Declan Caddell insists Crusaders have 'no time to feel sorry for ourselves' with European football on the line

The Crues started brightly and had numerous early chances to take the lead, but they were ultimately left to rue a lack of cutting edge as Christie Pattisson, David Fisher, Jordan Jenkins and Kodi Lyons-Foster made them pay the price.

It means Caddell’s men can no longer finish second – their slim hopes were mathematically ended with Saturday’s setback – which leaves the play-offs as their sole route back to the European stage.

On the whole, it has been a positive first season in the Seaview dugout for Caddell, who continued the club’s remarkable record of securing a top-half Premiership finish in every campaign since a 12-team top-flight was introduced in 2008/09, and is hoping his side can replicate a similar run of form following their last heavy league defeat.

Crusaders were beaten 5-1 by Dungannon Swifts in January but responded in some style, winning five of their next six to cement a top-six position.

"We’re all looking for momentum, it took a big dent today but I think back to the last time we were beaten like this by Dungannon and we were able to put together a strong run after it,” said Caddell. "The players are hurting, I’m hurting, and it’s about picking ourselves up, galvanising and going again.

"There are three weeks left of the season – we’ve no time to feel sorry for ourselves. We have to roll our sleeves up and get on with it.

"For the first 25 minutes I thought we were brilliant and all the momentum was with us.

"We had three really good opportunities to go ahead in the game and we didn’t take them.

"We were punished and conceded two goals in five minutes, so it’s an uphill task against a good Glentoran side – you can’t give away two goals like that and expect to win football matches. It doesn’t happen.

"As the game went on it became stretched and we had to have a go because we were 2-0 down and they caught us on the break a couple of times.

"Glentoran were clinical today, I think they had five shots on target and scored four, so they were clinical with their opportunities and we weren’t good enough today.”

Caddell’s side have conceded the most goals (52) of any team in the Premiership’s top-half this season and he was left frustrated once again this weekend.

"We are missing four really key players in Jacob Blaney, Harry Jewitt-White, Ross Clarke and Jordan Stewart...you have to chop and change things but we had enough quality and experience on the pitch to get a result,” he added. "The players showed in the first 25 or 30 minutes that they can and we were very good, but the goals we conceded were poor, they are schoolboy goals and that’s the bottom line.

"Everybody has to take responsibility for that, not just the defenders. That was the story of the game and we weren’t good enough.”