Gary Hamilton looking ‘game to game’ to deal with mounting Glenavon player pain

Hamilton accepts restricted resources as a price in the pursuit of a 38-game Danske Bank Premiership season within a campaign disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s tough at the minute, but we all wanted this,” said Hamilton. “We all wanted to play football again and we wanted to be in each other’s company again to have the social side of things again as well as playing football.

“We can’t turn round now and say it’s bad on the players...the players all wanted it, we all wanted it as staff, the club wanted it, there’s no point turning round now and saying it’s a bad situation.

“I certainly think the best decision for players’ welfare and mental health was to get the season started and to try and get the 38 games played.

“We are looking from game to game, there’s no point in looking at the top six or the split.

“We have lost five players in the space of two games, we’re playing Warrenpoint now with no centre-halves, we did that two weeks ago at Glentoran.

“It is what it is, we just have to get on with it.

“All I can ask is that they give us their all, which they have done consistently.

“They have only let me down twice this year, in the two derby games.”

TONIGHT’S FIXTURES: Ballymena United v Glentoran (7.30); Carrick Rangers v Crusaders, Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts, Glenavon v Warrenpoint Town, Portadown v Larne (7.45)

--

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world.

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you