Jarlath O’Rourke says Glentoran cannot dwell on their Irish Cup exit with the focus now on Tuesday night’s visit to Bangor in the Sports Direct Premiership (Kick-off 7.45pm).

The Glens suffered penalty shoot-out agony at the hands of Larne to exit the Cup at the quarter-final stage on Friday night.

And while it was a tough one to take for Declan Devine’s men, O’Rourke insists there is still plenty to play for this season.

“It’s always difficult when you go out on penalties, it’s not a nice way to lose a game but it has happened and we just have to get on with it now,” said O’Rourke.

“Obviously we want to get as far as possible in every competition we play this season, but we can’t let this result define the remainder of the campaign.

“We have some big games coming up over the next few weeks and our focus has to be on that. We cannot dwell on what happened on Friday night as it will take our attention away from what we need to focus on.

“Tuesday night against Bangor now becomes our most important game of the season so far as we have to do everything we can to bounce back.

“Thankfully we haven’t suffered too many disappointments over the last few months, but when we have we have responded in the next game, and we have to make sure that is the case again come Tuesday night.

“Good teams always bounce back quickly and that is what we will be aiming to do. Every team will suffer disappointments from now until the end of the season, but it’s how you react to them which makes the difference and that is the message we will be reinforcing now.”

Tuesday night’s game at Clandeboye Park is Glentoran’s final game in hand and the significance of the match is not lost on O’Rourke.

Victory over the Seasiders would close the gap on league leaders Larne to just two points with seven games left to play in the title race.

Former Crusaders defender O’Rourke knows Glentoran have to keep the pressure on the Invermen at the top of the table as the games continue to count down.

“It’s hard to believe that we will have finally caught up on games played with the teams around us as for so long we have been seemingly playing catch-up,” said the 30-year-old.

“We obviously had a gap to make up both in terms of points and games played and we have done well so far, but we have to try and close it further on Tuesday night.

“The game is obviously significant because we want to bounce back from our cup defeat, but it also carries a lot of weight as we can cut the gap on Larne to just two points.

“That is an opportunity we do not want to miss as we know just how important it is to keep the pressure on them especially as the games are running out.

“We know it won’t be easy however, as Bangor have shown on plenty of occasions already this season the quality they possess.

“They have maybe struggled of late to pick up wins but on their day they are more than capable of getting a result and we have to be wary of that.

“As always we will have our homework done and be well-prepared by the boss and the staff. The onus will be on us as players to produce a performance out on the pitch.

“We know what we are capable of and we know what we have achieved already this season, but it counts for nothing now unless we go on and make it a season to remember for all the right reasons.”

O’Rourke made a January switch to the BetMcLean Oval along with former Crusaders team-mate Ross Clarke, and both players have settled in well in east Belfast.

The full-back feels there is more to come and is looking forward to celebrating more big days with the Glentoran support.

“It’s gone really well for myself and Ross since we made the move from the Crues,” said O’Rourke.

“I think we have both settled in well, and it probably helped that we came here together and that we know a few of the lads already here.

“I think you can see in our performances that we are well settled in our new surroundings and that we are enjoying our football.

“It all helps that we have come into a team playing well and who are challenging for honours as well as there is so much confidence and belief about the place.

“That makes it a lot easier when you are a player coming into a new club as there is a lot of momentum, it’s just about buying into what you’re trying to achieve.

“There is a lot of competition for places in the squad so we all know that you have to perform when you’re given the opportunity, and I think that has been pretty evident in our performances of late.

“The fans have seen what we’re trying to do and the backing they have given us certainly does not go unnoticed among the players.

“No matter what is happening in the games they continually get behind us and that has helped us get over the line in so many games.

“On Friday night they were willing us on, especially after we went down to 10-men. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get over the line but it wasn’t for the want of trying and I think the fans appreciate that.

“Hopefully we will give them plenty to cheer about in the coming weeks as we want to make it an exciting end to the campaign.”

For Glentoran fans planning to attend Tuesday’s Sports Direct Premiership fixture against Bangor, match tickets are available to purchase at:  https://bangorfc.com/away-tickets.php