KEIRON Cunningham has given his thoughts ahead of this weekend’s tough trip to Hull FC.
And he admits there is plenty to do following Saints continuing inconsistent form.
“Like most coaches and teams we are still striving for consistency,” he said. “It is the part of the season when you need to put things together.
“But we know there is one thing we aren’t doing and that is defending well. We can attack when we need to but we are not doing the other side of the game. It frustrates the life out of me and everyone involved because we work hard on it.
“We knew this four-game period would be big for us and now we are playing teams above us that are competing for the spots we want. It will be a good test for us and as a coach you wouldn’t want it any other way.
“Sunday was a bitter pill to swallow. We are striving for better and for more from the players here. They are in the same spot – they want to get better and improve.
“Hull FC are one of the form teams in the comp but we know if we defend and attack well then we are a tough team to play against.”
He continued: “We work hard and break down our defence. We practice sequences and everything is recorded and filmed. But at the end of the day it is down to hard work. We have people maybe thinking they are working harder than they probably are at the moment.
“We have had some home truths in recent days; we are all striving for the same goal. Collectively as a group we need to be better because we can’t wait until we have the ball in hand to improve games. We have to work just as hard when the opposition has the ball.”
Saints are hopeful Jonny Lomax will be fit for this Saturday’s match but Dominique Peyroux and Mark Percival are unlikely to return.
“Percy and Dom have leg injuries and we have to make sure things are ok with Jonny because of the length of time he has been out,” Cunningham added. “We are light on outside backs but we will get them back. I still believe in the squad we have here; we have plenty of good players.
“We are fighting hard and I actually thought heading into the Magic Weekend we had a little form too. But that is the way we are going at the moment. We are on and then we are off and we know we have to get that right.
“It means a lot to me. I am a local kid who grew up in our system. I fought hard from the age of 16 for this club. I do take it personal and hard when things aren’t going right. I don’t want to be letting the fans down and people like Eamonn McManus, Mike Rush and Mike Coleman. I will keep fighting until the end with these players. I still believe in this group and I am always confident we can do things this year.
“I know where we are heading and I have to stick by my guns. If anything, like when I was playing, it gives me added motivation to do even better.
“Having a point to prove and proving people wrong has been part of my life since I was young. I was told at 15 I wasn’t big enough and I wouldn’t make it. Now people are saying I won’t do anything for the club and I am not a good coach. For me that is added motivation to do well and I will prove a lot of people wrong.”
Hull FC have advised us that Saturday’s scheduled reserve game has been postponed.
The clubs had planned to play a reserve fixture at the KC Stadium following the first-team match on the same day, but this has now been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.
Both clubs will look into the potential of re-arranging the fixture for a future date.
Ticket holders for this match will be able to attend the re-arranged fixture for free by retaining their match ticket.
Hull FC would like to apologise to supporters who were looking forward to the additional fixture and for any inconvenience this may cause.
Ticket details are here.
