Glentoran support Donnelly brothers

Glentoran announced yesterday that the boys’ mother, Patricia, had sadly passed away.

Both players featured in Monday night’s 2-1 win at Cliftonville with Jay scoring a vital brace to secure the points. McDermott praised the siblings and highlighted the strong bond they have with the club.

“It’s always hard when any family goes through something like that and we’ve all been through it,” said the Glentoran boss.

“But to be so young and to have that happen to one of your parents must be really hard to deal with.

“For them as a family to say they should play and the effort they put in, it shows they have a good relationship with the club and they want to be here.

“Jay has shown that week in, week out, and it’s the same with Ruaidhri.

“It’s not always about playing well in this league, it’s about effort and I think it’s a credit to them that they showed up and gave their all for Glentoran when they were going through that.”

The victory at Solitude helped the Glens close the gap on league leaders Linfield to three points ahead of tonight’s trip back to north Belfast to face Crusaders.

McDermott has been boosted by the return to training of key duo Conor McMenamin and Marcus Kane and he feels there’s more to come from his side.

“Marcus is back in full training, and he will be like a new signing for us,” said McDermott.

“Conor is available after suspension but we are still without Shay McCartan. Other players have been able to step in.

“I still think there is a lot more to come from us and I don’t think we have reached our potential yet, but I’m sure everyone will say that about their team.

“We know it’s about consistency and we are striving for that. We are comfortable with where we are and we know this game will be a big, big game.”