Scott Irvine focusing on defensive improvements to help Carrick Rangers climb Premiership table

Only bottom side Newry City (49) have conceded more this term than Carrick (47), who leaked nine during August’s defeat to Crusaders and they’ll welcome Stephen Baxter’s side to the Loughview Leisure Arena for the reverse fixture tonight.

Their sole clean sheet of the campaign to date came against Coleraine in what was the second league game of their season and Irvine knows they’ll need to be more solid this time around against the Crues, who have netted 19 times in nine away matches – only Cliftonville (20) can boast a better return.

"We finished on 40 points last year so we're above it at the moment if you look at it that way,” Irvine reflected on the club’s media channel after reaching the halfway mark following last weekend’s 2-2 draw against Loughgall. “We've centre-forwards who are on 10 or 12 goals.

"We've been up and down. There have been some really positive results, some disappointing results and I think for us now to kick on we have to keep clean sheets again because we're conceding too many goals. For us to improve and climb the table we need to stop conceding goals."

A major positive for Carrick, who sit in ninth and just two points behind seventh-placed Glenavon, is their record against top-six teams.

The league’s top-three – Linfield, Larne and Cliftonville – are the only sides to have picked up more points in matches versus clubs occupying those spots than Stuart King’s Carrick (11), with a 3-2 victory over Glentoran at The Oval perhaps their season highlight.

Irvine believes if they want to enjoy more success, Carrick need to cut out errors that have cost them table progression.

"It's a tough game,” he added. “The last time we played the Crues it was embarrassing being beaten by nine and it was probably the worst day I've had in football.

"The players will work hard and if we're on it, cut out the silly mistakes, cut out goals and be ruthless in both boxes, that's the main thing to take. If we do that Friday then we stand a chance, if not then we're going to end up with egg on our face."