Ballymena boss Jeffrey makes a case for his defence

The Sky Blues have played free-flowing football this season and goals have been aplenty - but Saturday’s 4-2 defeat to Ards has left Jeffrey looking for a response from his players this evening.

“If we play like we did against Ards then there will be plenty of goals, but not for us.

“I am looking for a response from my players against Glenavon.

“I watched Glenavon against Cliftonville on Friday night and it was a superb game of football. Fantastic entertainment for anybody who attended.

“Glenavon may not have won but they played football of the highest quality. I’m certainly not fooled by a couple of recent results.

“Glenavon are a fantastic team and we will have to work very hard to beat them.

“We will go toe-to-toe with them, as we do every week.

“I will want to see an improvement on Saturday’s display, however, it’s important to keep things in context.

“Yes, Saturday’s Ards result was disappointing but if you look at the bigger picture I believe we are heading in the right direction.

“We have done tremendously well for much of the season but there will be setbacks along the way and now it’s all about how we respond,

“I didn’t overreact when we won big games, and I’m not going to overreact to a defeat. We are making baby steps in the right direction.”

And Cliftonville will be looking to get more points on the board as they entertain Carrick Rangers at Solitude.

The Reds sit third in the standings but they will know that Rangers will not be pushover as they have improved under Aaron Callaghan in recent weeks.

Also tonight, Glentoran travel to Portadown and Dungannon Swifts take on Ballinamallard United.

Meanwhile, Ards will look to build on their victory against Ballymena as they face Crusaders at home.