Darren Mullen insists the "comeback starts now" after Newry City were relegated from the Danske Bank Premiership .
A 1-0 defeat to Dungannon Swifts sealed Newry's fate on Saturday, as nearest rivals Ards earned a point against Warrenpoint Town.
The Co Down side's rise to the Premiership was a mesmerising journey that included four promotions in five years.
But Mullen conceded the club just "hadn't been good enough" in the top flight this term.
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“The bottom line is we haven’t been good enough this season and haven’t done enough in front of goal, we just didn’t do enough," he said.
"The club is in a good state financially and structurally so there are no worries on that front, and I take responsibility for this relegation.
"We will learn from this experience and know we must bounce back and improve from this, we haven’t been out of our depth at all.
"Our comeback starts now and we must be able to put the ball in the net.”
Meanwhile, Ards will play either Carrick Rangers or Portadown in a two-legged promotion/relegation playoff after finishing 11th in the Premiership.
Warren Feeney's side drew 1-1 with Warrenpoint Town on Saturday.
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“We knew we had a job today and we were only focused on ourselves and not Newry, we believe in our strengths - we were professional," Feeney said.
"We pressed them in the first half, Warrenpoint are a good football side and we knew they would put pressure on us, but we did very well.
"If you throw babies into the water then the babies will swim, so I had no doubts about bringing youngsters into my team.
"I gave Paul Smyth his debut at Linfield so I have a track record of bringing these players through.”
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