Stafford looking to carry the same intensity into Warrenpoint clash
Editorial Department • Published 16 Feb 2012 13:00
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Ballinamallard captain Mark Stafford looks to make a challenge on Coleraine's Curtis Allen.
Despite Ballinamallard's cup run coming to an abrupt end at the hands of Coleraine, captain Mark Stafford believes the lessons learnt during the 3-0 defeat can help boost their hopes of league success.
"The boys were disappointed but we were upbeat about the way we conducted ourselves and the way we performed," said Mark. "It was difficult and we knew it was going to be difficult because they are fourth in the Premiership, but there were a lot of positives to be taken out of it. Whitey wants us to bring the intensity from Saturday's game into the next league game against Warrenpoint, and I agree with him that there is real momentum from Saturday's game that we have to keep going. We competed with them very well and we weren't a million miles away. Hopefully we can keep to that level and try raising the bar for ourselves."
Ballinamallard gained plenty of praise from the home side for their efforts, but Mark acknowledged that there was a gulf in class between Coleraine and the championship sides they face most weekends.
"You would need to be playing at that level every week to the step up," said Mark. "It's hard just to walk on the pitch and match them. They were just that little bit quicker to the ball than us on Saturday, and it was a step up. In our league you are given a bit longer on the ball or you can wait on the ball, but at that level you can't. You have to go and meet it, and it is definitely a quicker pace. I thought the team started the game very well and we created a few chances during the game but they were a quality team. I was very impressed by them. I didn't think we played that badly, I just thought they played a bit better than us when they were going forward."
Having lost by five goals against Premiership opposition last season, Mark reckons they acquitted themselves better this season, although they were disappointed by the goals they conceded.
"To concede a penalty, a scrappy goal and a rebound off the bar was disappointing," he admitted. "For the first goal to be honest I stopped. Curtis Allen made a run and he was offside so I stopped, but Scullion ran through from deeper and he was brought down, but I should have kept playing on. Then they scored before half time and you are going in two down against a Premierhsip team. You try to build yourself up at half time and two or three minutes into the second half they take a shot from 30 yards and you're 3-0 down. They punished us."
The third goal all but ended the contest, but to Ballinamallard's credit they continued to match their opponents throughout the second half, cheered on by the vocal travelling support. "I want to thank everyone who made the journey up," said Mark. "A lot of those people make the club what it is, and you like to see them there and you try to repay them by doing well on the pitch. Obviously Coleraine had a lot of support, but it was nice to be able to look across and see a few of our fans and family and friends there. It makes a real difference."
With the distraction of the cup now behind them the team will once again concentrate on their bid for league success in what has already been a memorable season. "I want to thank Whitey and all the boys for the journey we've been on this season, and I just hope it keeps going," said Mark. "Everyone is excited about what could happen this year and when you go into the club after a game you can see that people are excited and hoping we can do it, but in the changing room it's slightly different. Obviously confidence is high in the team but we really are taking it 90 minutes at a time and we are very focused on that. There are still 30 points to play for which is a lot and we have a lot of hard games left."
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 16 Feb 12
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