Glenavon 'big summer’ but Paddy McLaughlin wants progress plan to start now
Derby dates may offer a shot at short-term bragging rights but Paddy McLaughlin will make the trip to Portadown tonight with long-term planning part of Glenavon’s goal.
The Lurgan Blues kick off the post-split five-game run-in with a Shamrock Park test against a Ports side sitting level on points with Cliftonville in the race for seventh spot.
McLaughlin’s men hold a 12-point advantage over Carrick Rangers in the battle to beat the drop.
Premiership safety may still stand as the main mathematical prize but McLaughlin is keen to use the final weeks of the current campaign to aid plans for future progress.
"We've five big games,” said McLaughlin following the most recent Glenavon game, a 1-0 loss to Larne. “We'd young lads on the bench I'd love to have put on but today was on a knife-edge.
"The conditions and how the game was panning out, with a lot of it up in the air at times, it wouldn't have been the right time.
"But it would be nice to start blooding guys over the next five games.
"And that's not to say the season's over, we've a lot to play for...remember we're still looking over our shoulder and you want to finish as high as you can.
"The development of our young players is important too going into next season.
"We're very thin in the squad so with some experience between now and the end of the season we'll know who is capable of coming with us next, or the under 20s or maybe even out on loan.
"It's important we blood these young guys through, have a few additions lined up to come in the summer and the rebuild continues.
"It's a big summer for us...there's so much money coming into other clubs you don't want the gap to get too big."
A defensive lapse led to Larne grabbing full points in Lurgan – with McLaughlin determined to turn any negative into a positive.
"It just came down to a split-second lack of concentration and indecision,” said the Glenavon manager with one eye on future targets. "We've had one or two of those so it's important we learn.
"If we don't learn it's a problem, if we do then it's a harsh lesson but at least it's a valuable one.
"If can keep that out of our game and then be a wee bit more clinical...Larne probably had one chance and scored, we had two or three and didn't score.”