the game,” he said. “It's a key moment.

“I'm not questioning the decision, I just haven't seen it back. It was an aggressive tackle, two players going for the ball, but I haven't seen it back so I can't comment on it. But I'm not questioning it. It's a key moment in the game. We accepted it and we tried to do something about it.” And then, the blunt truth of it all.

“We started the second half well, but look, we're playing against a really good side. It's difficult enough with 11 men and even tougher with 10.”