'I am starting to look at the other end of the table'- Kerr

Enniskillen Rangers manager Michael Kerr has conceded that his side have no chance of retaining the Mercer League title after they suffered a fifth consecutive defeat.

Rangers latest loss, a 5-4 reversal to division one newcomers Augher Stars, means they have not picked up a league point since September and have slumped to ninth in the league table, fifteen points behind the leaders and just one point above the relegation zone.  

Kerr admits relegation is a real concern if they do not turn their season around quickly.   

“If we won our remaining fourteen games we still wouldn’t win the league,” he admitted.  

“We are too far off. We are one hundred per cent gone out of the league, and to be quite honest I am starting to look at the other end of the table.

"I know people will say that Rangers will not get relegated but there has to come a time when you realise that other teams are picking up points and we are not. That is where we are at, at the minute.

"That is the truth of it. This is a bad run we are on and we are picking up no points. We are going to have to look at ourselves and see what we can do. We are leaking far too many goals.” 

The low point of their current dismal run came at halftime on Saturday when they found themselves five-nil down to an Augher Stars side that had lost all seven of their previous league games this season.  

Kerr admits that at that stage of the game, he was considering stepping down from his position as manager before a second half revival changed his mind.  

“I said to the boys at half time on Saturday that that was honestly me done,” he revealed.  

“I was not for coming back, but they did show a bit of character in the second half, and showed they weren’t going to throw in the towel. Unfortunately, it was just too big of a mountain to climb.” 

“We need to do better all over, myself and the players. It has been a long weekend.  I hope for the players, but for myself as well, there has been a lot of thinking and a lot of soul searching. 

"I am not leaving at the minute, but it certainly crossed my mind and if things don’t pick up soon then maybe the club might have no option.

"It is alright saying I might have a bit of credit in the bank, or we are missing players, but I still felt the team we had out on Saturday had enough to win that game.” 

In a nightmare first half for the reigning league champions, Stars raced into a five-goal lead with a hat-trick from Christopher McKenna, and further goals from Mark Kerr and Sam Barrett.  

Kerr acknowledged that the level of Rangers’ first-half performance was a long way below the standards they have been setting in recent seasons, but he felt it was not just an issue of confidence.  

“Maybe for some of the players, but some I don’t feel are lacking confidence,” he said.  

“Maybe they are even trying too hard to get something out of these games.  The goals we gave away were schoolboy errors. Not doing the basics right, not winning headers, not shielding the ball, just a catalogue of errors.  

"Certainly, in the first half, they didn’t do anywhere near enough to get anything from the game.” 

In the second half, Stars had Fintan Kelly dismissed as Augher picked up their fourth red card in two games, and moments later the Rangers fightback began in unusual fashion, with goalkeeper Ben Arthurs lofting a ball from halfway into the Stars penalty area that bounced over their goalkeeper and into the net.  

The goals sparked Rangers into life as they made it three goals in six minutes.  

Jake Browne poked the ball past the keeper to add a second and Keenan fired across the keeper moments later to pull to within two.  

Rangers could not find a fourth until Jason Keenan’s strike in the final minute of added time however, as they fell just short of a remarkable comeback.