Liam Buckley: I'd like us to have a say in the title run-in

Liam Buckley feels his St Patrick's Athletic side can still have a major effect on the title race as they welcome Cork City to Richmond Park tonight.

 

It's the first of two meetings this week with title-chasing City – Friday sees the battle shift to Turner's Cross – while the Saints travel to Dundalk for a rescheduled game next Tuesday.

 

They round of their season with the visit of Derry City, who secured European football with victory over Bohemians on Friday night.

 

“I don't want us to drift out in the last four games,” he told Extratime.ie.

 

We've got Cork, Cork, Dundalk and Derry, and I'd like us to have a say in it. We'll keep both of them honest, but we'll need to play better.

 



“There's a bit of fatigue in relation to ourselves – it was very heavy on Tuesday in relation to coming in on Friday. We've got a quick turnaround on Monday.”

 

Buckley spoke in the aftermath of Friday night's defeat to Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds, a game they led comfortably at half-time before ceding the initiative after the break.

 

Goals from Ger Pender and Alan McNally earned the Seagulls a deserved victory, completing a clean sweep of league wins for Harry Kenny's resurgent side.

 



It was the second time in four days the Saints had surrendered a lead, having conceded deep in injury time against Finn Harps in Ballybofey on Tuesday.

 

And Buckley admitted the fixture pile-up caused by the success of League of Ireland teams in Europe has hit his part-time squad particularly hard.

 

“When you're playing games Tuesday, Friday, Monday, Friday, you're picking up injuries, you're picking up fatigue and picking up all that sort of stuff. It needs to be planned better.

 

“Apart from all that, it's about making sure you're fully recovered for games.

 

“You don't be fully recovered, and just looking at the amount of games Dundalk have played, Cork have played, and this will be our eighth game in 28 days or whatever it was.

 

“It's a game every three days – it's difficult. It's massively difficult for the lads, keeping them fresh.

 

“Looking at them in the second half, they looked a little bit tired, probably from Tuesday's game because it was a little bit heavy up in Ballybofey.”

 

Buckley echoed calls from other managers, including Stephen Kenny, for the season to be extended beyond the 40-week window in order to avoid such a pile-up in future.

 

“It's not excuses – I'd just like it planned better. Especially for the teams at the top end of the table.

 

“I do appreciate Stephen Kenny and John Caulfield's situation here – both teams are vying for the league and we want the best team to win the league.

 

“We don't want it won by organisational stuff where they're down bodies and they have to juggle things around.

 

“It would just be better if they stretched the league a little more and leave us time to play all these games.”

 

Buckley confirmed that Sean Hoare may come back into contention after recovering from a groin strain sustained on international duty.

 

He also confirmed that former Derry City defender Shane McEleney has been released from his contract a month early.