McLaughlin wary as Institute take on new boys Newry City
Newry City vs Institute
Today, 3pm
The Showgrounds
by Orlagh Mullan
Institute manager Paddy McLaughlin insisted his players can’t afford to take Newry City lightly as they prepare for a meeting with the Championship new boys this weekend.
The County Down side defeated Armagh City 7-1 over two legs in a promotion/relegation play-off at the end of last season after finishing second to Limavady United in the Intermediate League.
Now they are plying their trade alongside ‘Stute, and harsh lessons have already been handed out – picking up just one win in their opening six games.
The Drumahoe side have also had a mixed start, with the closure of the Riverside Stadium having an inevitable impact on results.
Despite two defeats, McLaughlin’s team currently sit in sixth position with ten points, just three off league leaders Knockbreda.
Last week, the local side bounced back from a 3-2 defeat to H&W Welders with a dogged 1-0 win over Larne, and they will see Saturday’s game as the perfect opportunity to build a good run of form.
STAYING FOCUSED
Despite the fact that Newry finished ten points behind Limavady in the Intermediate League a season ago, McLaughlin insisted that his team cannot afford to take their opponents for granted.
“We’ve seen so far already that every week there’s results coming in that surprise you, and especially in a game like this we can’t get ahead of ourselves,” the manager told the Derry News.
“I did my ‘A’ licence with their manager in the summer and he’s a football man that likes to play the right way. We’re hoping for a good game between two sides that like to get the ball down, and we know it will be a tough one to come out the right side of.”
They face a lengthy round trip to the Showgrounds on Saturday – almost 200 miles in total – and the manager agreed that his side will have to prepare appropriately to ensure they are ready to go from the first whistle.
“The fact is that the travelling is there for us and we’re well prepared for it at this stage. The boys know the scenario, and they know we’ll be on the road for a while so they’ve gotten their heads around it,” McLaughlin explained.
“We’ve picked up three wins from our five trips, which I wouldn’t say is a bad record. Obviously we would rather be at home, but we’re more than prepared for a long journey ahead – it’s the worst one of the season so at least we’ll get it over with.”
Twice this season the Blues have responded to defeat with big victories, but now they have the opportunity to secure two wins on the bounce after that win over a struggling Larne – and with the top of the table within touching distance McLaughlin said it would be good to keep the board ticking over.
“Last Saturday was a tough game for us and it was brilliant to get a result against a Larne team that I’ve been surprised by in the league to date. They are one of the best footballing teams in it, so seeing where they are in the table it is a bit of a weird one,” admitted the manager.
“They’re bringing through young local boys and some talent from England and France as well but they definitely have a higher level in them, so for us to get the three points was brilliant and we are certainly looking to build on that.”
Teenage striker Jake Morrow made his debut for the club in that win over Larne, and with Robbie Hume returning to Limavady after only three weeks, McLaughlin is pleased to have the St Joseph’s student on board to bolster the front line.
“Jake’s only 17, but I’m very much of the mindset that if you’re good enough to come in then you should be given a chance no matter how young you are,” the manager explained.
“He’s smart in his defensive play and he’s great going forward as well. He plays on the edge and likes to take chances, and I think that really suits our play. We had Caoimhin McCallion playing against Larne was well who is another young talent at 18 that has taken his chance to prove himself.”
He continued: “The underage coaches are doing a fantastic job at bringing these boys through to under 19 level, and at the end of the day they are the future of Institute Football Club, and it’s great to see them making their mark.”
Last weekend was also an important result as it saw ‘Stute come away with their first clean sheet of the season, and McLaughlin admitted he was impressed with a strong defensive performance that he feels his side can build on.
“We’ve worked on it the last couple of weeks, trying to shore ourselves up a bit more defensively. The boys have responded because they knew themselves we were conceding too many soft goals, and we seen there that the drills have paid off. If they continue working like that and rectifying our mistakes, then I think we’ll keep getting our rewards and then we can let the boys at the top do the business.”