"We need to improve quickly" - Liam Buckley
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Sporting Fingal manager Liam Buckley says that his side must improve their performances quickly if they are to have any chances of promotion this season. Sporting are strong favourites for promotion after assembling a star-studded squad over the break with the likes Gary O’Neill, Eamon Zayed, Darren Quigley, Shane McFaul and Stephen Paisley all joining the Dublin side.
Although the league is still only in its very early stages, Sporting currently lie in ninth position and are five points off the joint leaders.
Buckley’s men earned a hard-fought point in their opening game against Waterford at the RSC but last week’s one-nil home defeat to UCD angered the manager, who says that he expects more from his side.
“I was very disappointed, the result was bad but the performance was worse. We certainly need to pick it up from that,“ he said. “You know, it’s very unacceptable from my end of things and we have a lot of work to do for Friday’s game with Wexford."
Buckley refused to use the excuse that his side need time to gel on the pitch and get to know one another. “In fairness we have more or less have a new group of players but that’s not an excuse. We need to start moving forward quickly. We are already five points behind the other teams. But the performance is what I was most displeased with against UCD.”
Sporting finished third last year in their maiden season and there are high hopes for the club to be competing at the top end of the League of Ireland First Division. Buckley, however, is confident ahead of Friday’s game against Wexford Youths at Morton Stadium and feels that his team will turn things around on the pitch. He added: “There is improvement in this group for sure. Looking at that last Friday night, if we have any ambitions to be at the top of the table we have to greatly improve on our performance.”
There was little to choose between the sides in the corresponding fixture last season. Sporting beat the Youths 2-0 in March while Mick Wallace’s men gained a measure of revenge when they ended Sporting’s six month unbeaten home record in September. Buckley is cautious but also optimistic ahead of Friday’s match.
“There is no easy game in this division. I have no doubt that there is a better performance in this team than what we saw last week.”
Although the league is still only in its very early stages, Sporting currently lie in ninth position and are five points off the joint leaders.
Buckley’s men earned a hard-fought point in their opening game against Waterford at the RSC but last week’s one-nil home defeat to UCD angered the manager, who says that he expects more from his side.
“I was very disappointed, the result was bad but the performance was worse. We certainly need to pick it up from that,“ he said. “You know, it’s very unacceptable from my end of things and we have a lot of work to do for Friday’s game with Wexford."
Buckley refused to use the excuse that his side need time to gel on the pitch and get to know one another. “In fairness we have more or less have a new group of players but that’s not an excuse. We need to start moving forward quickly. We are already five points behind the other teams. But the performance is what I was most displeased with against UCD.”
Sporting finished third last year in their maiden season and there are high hopes for the club to be competing at the top end of the League of Ireland First Division. Buckley, however, is confident ahead of Friday’s game against Wexford Youths at Morton Stadium and feels that his team will turn things around on the pitch. He added: “There is improvement in this group for sure. Looking at that last Friday night, if we have any ambitions to be at the top of the table we have to greatly improve on our performance.”
There was little to choose between the sides in the corresponding fixture last season. Sporting beat the Youths 2-0 in March while Mick Wallace’s men gained a measure of revenge when they ended Sporting’s six month unbeaten home record in September. Buckley is cautious but also optimistic ahead of Friday’s match.
“There is no easy game in this division. I have no doubt that there is a better performance in this team than what we saw last week.”
