Stephen McDonnell looking for Glenavon to kick on once again after 'hitting pause button' in two consecutive defeats

Nathaniel Ferris’ first-half penalty, which brought the in-form Villagers forward to 14 Premiership goals for the season, combined with a Robbie Norton strike put Dean Smith’s side in the ascendancy at Mourneview Park.

Niall Quinn pulled one back for the hosts, but they were unable to build on that as the Lurgan Blues suffered a second consecutive loss following last weekend’s 6-1 demolition at the hands of league leaders Larne.

McDonnell’s men are still in contention to finish seventh – they sit only five points behind Saturday’s opponents – but have won just three of their last 14 Premiership matches, although nine of those have been against current top-six teams in a tough run of fixtures.

The 32-year-old was appointed in late-September with Glenavon sitting 11th and they spent time at the bottom following an October defeat to Glentoran, but they’re now 17 points clear of Newry City and 15 ahead of Ballymena United.

In his 24 league matches at the helm, McDonnell has collected 27 points (eight wins, three draws) and while comfortably achieving the season’s main goal, the ex-Warrenpoint Town chief wants to keep pushing for more.

"It was extremely flat and disappointing,” McDonnell reflected on the club’s media channel. “The collective effort wasn't good enough.

"Unfortunately we're missing key players like (Mark) Haughey, (Peter) Campbell, Len (O'Sullivan) who has came in and done really well, (James) Doona too and Isaac Baird has been a mainstay - that would hurt any team.

"It gives opportunities to other lads and those opportunities weren't taken today.

"In football you get what you deserve and we'll finish where we deserve. Our main thing is that after today we're mathematically safe with the way results went and goal difference. We can't shy away from that was our main task when we came to the club bottom of the table.

"We all dream, we want to achieve more and we feel we're moving in the right direction, but last weekend and this one feel like we've hit the pause button.

"When you're missing key personnel it does have an effect, but ultimately lads and other players who aren't so key at the moment get opportunities to play and they haven't taken them."

Glenavon have already put together a run of five victories against their bottom-six rivals, beating every team around them in October and November as McDonnell was crowned Manager of the Month, and he wants his side to get back to their best ahead of the final block of fixtures.

"We have to win five games, that's the reality,” he added. “Based on the last two performances it's not achievable, but ultimately that's up to us to try and get the players to a better place and drive on again.

"We've a break now with no game next weekend so we'll get back to the training pitch as we always do and we're never too high or low. We'll prepare for whatever our next fixture is against whoever that is.

"We need to get back to ourselves again...we had two poor results but it's the performances that are the worry - sometimes you can accept defeat but they've been two poor performances."