James Singleton admits Conor McMenamin’s unexpected Glentoran return “has given the players and supporters a real lift” – but is adamant they “can’t place all the responsibility” on the Northern Ireland international as he prepares to make his club comeback against Larne.

Just 70 days after joining Irish League rivals Coleraine, McMenamin signed on for a third spell at The Oval on deadline day.

The 31-year-old departed Glentoran for St Mirren in 2023 as one of the Premiership’s top talents and went on to make 64 Scottish Premiership appearances alongside winning the League Cup last season – McMenamin started in the Buddies’ 3-1 final win over Celtic.

McMenamin scored 43 goals in 114 matches across all competitions during his two previous spells in East Belfast and said returning “feels like coming home”.

placeholder image — Conor McMenamin enjoyed a prolific stint at Glentoran between 2021 and 2023 before joining St Mirren. (Photo by INPHO/Brian Little)

It’s a major boost for Declan Devine’s squad ahead of Friday’s trip to reigning champions Larne, but Singleton has stressed the importance of collective responsibility over individual expectations.

“We all know the quality Conor has and what he has produced for this Club in the past,” said Singleton. “The opportunity to bring him back came out of the blue, so everyone was delighted when the move was completed.

"It has given the players and supporters a real lift.

“But it isn’t about one player and we can’t place all the responsibility on Conor.

"As a team, we know we have to produce the performances we are capable of and put together a consistent run of results.

“That responsibility belongs to all of us. We have plenty of quality throughout the squad, but we have to show it consistently because we cannot afford to keep dropping points.”

Glentoran are coming off a 2-1 Premiership defeat to Crusaders and have alternated wins with losses across the opening four matches.

With consistency crucial to mounting a potential title challenge this term, Singleton is clear the Glens need to start stringing results together.

“We can’t allow this run of form to continue,” he added. “We need to become more consistent and start putting points on the board regularly.

“It’s very frustrating to lose a game after picking up three points in the one before. When you win, you have to build on it and carry that momentum into the next match.

“Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to do that so far. It has to improve quickly because otherwise you can find yourself with a mountain to climb.

“I don’t think we have fully found our rhythm yet. It is only the opening month of the season, but we have to draw a line under that now.

“After Christmas last season, we put together a great run when we were winning regularly and dropping very few points. We know that level is within us and we have to find it again.

“There is very little margin for error in this league. No trophies are handed out at this stage of the season, but you don’t want to leave yourself trailing behind.

“We know what we have to do, but there are also positives to take from the games we have played. Whenever we have lost, we have responded by winning the next game, which is encouraging.

“We did that again against Linfield in the Co Antrim Senior Shield on Tuesday night. Now it is up to us to break that win-loss cycle when we go to Larne on Friday.”