Declan Devine praises Glentoran substitute impact in Crusaders victory and feels there's more to come
Glentoran manager Declan Devine praised the impact of his bench after helping complete a 3-1 comeback victory over Crusaders and insists The Oval outfit can get even better.
The Glens fell behind in the first half when Jordan Forsythe powered home a header from close range, but the match was transformed by three substitutes – Jordan Jenkins, Charlie Lindsay and Wassim Aouachria all getting their names on the scoresheet within the span of 10 minutes.
Victory helps move Devine’s side level on points with second-placed Cliftonville, who still have two games in hand, including Saturday’s trip to Portadown, and the former Derry City chief praised a collective effort after a number of key players were ruled out.
"We showed character, a willingness to keep going and not give up,” he told the club’s media channel. “We were down six starters over recent weeks through suspensions, illness and injuries and the guys came in and were outstanding.
"We didn't feel we should have been 1-0 down at half-time...Johnny (Russell) slipped at a corner and his man scored, but it was fantastic character to come to a tough venue and I thought it was deserved.
"We were in control for long periods. We'd a lot of good performances...Kodi (Lyons-Foster), Aaron Wightman, Charlie Lindsay, all three subs were really positive.
"The three boys came on and got goals and Harry Murphy came on and put his body on the line to get a block with five or six minutes to go. It was a real team, squad and staff effort.
"We were looking this morning not knowing what bodies we would have. We prepared yesterday with a different team. Danny Amos played higher up, Johnny Russell on a booking picks up a dead leg and had to come out, so all in all there was a lot of committed and desired performances."
The Glens face a testing end to 2024 with Tuesday’s BetMcLean Cup quarter-final against Ballymena United followed by a trip to Cliftonville, a Boxing Day showdown with rivals Linfield, who they’ve defeated three times so far this season, and then travel to Portadown.
They’ve now put together an unbeaten league run of three matches and Devine wants to see his side continue to build.
"We're playing a lot of top teams over the coming weeks but all we can ask for is commitment and dedication,” he added. “I think we can play better...at times we were a bit untidy with the ball but there are a lot of players playing their first minutes in a while.
"We can get better but we'll enjoy tonight."