Mick McDermott claims some Glentoran fans will be ‘disappointed’ to see team win

The Glens arrived at Mourneview Park following defeats by 3-0 to two title rivals in Crusaders and Linfield within four days.

Goals by Luke McCullough and Jay Donnelly in Lurgan either side of a Matthew Fitzpatrick home goal provided a welcome win that had McDermott praising his side’s ability to ‘grind it out’.

He also had a message for a section of the Glentoran fanbase in the aftermath of vocal criticism.

“Our fans have been disappointed over the last couple of games because we lost,” said McDermott. “But there’s a small group that will be disappointed that we won today.

“That’s what we are dealing with, that’s their choice...so I apologise to them.”

McCullough reacted first to convert with a close-range header after Hrvoje Plum’s wicked free-kick delivery was pushed out by Glenavon goalkeeper Declan Brown.

Glenavon’s second-half pressure resulted in an equaliser off Fitzpatrick but the Glens grabbed a second lead within one minute of the restart as a Mark Haughey foul on Plum allowed Donnelly to slot home from the penalty spot.

McDermott felt each half on Saturday served up different sides of his side’s strengths.

“I thought today in the first half we played some good football and did really well, slowed it down when we had to and played when we could,” he said. “Then in the second half, like many times at Mourneview Park, it’s about grinding out.

“In any game of football at the top level, every team will get a chance.

“Glenavon have been good at it for years...a percentage game, turn the team, flick it on, have runners and they got their goal.

“Thankfully, we got a goal back at a really good time and saw it out...our subs came in and helped us.

“Today we had multiple chances and creating half-chances but not taking them.

“With (Hrovje) Plum in his first season he scored 14 goals, from seven or eight free-kicks, then got injured so we tried different players off set-pieces and struggled.

“Last season we didn’t do enough off set-pieces but now we’ve Plum and (Bobby) Burns and you look at our team and it’s big so we should be scoring more goals, especially with the calibre of delivery.

“Overall, we are happy with the result and the first-half performance, then happy with the way we managed to grind it out in the second half.”

GLENAVON: Brown, Birney, Haughey (Stafford, 77), Waterworth (Beggs, 70), O’Connor, Hall (Campbell, 63), Snoddy, Fitzpatrick, Wallace, Garrett, Ward.

Subs (not used): Harmon, O’Mahony, Hunter, Doyle.

GLENTORAN: McCarey, McCullough, Bigirimana (Crowe, 73), Burns, Marshall, J.Donnelly, McDaid (R.Donnelly, 79), McClean, Marron, McMenamin, Plum (Clucas, 79).

Subs (not used): Mitchell, O’Connor, Smith, Glendinning.

REFEREE: R.Dunlop.

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