'We feel he's ready and knocking on the door' - Stephen McDonnell praises Glenavon youngster and addresses 'controversial' summer loan move
Having recently signed a new three-year contract at Glenavon, Stephen McDonnell is confident Harry Lynch will be “knocking on the door” for first team opportunities this season.
The 18-year-old made his competitive Lurgan Blues debut in 2021 and spent last season with Premier Intermediate League outfit Dollingstown, but is now set to remain with Glenavon’s senior team after impressing throughout pre-season.
Lynch penned a new deal at the same time as 19-year-old Harry Norton, who signed a two-year contract before heading out on loan to spend the upcoming term with Dollingstown.
Aaron Prendergast also temporarily departed Mourneview Park this week after joining Championship side Dundela on loan with strikers Davy McDaid and Michael O’Connor recruited this summer.
Ex-Cliftonville youth product Prendergast scored six Premiership goals last season and has made over 50 league appearances, but McDonnell feels it was an important step to get him more consistent opportunities.
"We extended the contracts of the two Harry's - one (Lynch) has remained because we feel he's ready and knocking on the door and Harry Norton did extremely well in pre-season, but we've three players there with DT (David Toure), Snods (Matthew Snoddy) and Jamie Doran,” he told the club’s media channel. “I'm not saying he wouldn't have played - he absolutely would have played part of the season - but for his development it's important he goes and gets another 30 games under his belt.
"AP (Prendergast) has gone out as well which may seem a bit controversial...for us he needs that exposure week in, week out and we couldn't guarantee it. Selfishly we could have kept AP around and his development would have been reduced to minutes off the bench or the odd start - for him now it's a breakthrough year.
"He's had that opportunity to come in and try to carry the team at the tender age of 19 last year so this year is important that he goes out on loan.
"Young Cohen Henderson has gone out to Banbridge Town. His loan move didn't work out in the second-half of last season so it's important he goes out and gets 30+ appearances. We took Bobby Deane back in for a look and it's important he gets minutes and we don't keep them around for numbers."
McDaid and O’Connor have been joined as new recruits in Lurgan this summer by Rhys Marshall, James Carroll, Barney McKeown and Keith Ward, and McDonnell has been happy with their pre-season work ahead of Saturday’s Premiership opener against Carrick Rangers.
"It's important to sit back a couple of days before the new season and refresh our memory on what has taken place,” he added. “We'd a big January window where we signed players and then you look to this window where we've strengthened the spine of the team.
"The squad has evolved in my opinion in the last two windows and we've strengthened it by 11 or 12 bodies, which means decisions were ultimately made on some of the squad that was here. We had time to reflect on that and work with players...we felt there were areas we needed to improve upon and certainly feel we have done that.
"We've trialled many different set-ups, many different strategies over pre-season and it was generally been successful. We enter the season, barring Barney McKeown, who has a slight strain on his medial, with everyone intact. We're in a really good place and very happy with where things are at.”