BICKERSTAFF CALLS FOR PERFORMANCE OF PRIDE

RHYL (1) V BOHEMIAN (5)
INTERTOTO CUP FIRST ROUND SECOND LEG
SATURDAY - JUNE 28, 2.30pm
ALTHOUGH Rhyl face a seemingly unsurmountable deficit going into tomorrow's return Intertoto Cup clash at Belle Vue, senior coach Allan Bickerstaff is urging Lilywhites fans to come out in force to support the team.
The Lilies were sitting pretty last Saturday evening with a 1-0 half time lead at Dalymount Park against all the odds but the second period saw a complete transformation as Bohemian turned on the goal power.
Bickerstaff could not hide his disappointment after the final whistle but refused to accept the tie is over: "It's never over until it's over, but it's likely we'll be playing only for pride," he said.
"It was very disappointing in the end as we'd done so well in the first half; really it was a game of two halves, we were two different sides out there.
"There are some very despondent players in that dressing room whose pride has been hurt, but we'll be going all out to win on Saturday. It's very important that we respond to this and restore some pride by getting a good result.
"Bohemians are a very good side; they've set the standard tonight that we want; we want to be coming off the field having thrashed someone 5-1 with a performance like that.
"I hope we still get a good crowd at Belle Vue; we've still got pride to play for and the players want to put things right. We certainly proved for 45 minutes last Saturday that we can compete with them (Bohemian)."
The second leg kicks off at Belle Vue at 2.30pm on Saturday and is a ticket-only game.