Manager’s programme notes
Posted : 22nd November 2022
This double header of tough Premiership home games against Larne and Crusaders will conclude a demanding schedule of fixtures through the month of November.
However, we come into these games on the back of a pleasing run of form and results, having recorded six wins and a draw from our most recent seven games in all competitions.
We have built up some momentum and confidence and our aim is to maintain this pleasing run of form and results for as long as we possibly can.
Larne will arrive here full of confidence and determined to maintain their place in pole position at the top of the league table. They have quality players throughout their squad and they showed in their recent 4-2 win here that they are sure to be a serious contender for the league title this season.
Crusaders will provide their usual formidable challenge to us when they arrive at Windsor Park for the weekend game and having already defeated us in the earlier league game at Seaview this season, they will believe that there is no reason why they can’t win against us for a second time in the league.
I’ve been delighted with the performances and the results in our most recent games. We’ve recorded excellent wins against Glenavon (2-1) and Ballymena (2-0) in the Premiership and against Glentoran (2-1) in the County Antrim Shield semi-final.
The players have been working really hard in training and in matches and I’ve been delighted that they’ve started to get the positive results that their efforts have merited.
We’ve already played over 30 competitive games this season but the hard work is set to get even tougher, as we continue to compete on all fronts available to us. While the defence of our Premiership title is our number one priority, I’m delighted that we can look forward to a County Antrim Shield final against Larne on January 17, a Betmclean cup semi-final against Glentoran on December 6 and a SPFL Trust trophy 4th round tie away to Kelty Hearts on December 10.
Injuries continue to frustrate our efforts. Andrew Clarke missed last week’s trip to Ballymena and he will be missing for further games. Joel Cooper also missed recent games, having had to come off injured against Glenavon and our medical team will be working hard to get him fit and available for the squad as soon as possible.
Niall Quinn, Jordan Stewart and Ben Hall continue to make progress on the road to recovery and it was pleasing to welcome Stephen Fallon back to the subs bench for Friday’s game in Ballymena.
Congratulations to Jimmy Callacher who marked his 350th appearance for the club with a crucial goal in Friday’s league game away to Ballymena.
These back-to-back end of November League games against Larne and Crusaders are vitally important for our goal of aiming to climb into a challenging position in the league table and we will really need the positive backing and encouragement of our supporters to help drive us on.