Tommy Dunne: 'It's a lack of focus, a lack of desire.'

Tommy Dunne questioned his players' desire after a lacklustre start saw Christy Fagan's third-minute goal condemn his Galway United side to a costly defeat against St Patrick's Athletic.

The Tribesman arrived into the fixture on the back of an impressive win over champions Dundalk at Eamonn Deacy Park last week with real ambitions of challenging for European football.

They didn't display the confidence of a side that had just overturned the league leaders, however, and Fagan shot the home side into an early lead they never looked like surrendering.

For Dubliner Dunne, it was the manner of the defeat rather than the scoreline that hurt the most, as the discipline and honesty of effort displayed a week earlier was absent throughout an error-strewn encounter.

“For me, and not to be overly critical, I think it's a lack of focus, a lack of desire,” he told Extratime.ie.

“You're a professional footballer – you've to get yourself up for every match. That's the game.

“That's what we always do. When you're a player, it's important that you always get yourself right to go and play from the start.

“I get the impression with some of our guys that it'll get going, or it'll happen after 20 minutes. Football's not like that, not at the level we're playing.

“We've been doing it too often.

“Week-in, week-out, giving the ball away in certain positions on the pitch, and certain players need to look at themselves and say, 'do you want to play this game at any type of a level?'

“If you keep playing like that, then you won't be able to.”

In a game of few chances, Galway had enough possession to salvage at least a point, but despite saving well from Vinny Faherty and Paul Sinnott, Saints stopper Brendan Clarke had a relatively quiet evening.

Games are rarely won in the opening minutes but they can certainly be lost, and Dunne was frustrated that a lack of concentration in the opening minutes cost his side against a heavily-depleted Pat's team.

Saints boss Liam Buckley had to do without regular midfielders David Cawley and Keith Treacy through injury, while brothers Billy and Darren Dennehy missed out as the former was to be married on Saturday.

“You give people the benefit of the doubt, but for me it's important as an individual that when you put your hand out to be paid, that you've a certain obligation,” said Dunne.

“And the obligation is to be fit, right and focused.

“Whether it's bottom of the table, middle of the table, the higher end of the table, it's about getting yourself ready to play.

“How will you ever get to where you want to get to if you're not focused for what you might think is a middle-of-the-table game.

“For me, it wasn't. It's an opportunity game. We come and we win here, and now you're on the coattails of fourth position, and that's what we're after.”

Dunne's attention now turns to next Friday night, when Galway host Bray Wanderers at Eamonn Deacy Park.

Neither side is in FAI Cup action next week, so they've agreed to move their Monday game to the weekend.

“We're not in the cup, but we've got Bray in a league match. Instead of playing Monday we play next Friday.

“We've got a big game – a huge game – playing Bray at home.

“We've got to get going. We've got to improve on what I feel are the basics of the game. If you improve on that, then you might give yourself a chance to go win matches.”

Dunne believes his side have shown flashes of the quality needed to challenge for a European spot, but with just ten games remaining he admitted they've probably have missed their chance.

“I think the teams between bottom and I would even say the top two, there's not a huge amount in it.

But it comes down to the fine lines and the nitty-gritty of who gives it away the least, who starts the game better, who's concentrating for longer periods over the course of games, over the course of seasons.

“That's the difference. There's never, ever, at our level, a huge amount of difference. But tonight, it's just frustrating to be honest with you.”