'He put his disappointment aside' - Glenavon boss celebrates key man in injury-time win

Carrick had been battling with 10 men since Benjamin Buchanan-Rolleston’s first-half red card on 23 minutes but bounced back from conceding to Peter Campbell only to have a Joe Crowe penalty saved by Mark Byrne then equalise in the closing stages off Danny Gibson.

However, McLaughlin’s rapid response at 1-1 to introduce striker Paul McGovern off the sidelines produced a memorable moment as he headed home the winner with his first touch and effectively the game’s final point.

It was a move McLaughlin accepted as reaping the rewards off “one last roll of the dice” but the Lurgan Blues boss also highlighted the positive reaction to the late equaliser as Glenavon recorded a fourth successive Premiership win.

"Delighted at the end...it's a big result for us, especially so late in the game,” he said. "We thought we had dropped two points when they got the equaliser.

"It was a great header from Paul McGovern.

"That's why we put the striker on...Davy (McDaid) had run himself into the ground at that stage.

"Paul's fresh, he's a striker...we thought one last roll of the dice and we'll put him on.

"We didn't accept a draw...we went for the win.

"Great delivery from Peter (Campbell) from the corner...but what a header by Paul.

"Fair play, he put his disappointment aside at not starting the game.

"Just before they scored we should've made it 2-0...we'd a chance on the edge of the box when Len O'Sullivan gets himself into a wonderful position.

"We'd a couple of headers, half-chances...so your heart drops when you do concede but the boys refused to give up.

"Great resilience from the boys, fair play to them...they dusted themselves down and got into a good area for the corner."

Cian O’Malley’s deep throw-ins had been a key weapon in the arsenal of 10-man Carrick, ultimately as the source for the equaliser.

"We'd dealt with that long ball all game, defensively we were excellent,” said McLaughlin. "It's not nice to play against that, it's horrible in fact.

"But you've got to deal with it, it's effective for them, they're really good at it.

"The direct balls cause havoc and confusion in the backline but, outside the goal, we defended really well.

"Your heart sinks when you do concede from one you don't deal with, especially so late.”

The Glenavon boss also singled out the penalty save by Byrne – and the unseen work helping increase the chances of the high-profile success.

“Brilliant save...that's a goalkeeper coach doing his work behind the scenes and advising but obviously Mark has to carry out the save,” said McLaughlin. “Not just that but Mark has to get up for the rebound...fantastic.

“He got his chance here against Crusaders when big ‘Deanesy’ (Gareth Deane) got hurt in the warm-up and he's just gone from strength to strength.”