Glentoran striker Jordan Jenkins feels the arrival of Pat Hoban has already helped bring his own game to another level and believes their new strike partnership is showing early signs of real promise.

Following loan moves to Portadown, Dungannon Swifts and Dundela, Jenkins seized his opportunity at Glentoran last term and enjoyed the best top-flight season of his career to date, scoring 12 Premiership goals for Declan Devine’s side.

He was their clear number one attacking threat – David Fisher (five) came next on Glentoran’s goalscoring charts – and has carried his fine form into the current campaign, netting three times in seven matches to help send The Oval outfit top of the Premiership table.

Hoban’s summer transfer from Derry City was one of the Irish League’s headline moves during the recent window with the 34-year-old a proven marksman, scoring 150 times for Dundalk while winning three league titles in the process.

placeholder image — Glentoran striker Jordan Jenkins. (Photo by Desmond Loughery/Pacemaker Press)

It was only last season when Hoban topped the League of Ireland’s Premier Division for goals scored – the fourth time in his career – and having recovered from an injury which limited initial involvement, the ex-Mansfield Town striker has netted in three consecutive matches.

While Jenkins knows some thought Hoban was being signed as his replacement, he believes the pair are showing an ability to work together and playing alongside Hoban is already having a significant impact.

“Pat has been brilliant since the day he walked through the door,” said Jenkins. “He’s a top striker with proven quality and he’s been a massive help to me already.

"In training and in games he’s constantly talking to me about my runs, how to use my body and what to look for in different situations. Those little details make a big difference and I feel like I’m already benefitting from them.

“He also sets the tone in terms of standards. The way he prepares, the intensity he trains at and the demands he places on himself and others are exactly what you want from someone who has been there and done it. That pushes me to raise my own levels every single day.

“Some people might have thought I’d end up on the bench when Pat signed, but the manager believed we could play together and I think it’s working really well, with plenty of room to improve.

"I’m learning so much from him and I’m excited about building that partnership so we can both score the goals that bring success to this club.”

Glentoran have put together a seven-game unbeaten run and are preparing for a crunch showdown with an impressive Coleraine side who are also yet to taste defeat across six matches.

Joel Cooper has made an ominous start to life with the Bannsiders, scoring four times, while Will Patching has shown his class, registering a brace in last weekend’s win over Portadown.

“Coleraine have started the season really well and their results show the quality they have right across the pitch,” added Jenkins. “They’ve added good players to an already strong squad, so we know it’s going to be a really tough game.

“As a group we respect them, but our focus is always on ourselves and making sure we perform to the standards we’ve set.

"We’ve already shown that we can win games in different ways, whether it’s through real attacking quality or by grinding out results when we’ve needed to, and that gives us confidence going into a match like this.”