Cooke - Drop in concentration cost us

Mick Cooke was left rueing a lapse in his defences’ concentration on Friday night as his Drogheda side conceded another late goal to give rivals Dundalk a share of the spoils in the third Louth derby of the season.

Drogheda came from behind to lead the game with only 14 minutes to go. However, when Cooke’s side failed to deal with a hopeful long ball into their half, the returning Jason Byrne chipped over Steven Trimble to break Drogs’ hearts.

For Cooke, it was a very much a case of two points lost. Speaking to ExtraTime.ie, the former Monaghan United boss said: “Over the first 20 minutes, Dundalk were the better side. But when we came into the game, I felt we took over and maybe we deserved to get the three points out of it.

On Byrne’s goal, Cooke gave an honest assessment. “I think was definitely a lack of concentration. Alan McNally was in a position to clear the ball and he didn’t do it. And before that Stephen Quigley went on a run up the wing and I don’t know why he did that. So then two of the back four were missing. It’s a harsh lesson, but it’s one we’ll learn from.”

Despite the dropped points, the manager was keen to praise his players’ efforts in recent times – particularly those who he has acquired mid-season, including captain and goal scorer on the night Dave Rogers.

“We’ve managed to bring in some experienced players. Obviously Dave Rogers, the daddy of the team, has been great. But then you’ve got Tiernan Mulvenna, Peter McMahon, Lee Lynch, and Gavin Brennan who I feel could be the find of the season for us.”

As always the manager was in optimistic mood and saw the positives from the result on the night. He said:” We’ve gone three games unbeaten now. That might not mean much to many clubs, but it’s hugely important to us. We’ve got seven points from the last three games so I’m very pleased.”

Cooke certainly couldn’t be accused of taking anything for granted and concluded by recognising the efforts everyone in the club has put in over the last few months.

“All the people here in Drogheda are working hard. In terms of the players, a lot of the lads had never played at this level before and it’s important to remember that. All I can do is thank them and continue on as we are. It’s onwards and upwards now and we look forward to St. Pats next week.”