Jordan Stewart says Glentoran have to keep their focus and see where it takes them as they prepare to face Cliftonville in the Sports Direct Premiership on Tuesday evening (Kick-off 7.45pm).

The Glens lost some ground in the title race following their draw at home to Linfield last time out with Larne now six points clear with four games to go.

Third-placed Coleraine also closed the gap on Declan Devine’s side with the deficit now two points and with so much at stake in the final month of the league campaign Stewart insists the BetMcLean Oval outfit must keep pushing until the end.

“Obviously you don’t want to be dropping points at any time let alone the last few games of the season, but it’s going to happen and I’m sure other teams around us will drop points too as we’re all playing each other,” said Stewart.

“What we have done well all season though is if we have dropped points we have bounced back in the next game and that has to be our objective now.

“Yes, Larne have extended their lead at the top but there’s still six points to play for and we have to play each other as well.

“All we can do is focus on ourselves and the next game, which is Cliftonville. There’s no point looking too far down the line because that’s when you trip yourself up.

“We have to make sure we do everything in our power to go out and get as many points as we can. That’s the only thing we are in control of.

“What happens after that is out of our control, but if we continue to give ourselves a chance then there’s not much else, we can do.

“We are almost at the end of the season. We’ve possibly only four games left and our aim is to finish the campaign as strongly as possible.

“Why things are still mathematically possible we will be giving all we can to keep the pressure on Larne.

“At the very least there’s a guaranteed place in the Conference League up for grabs and anything after that will be a bonus.”

The Glens have had the upper hand over the Reds so far this season winning three and drawing one of their four meetings to date.

In their last two meetings they have scored seven without reply with Pat Hoban bagging four and Stewart helping himself to a brace.

The wide man, who also scored a crucial equaliser in the recent draw with Coleraine, isn’t too worried who gets on the score sheet as long as Glentoran come away with the points.

“We’ve had a decent record against Cliftonville so far this season, and it’s nice to be going into the final league meeting with them still unbeaten,” said the 31-year-old.

“That’s a record we will be determined to keep going come the final whistle on Tuesday night.

“The last two games in particular have worked out very well for us, but again it comes down to the performance levels on the night.

“You don’t get results like that if you don’t produce out on the pitch and thankfully, we have done that.

“That night at Solitude we could have won by an even bigger margin but for an excellent performance by their keeper.

“It’s probably up there as one of our best performances all season if I’m being honest. Not many teams go to Solitude and win 4-0 that’s for sure.

“I was pleased to score a couple that night especially as I only came on 10 minutes into the second half!

“Pat grabbed a couple that night too and followed it up with another brace in our most recent meeting with them at The BetMcLean Oval last month.

“I’m sure Cliftonville will be glad to see the back of him this season, but to be fair he’s been such an asset for us since joining in the summer.

“He’s such a threat in the penalty area and if you give him half a chance, he usually buries it.

“To be honest though I really don’t mind who gets a goal on Tuesday night as long as someone does. The only thing that matters for us now is coming out on the right side of the result.”

Having not played in 10 days Stewart is hoping the Glentoran fans will be out in force in north Belfast to help cheer them on once again.

“Yeah, it’s a bit strange not having a game for 10 days as our schedule since January has been pretty full on,” said Stewart.

“We’ve been playing two games a week for what feels like the last couple of months and what has been pleasing is that our performance levels have still been high.

“There’s been no complaints in the squad over the schedule or any shouts of being tired, in fact we’ve all looked forward to every game we’ve played.

“It seems like ages since the ‘Big Two’ game, but we’ll all be raring to go again come Tuesday night and I’ve no doubt the fans will be too.

“No matter how many games we’ve had in a week or where they have been, the fans have always come out in their numbers to get behind us and it has made a big difference in so many games.

“Not only would we thank them for their support this season but also reinforce how important they are to us.

“We’ve only four games left and it’s more important now than ever that we all give it one big push together.

“I’ve no doubt they will be out in force again on Tuesday night and we will be aiming to repay them with another good result and performance.”

Glentoran’s away allocation for the Sports Direct Premiership meeting with Cliftonville at Solitude on Tuesday night is now sold out.