Tiernan Lynch has no concerns over his difficult start to life as Derry City manager, after coming through challenging times in his early days at Larne also.
It has not been the ideal beginning for City’s new boss, who has suffered three defeats from his first four games in charge, incurring a red card and a one-game suspension in the midst of it.
However, this is not the first time that Lynch has faced difficult circumstances in the early days of a new job, with his time at Larne beginning with nine successive away games due to construction work at Inver Park back in 2017.
“It’s definitely not my first rodeo in this situation,” he agreed.
“It depends where you are coming from.
“There were times during those first games at Larne where you were scratching your head wondering, ‘We’re a mile off’.
“You’re not doing that in this situation, you’re actually getting so much confidence and I’m sure the supporters are probably getting even more frustrated when they see you’re not getting results and me maybe coming out and saying that there’s really good things that happened in that game.
“My mindset and their mindset are probably very different. I see the bigger picture, as a supporter you see here and now.
“That’s not criticism on my part because I very much get that, so we just have to keep believing.
“We just have to keep knowing that with the things that we’re doing, those results have to turn for us.
“It’s that old situation where, once it changes and you get a couple of results, confidence changes and you become a different team and we just need to hope and pray that that comes sooner rather than later.”
Lynch now turns his attention to Galway United on Friday night, well aware of the frustration growing due to Derry City’s poor start to the new League campaign.
“Without trying to feel sorry for ourselves. I think there were definitely big decisions in all those games which went against us,” he reflected
“We’re probably frustrated because we feel in most of those games we have probably been the better team.
“We’ll work hard now and Friday is another night and we’ll go again.”
“We haven’t had any games where we’ve come away scratching our heads thinking we’re miles behind. It hasn’t been that at all.
“There have been very fine margins and the decisions that go with it.
“We just have to keep clear heads, keep believing in the process, and I do believe that with the talent that they have, the ability that they have and the work ethic that they have, that this will turn.”
Former Northern Ireland international Carl Winchester will serve the first of a two-game suspension against Galway United after Derry’s appeal against his red card was dismissed earlier this week.