Declan Caddell is backing his players to prove last weekend’s performance against Portadown will stand as an anomaly – despite the pattern on paper.

Although the Crues’ track record over three games inside one week read as zero points, zero goals scored and consecutive defeats, Caddell points to the Portadown loss as a special case.

Now he wants his side to bounce back and stop the rot today away to a Loughgall side also struggling for points.

When asked after Saturday was the 2-0 defeat to Portadown different to the previous games with Glenavon and Dungannon Swifts, Caddell responded "100 per cent".

placeholder image — Crusaders boss Declan Caddell. (Photo by Andrew McCarroll/Pacemaker Press)

“The last couple of weeks I thought we were brilliant,” he said. "In terms of Glenavon we had loads of the ball, we controlled the game, we dictated the game.

"We were caught with one ball over the top, which happens in football.

"Dungannon I thought we deserved to get something out of the game, especially the way we played the second half.

"But today (v Portadown) we didn't deserve anything out of the game.

"Credit goes to Portadown, they came and were well-drilled, they out-fought us, they out-worked us.

"That's the disappointing thing and that's up to us to sort out."

The Crues started life under Caddell in his first senior management role with a positive return.

"The first two, three games we out-worked teams, we out-fought teams,” he said. "Probably the last three weeks we've had a lot more of the ball.

"As football players you (can) switch off defensively when you have a lot more of the ball.

"You're not as drilled, you're not as set-up.

"We've been exploited now the last three weeks with a couple of counter-attacks that have really hurt us.

"You look at the goals the last three weeks and that's something for us to fix going forward. It's disappointing."

Although aware of struggles to break down Glenavon, Caddell picked out scoring opportunities against both Dungannon and Portadown.

So the Crues boss remains calm over the lack of a goals return in recent fixtures - but concerned how on Saturday “as the game went on we looked tired”, citing “that's something as a coaching staff we need to fix”.