Glentoran boss Warren Feeney delighted to welcome influential star back from injury after playing key role in Dungannon Swifts victory
Glentoran manager Warren Feeney was delighted to welcome Bobby Burns back from injury as the 24-year-old played a key role in their 2-1 Premiership victory over Dungannon Swifts at Stangmore Park.
Former Hearts star Burns had missed the last seven league matches after colliding with advertising boards during October’s clash against Crusaders, but was straight back in from the start in County Tyrone.
He provided the assist for Glentoran’s winning goal, driving a vicious ball across goal where substitute Junior was waiting to poke home from close range in the 84th minute, as The Oval outfit extended their unbeaten run to four ahead of a mammoth Boxing Day clash with rivals Linfield.
Captain Marcus Kane, who scored the equaliser with a flicked header that looped over Declan Dunne following Johnny Russell’s long throw, also returned to the starting line-up for the first time since early-November, but hobbled off in the second-half.
"Bobby is a fit boy and that’s why I took the chance to put him in there,” said Feeney. “He showed that there with his second-half performance especially with the great pick out for Junior at the back post.
"He will probably be a bit stiff, but it’s a great 90 minutes for him. People have talked about injuries, but we’ve had them all season.
"We’ve Harry Murphy on the bench who hasn’t trained at all yet, Bailey Locke is the same, Marcus has played one reserve game (since his injury) and Bobby has been out for eight weeks and has to play 90 minutes.
"It’s what we’ve been dealt with, but this is a great football club and whatever comes in front of us we’ll give 100%.”
Feeney was delighted with the reaction from his players after the break following a “frustrating” first-half performance which seen the visitors go behind through Ben Gallagher’s penalty.
"I was (frustrated). I told them it’s not a Glentoran performance that – you have to run and show desire,” he added. “There’s great quality here but if you don’t do the basics of football you’ll get found out and I said that to them.
"I thought we started well in the second-half, showed that and I was very pleased in the end.”