Cockhill Celtic boss Gavin Cullen rues disastrous ten-minute spell against Bray

Gavin Cullen admits that a disastrous ten-minute spell from Cockhill Celtic put paid to any hopes they had of causing an FAI Cup upset against Bray Wanderers. 

The League of Ireland First Division outfit came to the Charlie O’Donnell Sports Ground on Saturday and came away with a 3-1 victory. 

But having started the game brightly and hit a post early on, it was the leaking of  those three goals before half-time that ultimately cost Cockhill the chance to really rattle their famous visitors. 

“I thought we started the game very well, the first 20 minutes we probably created the more chances in the game,” said Cullen after. “We had a lot of corners and we hit the post and one ran past the line.

“The sucker punch to concede the first goal, it was a poor goal on our behalf and then that ten-minute spell we sort of lost the run of ourselves and Bray put the game to bed in that period”.

Cockhill did pull a goal bak before the break when a Fionn McClure corner somehow ended up in the Bray net. 

But with the likes of Luke Rudden and Garbhan Friel passing up on two fine second-half opportunities to narrow the gap back to a goal, Wanderers eased through to the next round in the end. 

Cullen explained: “We regrouped and at half-time we changed our shape a bit and I thought we were really comfortable in the second half and did really well.

“We created two or three really good opportunities and, on another day, if you take one of them then you never know.

“But we completely shot ourselves in the foot in that first-half, everything we spoke about and planned for went out the window in that ten-minute spell and it was hugely disappointing.

“It’s not like the players in fairness, we just lost the run of ourselves and lost our shape and discipline and that was poor and teams like that will punish you when you do that.

“I would expect Luke (Rudden) and Garbhan to be taking those chances to be honest with the players they are, they were huge opportunities.

“There were a couple of other ones where we were in around the area and it was just picking that final pass or getting the right weight on it, there was loads of that.

“But we did well in the second half without really giving them a run for their money in the last ten”.

Meanwhile, Cullen once again reiterated his point that the collapse of the Ulster Senior League will have a detrimental effect on Donegal soccer, long term, if some sort of remedy isn’t found in the near future. 

Cockhill will drop down to intermediate level for 2024 but Cullen hopes a solution to the issue can be found somewhere down the line.   

“For the next 12 months or so anyway we’ll have to drop to junior football and that’s the way it is. We know that and it’s disappointing but, look, I’m hopeful and confident that the FAI will come in and create pathways and pyramid systems in the next 12 months, whether they do that I don’t know but time will tell.

“This group of players want to be playing at a good level and winning things as a group and all we can do is play where we’re put at this point so what do you do? We’ve to take a lot of responsibility as football people in the county as well.

“We’ve let it happen. And I’ve often said that we won’t see it for years to come, the effect of it, especially on our senior clubs who should be using that level of football to help them blood players. So, they’ll notice a big difference.

“Obviously, if teams, clubs and football people in the county don’t have the ambition to improve and better themselves then there’s not much point in it. But I’d like to think we’ll all get together and realise that and push for the better of footballers”.