Coleraine boss Oran Kearney laments lack of 'spark and energy' in defeat to Crusaders

Speaking after the 2-0 loss, Kearney conceded his side’s performance was ‘nowhere close’ to the recent form the Bannsiders have produced.

"We looked toothless today and we haven't done so in quite a while,” he continued. "We didn't have a shot on target throughout the day.

"People talk about the run and everything else, but it's not about that we've been in good form, our performance levels have been really good, and have been for quite a while, but that performance was nowhere close.

"We don't scream and shout from the rooftops about injuries and everything else that goes with it but it has been challenging over the last couple of weeks.

"It's been very much the same group of fellas who have gone to the well over the last three weeks or so.

"Even Andy Scott, in an ideal world he shouldn't be playing today, he came to us fit enough but without a pile of games behind him.

"With the volume of minutes he's put in over this past week he was like the Tin Man in the first 10 minutes.

"You could tell he was under the weather from that point of view. We didn't really have the personnel so he had to go that way to start with.

"That's fine when you're going Saturday to Saturday, but today it just looked like a bridge too far."

Crusaders’ opener arrived on 36 minutes as Stephen O’Donnell misjudged the bounce of the ball, which allowed Paul Heatley to run through.

"The breeze was quite strong and in those two opportunities the ball seemed to take a real skip off the surface,” Kearney added. "I think for the first goal Stevie is trying to be smart but if he goes and attacks it he can get enough on the ball to send it forward again.

"Those are the things at the business end of the season that didn't happen at the other end of the pitch as Robinson or whoever would have just put it out over the stand. It's those things which really hurt you on a day like today.

"It gave them an adrenaline boost which was what we were searching for on a day like today as it would have given us something to hold on to and made it extremely hard for them."