Carrick Rangers boss Stephen Baxter 'anxious' after 'three of our most influential players' pick up injuries
Carrick Rangers manager Stephen Baxter admits he’s anxious about injuries picked up by “three of our most influential players” during Saturday’s stalemate with Loughgall.
Both Paul Heatley and Cian O’Malley were forced off within 30 minutes at Taylors Avenue while former Linfield midfielder Ethan Boyle couldn’t continue after the break due to an ankle injury.
It’s a further blow for Carrick, who missed a golden opportunity to secure their first Premiership win since November 30 when Kyle Cherry was denied by Nathan Gartside from the penalty spot – the Villagers goalkeeper also saved two spot-kicks against the same opposition in December.
Baxter’s men remain nine points ahead of bottom side Loughgall, but are 12 adrift of tenth-placed Glenavon, who also have a match in hand, leaving Carrick as favourites to contest a promotion/relegation play-off with the Championship’s second-best team.
Having failed to score in eight of their last 11 league games, the sight of joint top-scorer Heatley limping off will be of great concern to the Carrick faithful, and Baxter admits he’s worried about the trio.
"It's probably one of great disappointment with how well we've played in the first 30 minutes in particular, bombarding their goal, had them under siege really,” he reflected on the club’s media channel. “To miss a penalty, to get three or four cleared off the line - and one that possibly looked over the line - and to not get the breakthrough when we should really be three up at half-time, that's the great disappointment for us.
"You have to take your chances when you're on top and we didn't do it.
"It allows a team to turn it into a fight in the second half and while it was even, we were under pressure in the last 10 minutes because they threw caution to the wind and had a go at it.
"We lost three of our most influential players to injury which doesn't look good for us. Heatley, Ethan Boyle, Cian O'Malley - that's a worry in many ways going forward.
"You have to work your way through it and that's what a team and squad is all about. We have to roll with the punches.
"I can't give a full update but I know one or two are muscle pulls and that's never good.
"Ethan has got a whack on the ankle or turned it...he played through 20 minutes of severe pain and that doesn't look good either. I'm anxious about all those things."
Carrick will now turn their attention to an Irish Cup quarter-final against Dungannon Swifts – a competition which Baxter won four times during a trophy-laden spell at Crusaders – next weekend.
"Sometimes you can take the pressure off yourself,” he added. “The league is your bread and butter and you’re fighting tooth and nail all the time across a long season.
“You’re either in or out of the Irish Cup at the end of any given game so we’ll be ready to play.
"There are boys in there busting to play and one or two who will be fit and ready to play.
"We look forward to that challenge and know that Dungannon are an excellent team. We must roll our sleeves up and have a go at it.”