Gary Hamilton calling for Glenavon consistency ahead of Glentoran clash

The defeat proved the final blow in a run of January disappointments that yielded a sole success from seven fixtures across three competitions.

The Lurgan Blues kicked off February, however, with an impressive 2-1 defeat of high-flying Crusaders and now tackle the Glens in search of some welcome positive momentum.

That New Year run of results serves as evidence of how old problems have too often disrupted Glenavon’s season.

“Consistency has been an issue - we’ve produced some really good performances then not followed up and that’s been the case on multiple occasions,” said Hamilton. “Our last game against Crusaders was really positive, with strong individual performances across the team to a man helping us get the reward of the win.

“But that will count for little if we cannot match that again against Glentoran.

“It comes down to players taking that individual responsibility and you could see against Crusaders how that positive approach then rubs off on your team-mates and everyone is setting the standard.

“This is probably the first time in my Glenavon managerial career where I’ve had people knocking on my door who don’t have that right to complain if not in the side.

“In the past it’s been difficult to explain to a player but this season only three or four can say with full honesty they’ve hit the heights.

“But now we’ve added players with that winning mentality in January and there is the competition for places which should really drive everyone on.”

Colin Coates, one of those January additions, is in line for a Glenavon debut following his switch from Crusaders and completion of a recent suspension.

That January joy marked Glentoran’s last Danske Bank Premiership win.

“Last week against Carrick we created plenty of chances and really should have had the game finished early on,” said Glentoran head coach Mick McDermott on the club’s official website. “It was disappointing to drop two points as in a league as competitive as this one we need to be capitalising when other teams drop points or aren’t playing.

“For Saturday’s match, everyone is fit and available apart from the longer-term injuries - that includes Seanan Clucus, who’ll be available for selection for the first time since joining us.

“He’s been exceptional in training over the past two weeks and I’m confident he’ll be a big asset to us.

“Also, the other new players have a further week at the club under their belt and they’re settling into Glentoran very well.

“Glenavon had a big result against Crusaders in their last game.

“Certainly, they’ve had a tough season by the standards Gary has set there, but we won’t make the mistake of assuming this match will be the same as our meeting last month.

“They’ve strengthened further, so I expect them to be well organised and out to prove a point - they’re capable of doing that but our players know we’re at the point of the season where we can’t approach any game with anything other than total focus, concentration and effort.

“They’ve all trained very well this week, so I have total confidence we’ll approach this match in exactly the right manner.”