Canning reflects on first win ahead of trip to Ballyclare

SIR Alex Ferguson once famously said “football, bl***y h*ll’ and I guess Dergview manager Tommy Canning knows exactly what the former Manchester United manager meant after watching his Dergview team, against all the odds, defeat promotion-chasing Annagh United at Darragh Park on Saturday.

The Castlederg side were missing eight regulars, including long-term absentees Blaine Burns and Lee McNulty, and yet his charges conjured up a surprise 1-0 victory – their first win of the season.

Perhaps most encouraging for Canning is that his patched-up team had deservedly earned the three points on offer.

“I’m delighted for the players and full credit to them,” he said.

“We were heavily depleted and to a man the players stood up and really fought, There was a real kind of desire to want to win the game of football and I’m proud of them for that and happy for them.

“You see people at the end there waiting to clap the players off and you really understand that people want them to do well. I think they understand that and see that.

“It’s tough going from week to week when you can’t get wins so to get one today when maybe people didn’t expect it was a great feeling. ”

“I just said to the players afterwards it wasn’t a smash and grab by any stretch of the imagination so in that sense we deserved it. But it was tough. We weren’t comfortable at 1-0, we had a lot of defending to do and a lot of work to do.

“I was pleased with our shape out of possession especially when we went a goal up. Annagh didn’t play through us a great deal, they didn’t get down the side of us a lot – they did first half but not in the second.

“Yeah, I would say we earned the three points but you earn every three points in the Championship.

“It felt like games we won last year; were there’s not a lot in it but your battling in the game and trying to create a wee opening. Thankfully Jamie Browne was alive in the box to win the penalty and Mikhail tucked it away well.

“We had a few other opportunities on the counter attack and had we a bit more confidence and belief we could have made more of them.

“Special mention for young boys Sam Robb and Shea Devlin. Shea, in particular, carried a real threat gliding across a heavy pitch to get at them.

“I’m delighted for him, he’s waited a long time to get his opportunity and Sam as well.

“We matched Annagh, we are delighted to get the three points and delighted to get the monkey off the back.”

Despite the result, Dergview remain rooted to the bottom of the Championship table three points adrift of HW Welders.

Canning knows better than anyone that one swallow doesn’t make a summer and he acknowledged the test for his players was to back Saturday’s result up over the coming weeks.

“That’s the test now. We have Ballyclare next followed by Annagh again on the Tuesday night. It’s going to be Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday for the next wee wile,” he added.

“You don’t want to get too far ahead of yourself. Annagh was a hard fought win and we now know that’s our standard, our line in the sand.

“We need those type of performances and hopefully we can get results. Everybody knows that whereever you are sitting in this division two or three results can really change your outlook and the landscape in terms of where you are at.

“We’ll try and build on this result and get a bit of momentum in a positive sense.”