‘Points mean prizes’ may be the message from the Carrick Rangers camp in a bid for senior survival but manager Stephen Baxter is refusing to fully release the reins.

Sitting eight points clear of bottom-based Loughall having played two extra fixtures – but trailing Glenavon by four with a game in hand after 22 outings adds up to a position in the Premiership drop zone still more perilous than Baxter would like.

Having built progress since his October appointment on a defensive foundation, Baxter is aware of the need for

ATTACKING

placeholder image — Carrick Rangers manager Stephen Baxter. (Photo by David Maginnis/Pacemaker)

"Points mean prizes...we're in that scenario now where every point is a prisoner.

"You're chasing points and it's going to be a real tough battle.

"The first half of the season has shown that in regards to if you look at the league table and how teams have all shaken out.

"If you take out the bad start for Carrick, over the next set of games we've been competitive...but there's been a mixed bag of results for every team through the division probably apart from Linfield.

"You're in there fighting and scrapping for every point and if you look at it then every team is capable of beating each other.

"I think that'll get even harder as the season shakes out over the next couple of weeks.

"You've got to treat every game on its merits...we went to Windsor Park last Saturday (3-1 defeat) and it was probably a free hit for us.

"For us to try and win at Windsor was always going to be extremely difficult, so you've probably just got to look at each game on its merits and say 'what can we get out of this game?'.

"You've got to think them all through and work it all, you can't just be cavalier about it all but put some thought into the number you're trying to achieve."

BALLYMENA

"Ballymena have had a mixed bag...they got off to a slow start then were sensational for 10 or 11 games.

"Then they hit a bump in the road and came off the pace a wee bit, then found some results here or there.

"They've a very capable squad of players and now added.

"Patrick McEleney is probably over the past five or six years one of the best players in Ireland.

"When bringing in a player of that quality into your football club can only make you extremely strong.

"They're bringing in players for the second half of the season to kick on again...a club striving to do well.

"I've been impressed with what Ballymena are trying to do and how they're doing...as an outsider looking into every other club you can give an opinion on what you see but none of that is my responsibility.

"My responsibility is to try and look after our own team and do what we do.

"Jim Ervin (Ballymena manager) and his boys are a really good bunch of seasoned campaigners, Stefan Seaton and people like that around Jim have been in the game a long time, they know the business, they know players.

"They'll win a lot of football matches because they've got good players and will be a very, very capable opponent.

"So I've got to try and work out a strategy of how we can go and get a result."