MANAGER'S VIEW: 'You need to find a way' - Michael O'Connor accepts derby point as boost in relegation battle
Peter Campbell climbed off his sick bed this week then off the substitutes’ bench on Saturday to serve up what could prove a defining goal of the season with a late Glenavon equaliser against Portadown.
Six or so minutes away from suffering Mid-Ulster derby blues at home to Portadown, Campbell capped a sparkling second-half performance as a substitute with a free-kick equalise to cancel out Josh Ukek’s early strike.
The point puts Glenavon above Crusaders on goal difference in the battle to beat the top-flight drop entering the final four games of the Premiership season.
Campbell’s afternoon ended in disappointment with a last-gasp red for what referee Shane Andrews viewed a second bookable offence.
Here’s the verdict of Glenavon boss Michael O’Connor:
PETER CAMPBELL...
"We'll miss Peter now for Tuesday night (away to Ballymena), which is a big blow.
"In the second half, he's changed the game for us.
"Peter's been ill with food poisoning on Monday, he's been laid up in bed Tuesday, Wednesday, had no energy Thursday.
"So we didn't want to risk him to start today when he hasn't trained all week.
"He's been ill, he's had no energy but I got 45 minutes out of him today and he was brilliant.
"From the first minute, he's set the tone...he does that.
"When Peter doesn't play, you see a difference in this team, even when I played with him - when Peter didn't play, we didn't play well.
"You've seen today first half we were really poor and he changed the game for the second half.
"We've had loads of free-kicks around that area this season and we haven't scored one, so I think we were due one.
"It came at a good time as well...still gives us that time to go and try and get another one but I think a point today is a good point for us considering we haven't played well.
"The first booking I cannot believe...he's been fouled.
"The second one...I don't think Peter's touched him, I need to watch it back."
SECOND-HALF RESPONSE...
"I don't think it had anything to do with tactically, the shape or system in the first half....I think we just got bullied by them.
"We didn't pick up second balls, we didn't do the ugly side of the game in the first half, we were always two or three yards off.
"And that was it really.
"I think in the second half, Peter Campbell gave us more width, even playing the left as the eight.
"He still drifts out wide and that helped us.
"The personnel we made...'Mounts' (John Mountney) comes on, he's been around the game long enough.
"The subs made at half-time made a big difference.
"You'd rather have the three points and be two points better off than Crusaders, plus the goal difference...but there's still loads of football to play.
"I wouldn't mind being 11th if it was the last game and we're going to the (promotion/relegation) play-offs.
"If you look at the table and you see we're not bottom of the league it does make a psychological difference."
SQUAD BELIEF...
"The message to the boys was you need to find a way sometimes.
"Sometimes things aren't going to go your way, it's about digging in and staying in games.
"At half-time, I was actually happy to be 1-0 down, I thought we were really that poor.
"So we had another chance in the second half to go out and try and get something.
"The aim was to try and be in or around two or three points going into the split.
"The first game of the split's done and now we're ahead of Crusaders.
"So we're ahead of where we wanted to be but I still think we've got more to offer."