Kearney: ‘I couldn’t have asked for anything more from my players’

COLERAINE manager Oran Kearney speaks to the media after his side’s goalless draw against Glentoran at The Oval…

The Bannsiders were forced to play 70 minutes of the match with 10 men after Josh Carson’s early dismissal, and boss Kearney was full of praise for his side’s performance to earn a point.

“The usual set up in the dressing room is the players play the music before the match and I play it afterwards,” Kearney said.

“When we win games the victory tunes go on, and straight after the game today I’ve put them on because I couldn’t ask for any more from them today.

“To play for 70 minutes with ten men against a good Glentoran side, which has really improved this season, especially away from home, I thought our attitude and application deserved that wee bit of luck at the end of the game.”

Kearney believes the Stripes have found a way of securing a result with 10 men and argues his side could have taken all three points with Ciaron Harkin and Eoin Bradley going close to breaking the deadlock.

“We kick started this run with a game at Dungannon. We went down to ten men that day, and we needed to go down to ten men to kick start us,” Kearney added.

“I’m not saying we enjoy playing with ten men, but we have a way of playing which we know we can still create chances.

“The big thing today was for us to stay in the game for as long as possible.

“We tried to drive that home in the first half, but more importantly at half time. As that happens they have to creep higher and higher and be more expansive.

“We know we have the players to go and hit on the counter.

“We could have lost the game today, but on another day we could have taken all three points.

“Skinner had one headed off the line, Ciaron Harkin rattled the post, so we could have been leaving here with all the points and an accomplished away victory.”

The manager had no complaints with Carson’s first-half red card, but wants officials to be more consistent with their decisions.

“I have watched the incident back and to be fair to Josh he went to make the tackle with his left foot, but whatever way he has gone in he gets a bit of the ball with his left foot and it’s his right foot which unintentionally catches Kane,” Kearney revealed.

“At this level you have to say it is reckless.

“I said to the ref at half time I thought he was ultra robotic, which was fine. He was handing out cards for tackles but then he doesn’t hand Corey McMullan another yellow for his tackle before half time.

“I said to him he was consistent up until that handing out cards robotically, but in the 43rd minute he then thinks and decides to take into consideration a different factor.

“If the young lad hadn’t been on a yellow card he would have given him one.

“It’s tough enough when you go down to ten in a game like this, but it’s tougher when things aren’t evened up at half time when they should have been.”

Glentoran were presented with the perfect opportunity to snatch the victory in the dying seconds of the game when David Ogilby was adjudged to have fouled Curtis Allen inside the area. John McGuigan failed to convert from the spot and Kearney believes his players ‘deserved that bit of luck’ to stretch their unbeaten run to eight games.

“I was very frustrated because we were 15 seconds over the added time,” the boss said.

“I have serious belief in Chris, he has saved a few penalties already and he has that in him.

“I was shouting at our lads to make sure and follow it in as I had a feeling Chris could produce something as he’s that type of guy and that type of keeper.

“I think we deserved that bit of luck.

“A draw was a fair result, both teams went at each other in the second half.”