Colin Coates: There are no 'pity-parties' in the Glenavon changing room as Lurgan Blues target first points of the season
Despite not picking up a point from their opening seven games – Glenavon assistant manager Colin Coates believes it “doesn't tell the tale of the tape”.
The Lurgan Blues find themselves rooted to the bottom of the Premiership table after seven successive defeats to start the new campaign.
The latest loss was a 1-0 defeat at Larne last time out as Matt Ridley’s late header broke Glenavon’s dogged resistance.
However, Coates and the management staff are refusing to hit the panic button at Mourneview Park as they maintain faith that a positive result is just around the corner.
"Yes, you're aware you've lost seven games and it's not ideal for any football team, but I think it's how you react and the gauge you get off the players,” he said.
"We just seem to have to got into a wee rut at the minute of bad luck and 'poor me' type stuff.
"When you're down there you keep getting kicked and the only way to get through it is to keep fighting and to keep working hard.
"To the players' credit, they're doing that every single week in training and on match days.
"We keep getting kicked but we'll keep coming back and it will turn, there's no doubt about that in our minds.
"I know supporters won't want to hear that – they'll want a result this weekend, as do we – but that effort and commitment we saw against Larne, if we can replicate that moving forward we'll have no problems.”
If Glenavon are to bank their first points of the season, there are going to have to do it the hard way as they face reigning champions Linfield at Windsor Park this afternoon.
David Healy was an interested spectator during the Larne vs Glenavon fixture last weekend but will be smarting after watching his side lose for the first time this season at Ballymena United on Tuesday night.
Coates added: “David's a clever man and he'll know that Linfield will be in for a game and a tough game.
“We've got a changing room full of good players and things just haven't been going our way at the minute.
“He'll know that we'll come to Windsor with a game plan of how we want to play and how we want to go and create chances but also obviously try to contain and stifle them.
"There’s no point in us taking pats on the back for a good performance – we're not into that.
“We're into results so it's important we have no 'pity parties' in that changing room, which we don't have.
“We look forward to Linfield and the challenge that brings.
“Every week this league brings a different challenge and Linfield's probably the ultimate challenge away at Windsor Park so we look forward to it, there’s no better game as a player to try and get that first win.”
The Lurgan Blues are set to be boosted by the return of Harry Murphy and Barney McKeown – but winger Peter Campbell is set for a spell on the sidelines.
“Peter has a bit more long-term injury which is unfortunate as he is such a huge player for us,” Coates continued.
“So many goals and goal contributions last season for us...probably one of the reasons why we haven't been scoring or creating enough this season.
“But it’s up to us to find solutions.”