MANAGER'S VIEW: 'It's just a lot of good stuff' - Stephen Baxter celebrates Carrick Rangers' Irish Cup progress past second-tier hurdle

The Clearer Water Irish Cup trip to Taylors Avenues against top-flight hosts Carrick proved a bridge too far for a Queen’s side still adapting to promotion at league level this season from the Irish League’s third tier.

At 2-0, Ronan Young reduced the deficit for Queen’s but Carrick reclaimed control after the interval.

Here’s the verdict of Carrick Rangers boss Stephen Baxter:

OVERALL PERFORMANCE…

“I said to the boys at half-time the manner of how they were playing, passing and moving the ball was fantastic.

“The disappointment was it was only two, it should have really been four or five and it should have been nil because we didn't defend the near post properly.

“You should not concede that goal…so that was a disappointment.

“But the actual football - the quality and how we moved it and got ourselves into great positions, time and number?

“That pleased me no end.

“It’s the best football that they've played from I've got here - as regards controlling a game from start to finish.

“We had total dominance of the ball, passed it in great areas and able to drop off into pockets of space and just keep the ball moving into the right areas.

“And then when someone like (Adam) Lecky can play off and link that play and the pace of one or two others that were joining all the time, it's just a lot of good stuff.

“We ran out here comfortable winners and it was pleasing on the eye as regards to how we played and how we passed it and got into those areas.

“It might have been seven eight or nine.”

GAP BETWEEN DIVISIONS…

“It's just that little step up in quality - we got gubbed here last week (7-0 league loss to Glentoran) by a team that was just a hair up in quality in what we were doing and that can happen.

“So you just have to keep working hard.

“They said a little bit in the press this week about how they may come and give us a bit of a lesson on the day and that we were vulnerable…but they weren't in the game from start to finish and that was reflected in how the game shaped up.

“There's that wee bit of quality you have to find at the Premiership to take you where you need to be and we're looking for it all the time.

“We're competing against really good teams above us so the standards go way up and then when you leave this league and go into the higher professional leagues in Scotland and England, the levels go up again…so you can only imagine what that looks like whenever you're talking about international footballers or at different levels of football in the world.

“It’s an Irish Cup game…I'm not being disrespectful but we were playing Queen's who are fourth or fifth in the Championship.

“We were expected to win that football match...we did it, we did it well but we know the mountain we have to climb in the Premiership and that is a bigger task for all of us.

IRISH CUP ROMANCE…

“There's always romance in the cup...you win five games, you win it.

“We've been lucky enough to do this a few times in my day and we talked about the players in that dressing room who have all won this trophy, maybe once or more.

“It’s a wonderful, wonderful cup to win and be involved...just a brilliant, brilliant tournament.

"So we stress how much we want to be in the next round of this tournament.”

CARRICK RANGERS: Scott Pengelly, Michael Place, Billy Joe Burns, Danny Gibson, Adam Lecky, Luke McCullough, Aidan Steele, Benjamin Buchann-Rolleston, Joe Crowe, Paul Heatley, Matthew Snoddy.

Subs: Lorcan Donnelly, Jimmy Callacher, Jack Boyd, Ryan McKay, Codey Hames, Eoghan McCawl, Matthew Olosunde.

QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY: Daniel Collett, Jack Overns, Dan Mairs, Tommy Smyth, Christopher Middleton, Ben Mulgrew, Matthew Hughes, Ronan Young, Michael Withers, Daniel Dillon, Ambrose Ajala.

Subs: Neil Shields, Jonny Mairs, Aaron Keenan, Charlie Chapman, Luke Doran, Luke Wilson, Andrew Gawne.

Referee: Tony Clarke.