'We're certainly going to try': Glenavon owner provides squad view following Irish League relegation
Glenavon owner Cathal Morrison insists the Lurgan Blues are “certainly going to try” to keep their top talent ahead of next season’s Championship campaign – and has declared “we will come back, there's no doubt about it”.
For the first time since 2005, the Mourneview Park outfit will be plying their trade in Northern Ireland’s second-tier after top-flight relegation was confirmed following last weekend’s defeat to nearest rivals Crusaders.
It’s a hammer blow for a club which competed in Europe as recently as 2018, famously defeating Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Molde, and won two Irish Cup crowns under Gary Hamilton.
While relegation can bring many consequences, including impacting revenue streams, a major one is the potential to lose star players.
Glenavon have several prize assets, including Paul McGovern, Jacob Carney and Peter Campbell, who will all certainly be attracting attention from clubs higher up the Irish League pyramid – and beyond in some cases – this summer.
Teenager McGovern has scored eight league goals in a breakthrough campaign and could earn a move across the water while former Manchester United youngster Carney has impressed between the sticks.
Campbell has been Glenavon’s talisman in recent years and despite being limited to only 21 league appearances this term, the 28-year-old has provided 11 assists – only Glentoran’s Ryan Cooney (12) has registered more.
While club’s will likely circle this summer, Morrison is determined to retain key players as Glenavon look to bounce back at the first attempt – but also insists he won’t stand in the way of good opportunities.
"We're certainly going to try (to keep our best players),” he said. “We have to work within our budgets, but we will strive to keep our best players to get ourselves straight back to the Premiership, that's the plan.
"We speak about players, Paul McGovern, Jacob Carney, it's going to be hard to keep those guys. We would love to, but we're a part-time club and if opportunities come up for players to go and better themselves, we're certainly not going to stand in the way.
"We're looking to develop and build. We have players coming through that will be in the first team next season.
"It's not going to be a walk in the park, but we're going to do our best to keep the players we need and we'll be adding to the squad too. It's going to be a rebuild for the Championship, but it's something we can do and are prepared for.”
Discussions between Morrison’s Football International Limited and Glenavon started after the Lurgan Blues had endured the worst start to a top-flight campaign by any team in 60 years.
Michael O’Connor’s managerial appointment breathed new life into their survival hopes – Glenavon briefly went above Crusaders in the race to avoid an automatic drop – but ultimately it wasn’t enough to retain a spot amongst Northern Ireland’s elite.
However, Morrison insists all planning was done with this scenario in mind and is plotting an immediate return.
"We thought when we came in that we could be in this position, in fact we were almost certain of it...getting a chance to get out of it was almost unthinkable,” he added. "When the discussions started, all of our planning was based on this scenario.
"If we had stayed up, we would have been 18 months ahead of where we planned to be. Now we are where we thought we would...would we have preferred to stay up? Of course, but something remarkable is the fanbase.
"We have to thank the supporters for sticking with the club during tough times, they've been fantastic. We need to bounce back quickly...without the fans there's no football club, so we all need to come together. We need them now more than ever.
"Great clubs all over the world always have bumps in the road. It's all about forward planning.
"This is the beginning for us...Glenavon is a community club based on fans and we have to build. The foundations are there and we have to give the fans something to be proud of because we're proud of them and lucky to have them.
"We'll be moving forward quite quickly. Glenavon is a massive club, as are Crusaders - neither club should have been in their position.
"From our perspective, we're one of the top three or four clubs in the country and that's where we need to be always.”
Portadown were able to bounce back immediately in 2024 following their relegation to the Championship while the most recent team to suffer a drop – Loughgall – finished more than 20 points behind champions Limavady United.
Ards, Ballinamallard United and Institute are all still plying their trade in the second-tier after falling out of the Premiership, showing the challenges of rebuilding in a competitive division, which will expand to 16 teams next term.
It’ll be a new experience for Glenavon in 2026/27 – both on and off the pitch – but Morrison is prepared for what lies ahead.
"There's going to be a significant difference but we've planned for it,” he said. “We're not going to be able to throw millions in straightaway.
"Away attendances will drop in the Championship so revenue and income streams will be more streamlined compared to what they were this year and drop significantly. We have planned around that.
"When you move from a top-flight to the second-tier in any country, attendances drop, retail drops, a lot of other sponsorship deals change, there's a load of revenue streams we have at the minute which will no longer exist to the levels they have.
"We're going in with our eyes wide open and we will come back, there's no doubt about it."