Glentoran captain Marcus Kane has praised the “no-nonsense approach” of teenage defender MJ Kamson-Kamara and feels the Lincoln City loanee is adapting to life in the Irish League.

The 19-year-old arrived at the Glens in the closing stages of the summer transfer window and initially struggled for opportunities in a settled side, but has impressed while starting against Cliftonville in both the BetMcLean Cup and Premiership this month.

Kamson-Kamara has stepped in following injuries to Ciaran Coll and Shane McEleney, and will be hoping to keep his place alongside Kane as Declan Devine’s men travel to high-flying Larne on Friday evening.

After previous loan spells in English non-league football, Kamson-Kamara is continuing to build senior experience at The Oval and Kane feels he has made a big impact in recent weeks.

placeholder image — Tempers flare between James Singleton and MJ Kamara of Glentoran and Odhran Casey of Cliftonville. (Photo by Andrew McCarroll/Pacemaker Press)

“MJ has been outstanding over the last couple of games,” he said. “He is still very young and it has taken him a little bit of time to settle into the side after coming in from Lincoln City towards the end of the transfer window, which is natural, but you can see now that he is really starting to grow into the role.

“He stepped in after the injuries to Shane and Ciaran and he has taken that opportunity brilliantly. His attitude has been first class.

"He is athletic, he is committed and he defends properly with a real no-nonsense approach that you need in this league.

“I also have to mention James Singleton, because the versatility he has shown has been massive for us.

"He has played most of this season, and last season as well, in the middle of the park, but he has stepped back in at left-back recently and looked completely comfortable. He just gets on with whatever the team needs and he delivers.”

Glentoran are winless in their last four league matches, losing out to basement club Glenavon and Dungannon Swifts before drawing against Bangor and Cliftonville – they came from 2-0 down to claim a point last weekend.

In contrast, Larne have put together an eight-game unbeaten league run and also boast the Premiership’s best defensive record, conceding only eight goals in 17 matches to date.

No team has collected more home points than Gary Haveron’s side this term, who are yet to lose at Inver Park, but Kane insists the Glens have to believe they can pick up a positive result.

“Larne are in great form and their record this season speaks for itself,” he added. “They are strong at the back, dangerous going forward and very hard to break down if they get in front, so we know we cannot afford to give them any early encouragement.

"We need to start well, be aggressive in and out of possession and play with real belief from the first whistle.

“Our supporters will be massive for us on Friday. When they travel in numbers and get behind us, it gives the whole team a lift.

"Inver Park is a tough place to go, but we go there without fear and we want to produce a performance our fans can be proud of and one that puts us in the best position to come away with the three points.”