‘Stop the rot’ moment in Crusaders' Irish League relegation battle allows five-game focus now on forward steps

The Crues closed out the pre-split league stages last weekend by picking up a point away to Portadown with a scoreless draw that moved Caddell’s men above Glenavon entering the final five Sports Direct Premiership games.

That foundation of a first league clean sheet since the last league win – on January 3 against Dungannon Swifts – is viewed by Caddell as a defensive foundation on which to build attacking gains.

"The clean sheet probably highlights it for me," said Caddell after the Portadown game. “We've been leaking goals left, right and centre all season…worst goal difference in the league.

"To stop that rot of conceding is huge...it gives great belief to the goalkeeper, the back four, even the boys in front.

"We can be clean, we can be organised, we won't leak goals.

"We've just got to fine-tune things up top...I'm working on a couple of things to cause more of a threat. "Stewart Nixon and Thomas Maguire...two workhorses.

"Now, when you look at the bench, you've Elliot Dunlop, Adam Brooks, Kieran McCechnie.

"It puts us in a much better position.

"It gives me ammunition to use when I see fit.

"All good, all promising...we'll bank that result, bank that point and move on.

"They're all pulling the same way, that's the main thing."

Caddell considers today’s second successive road trip – a visit to Carrick Rangers following the Portadown point – a similar challenge to the Shamrock Park positives. “Much the same I suppose because it's so concentrated now, you're down to these final run of games,” said Caddell.​ "Robbie Weir coming back into the team...we've missed him massively all season. "He's probably the player we've missed most, that organisational aspect.

"I thought he was brilliant last week for the 60-70 minutes he was on (against Glenavon), he was outstanding again (against Portadown).

"And that's a guy that's been out for seven months, he's trained once with us. "So he's not 100 per cent fit but he's here and delivering.

"And the players are responding to it.”