WATCH: 'Schoolboy defensive errors and a lack of fitness have cost us' says Newry City coach Dermot McVeigh

Newry City are as good as relegated following last night’s 3-1 defeat at home to Carrick Rangers, and their coach Dermot McVeigh spoke to the Newry Reporter to analyse how they were unable to climb out of the danger zone.

Things started so brightly for Newry with an early goal, but in the space of 15 minutes at the end of the first half, they conceded three soft goals and had Fra McCaffrey dismissed for a straight red card, and McVeigh was tearing his hair out at his side’s defensive display.

“It’s gut wrenching,” he said.

“We started the game very well, it couldn’t have went better. I thought we were on top, and we got a justified goal. But after that, to be honest, we showed complete schoolboy defending.

“The first goal came from one run off the shoulder; we conceded a penalty kick again, although Mitchell is adamant that he got a touch of the ball; for the next goal, Gibson has run through five or six players. You wouldn’t see it in schoolboy football.

“The lads know that, they have been told that, and sometimes things like that justifies why we are where we are in the league, and we can’t hide that fact.”

It has been a difficult season on and off the pitch for City, which saw Gary Boyle resign after three wins in 23 league games in the managerial position. Then Barry Gray arrived to steer the ship to safety, before he had to step back three games ago due to his ongoing battle with cancer.

McVeigh came in alongside Gray in January, and he says they wish they had a pre season with the team, and with second tier football looming, it will be interesting to see who stays and who goes at The Showgrounds.

“Our objective as a staff was to keep them up. At the minute, it doesn’t look as though that has happened,” said McVeigh.“Now we’re here as part of a bigger plan. Regarding the players, somethings will stay in the changing room that they were lacking, and we saw that they were lacking.

“We have had that discussion and things will change going forward. Players who want to be a part of that will be here, players who don’t will be gone.

“It’s a group of players who we would have loved to have had a pre season with. In my opinion, they are not fit enough, they’re not strong enough, and it showed in a lot of the games since we have come in.”