Football: Sinking Crues

A STERN half-time team talk wasn't quite enough for Crusaders as they slipped closer to the bottom of the Irish League. The Seaview pitch was one of only two to survive the torrential rain that hit Northern Ireland overnight and didn't abate until late morning, by which time six games had been postponed. A record of just one win in 10 games sees the sceptre of a relegation play-off hanging over the Crues, who earlier in the campaign were looking to establish themselves in the top half of the table. Manager Alan Dornan roasted his players during the break after an inept first-half display and, although there was a positive response from his team after the interval, they could do nothing as Lisburn Distillery completed the job to take all three points. "The first-half performance disappointed me and I told the players that at half-time," said Dornan. "The attitude was bad, the work rate was poor and I asked for an improvement in the second half. "I asked the players to go out, work harder and to win the second half and we almost pulled it off. "We were better in the second half and were unfortunate because I thought we deserved something out of the game based on that performance. "We had our chances and Stephen McBride hit the crossbar with a great shot. On another day we might have got something from the game." Distillery won the match with a goal 11 minutes before half-time and it was clinical finishing to fully punish a bad defensive error. Francis Murphy found himself in the clear after collecting a Mark Holland pass. He rounded goalkeeper Neil Armstrong, who had raced off his line, steadied himself and delivered a perfectly weighted chip into the centre, where John Martin was on hand to head into an empty net from the edge of the six-yard box. Crusaders did have chances early in the second half. Brian Russell stretched but could not direct a header goalwards, and Chris Morrow's cross went across the face of goal without a team- mate being able to get on the end of it. McBride's effort then crashed against the bar on the hour mark but, apart from that, White's goalkeeper Philip Matthews was rarely troubled. "When we defend as badly as we did for the goal I expect us to get punished," added Dornan. "I want to know how Francis Murphy got past so many of our players and why John Martin was standing in the middle of our box with nobody marking him. "We are fighting for survival and that has been what our season is about. "I know there is still a lot of work to be done and we still need points to stay in the Premier League. "It doesn't get any easier for us though, we have to go to Linfield next Saturday. "There is no point in fearing them because then we will be beaten before we start. "We have to try to get something out of the match and I am looking forward to the challenge because we have nothing to lose."

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