Sat 5 Sep 2026, 10:13
Assistant Manager Paddy McCourt has called on Glentoran to use the coming week to address the mistakes which have undermined their start to the Irish Premiership season.
The Glens suffered a 2-1 defeat against Larne at Inver Park on Friday night, with Aaron McEneff’s late penalty unable to complete a comeback after second-half goals from Sean Graham and Matty Lusty.
The result leaves Glentoran with two wins and three defeats from their opening five league fixtures and McCourt acknowledged the need for improvement ahead of next Saturday’s meeting with Bangor at the BetMcLean Oval.
“It is disappointing to lose,” he said. “I thought we were in good shape during the first half, although we didn’t do enough with the ball at times, particularly when we regained possession and had opportunities to counter-attack.
“In the second half, we gave away two awful goals and struggled for long periods.
“We changed to a 4-4-2 and went for it towards the end. Ross came on and, in fairness to him, put himself forward despite struggling over the last week or so.
“We got the penalty, but we couldn’t build enough momentum to create the second opportunity we needed to find an equaliser.
“The overriding feeling is one of disappointment. We have conceded too many sloppy goals and it has happened too often already this season. We have to cut that out very quickly.”
McCourt was equally candid about Glentoran’s work in possession, admitting the visitors did not create enough opportunities to test the Larne defence.
A demanding schedule has limited the time available to work with the players on the training pitch, but the Assistant Manager believes the eight-day break before Bangor’s visit will provide an important opportunity to reset.
“It is difficult to take too many positives from a night when you have lost,” he said.
“The biggest disappointment was the manner in which we conceded the goals, but the truth is that we didn’t threaten Larne enough with the ball either.
“We need to get back on the training pitch. We haven’t had much time to work with the players, and three games in six days can be difficult at this stage of the season.
“We now have eight days before our next game. We have to keep our heads down, keep pushing forward and use that time to work on the things we need to improve.”
Glentoran’s preparations have also been complicated by a significant injury list, with the limited numbers available having an impact beyond matchday selection.
Josh Kelly was forced off before half-time at Inver Park, although McCourt confirmed that the midfielder’s withdrawal was due to illness rather than a suspected injury.
“Josh came off because he was feeling dizzy and sick,” he explained. “He had no energy and started to feel unwell, so we are hopeful it isn’t an injury as such.
“The injuries have affected our ability to train with a full squad. It isn’t only about the 11 players selected on a Friday or Saturday; we have had very small numbers available in training.
“We have had to be careful with the amount of work we do because we cannot afford to lose any more players. It has a real knock-on effect and impacts much more than the game itself.
“We hope to have a few bodies back during the week. We need to keep working, remain together and make sure we are ready to respond.”
McCourt and First Team Coach Tim McCann have led the team during Declan Devine’s absence through illness over the past two fixtures.
The Assistant Manager revealed that Devine remains under medical advice to rest and admitted the players and staff had hoped to secure a positive result for the manager at Inver Park.
“Declan is ill and under doctor’s orders to rest at home,” McCourt said.
“We are all gutted for him because we wanted to produce a performance and get a win for him, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.
“Hopefully he is feeling better soon.”
