'Five wins needed to stay in this division': Nash lays out Cork City's grim plight

The Rebel Army boss apologised to fans after Monday night's damaging defeat at St Pat's. 

SETBACK: Cork City's manager Ger Nash. Pic: INPHO/Laszlo eczo

Cork City’s sole route to survival hinges on accumulating a full complement of 15 points in the run-in, according to manager Ger Nash.

He was particularly disappointed that his bottom side were “bullied” into submission by St Patrick’s Athletic in Monday’s 4-0 whitewash that leaves the Rebels marooned by eight points with five games left.

They’ve the worst away record of all 10 Premier teams, collecting just three draws on the road, but Nash admits nothing less than victory at Galway United on Friday will suffice to retain remote hopes of survival.

John Caulfield’s Galway are in freefall, meaning the opportunity exists to move to within five points of the westerners, yet their meek surrender at Inchicore doesn’t bode well.

It extends City’s woes in Dublin this season, two 4-1 losses at Shamrock Rovers added to by Bohemians strolling to a 3-0 win at Dalymount Park last month.

Captain Fiacre Kelleher will return from injury for the basement battle but there’s no margin of error with games to follow against Shelbourne, Drogheda United, Sligo Rovers and finally Derry City on November 1.

Nash wasn’t of a mind to consider the lure of an FAI Cup final appearance on November 10 if they can somehow avenge the Saints calamity in Friday week’s semi-final rematch at Turner’s Cross.

“It’s not concentration, it’s duels,” affirmed the manager about City’s failings at St Pat’s, allowing Tottenham Hotspur bound striker Mason Melia to score a brace to move within two goals the division’s top scorer Pádraig Amond with 13.

“We were bullied at times. I don’t like to use that word but we were.

“This game was huge for us but how we started it put us on the back foot. The cheapness in the first concession from the corner. That was everything in this season that I’d hoped we’d rectified in the last number of games.

“It was compounded by the second goal and while we improved in the basic components of the game in the second half, as we should do, the third goal killed us.” 

Nash’s first sighting of the team was at the same Richmond Park venue in May after he’d succeeded Tim Clancy. Now, he’s facing a situation where his team could effectively be relegated on Friday if Galway repeat the home win they secured at Eamonn Deacy Park in his first official game at the helm.

What’s concerning for the manager is his team’s inability to replicate the fundamentals away from Turner’s Cross.

Nash added: “The issue when coming away home is one we must try to rectify. We must rectify it, simple as that, because there’s no doubt we need to win all five games to stay in this division.

“We clearly must spend more time investing in the why because the team I saw in Friday night’s draw against Shamrock Rovers, the one our fans can be proud of, didn’t have the same performance level tonight.

“There can be a lot of reasons for that.

“I’m the manager so I must take responsibility for that. It’s not good enough. I apologise to the fans who travelled and those who watched it at home.”