WHAT THE MANAGER SAID: 'We want to just show up and be nice on the ball' - Glenavon's home woe on first day after drop into Championship
Eamon Scannell’s assist for Connor Maxwell and decisive strike helped send Ards towards victory over Glenavon at Mourneview Park, with Jamie Browne making it 3-0 before Ryan Waide cut the gap over injury-time on a day to forget across the hosts’ opening Championship game after senior relegation.
Here’s the post-match verdict of Glenavon boss Michael O’Connor:
HOME ADVANTAGE...
"I thought we started the game really well for five, six minutes...the boys had a buzz about it in the warm-up, training this week it's been really lively.
"And then the goals we concede, they're schoolboy defending.
"I've read the riot act two or three times before here knowing that you can't just show up and expect the three points, you're going to have to do the ugly side of the game.
"I thought we actually done that to a certain degree, I think just the quality today was really poor, especially final third.”
OVERALL PERFORMANCE...
"I've shown them the clips of Ards...they're really dangerous on that sort of transition, the counter-attack when we're attacking, when we're on that flip side.
"Four chances, three goals...I think we had 11, 12.
"We changed the shape two or three times, went to a back three the last 10 minutes and had a couple of chances but it's not acceptable.
"We worked on it all week, we've walked through it on Thursday of where their dangers are and where we can hurt them...but once you step over the white line it's down to the players to have that belief.
"I just don't think we were good in all departments, okay in some of them but the defensive side and the attacking side - the two most important bits - weren't good enough.”
DISAPPOINTING START TO CHAMPIONSHIP…
"The difference was they were throwing their bodies on the line blocking shots.
"We just don't want to do that, we want to just show up and be nice on the ball.
"They had a game plan, they stuck to it, they wanted to come here and make it hard for us...they did.
"Second goal kills you
"But that's one game in, it's not a crisis yet but we wanted to get off to a good start.
"We were nowhere near today, I thought they deserved three points, I just don't think we showed up.
"A couple of huffs and puffs without any quality at times...if you play like that most of the season, there's no chance.”
GLENAVON: Lorcan Donnelly, Jordan McMullan, Paddy Burns, Harry Murphy, Ryan Waide, Luke McGerrigan, Peter Campbell, Ethan Devine, Oran O’Kane, Alex Watson, Niall Quinn.
Subs: Mark Byrne, John Mountney, Brandon Doyle, Luke Cartwright, Deaglan Healy, Stephen Mallon, Jude Johnson
ARDS: Marc Matthews, Conor Scannell, Connor Maxwell, Kielan Wilson, Ryan Arthur, Eamon Scannell, Jack Smith, Caoimhan Crossan, Jamie Browne, George Tipton, James McClure.
Subs: James Taylor, Patrick Cafolla, Jaydyn Withers, Ethan Simpson, Jack Boyde, Ryan Bailie, Ben Mullen
Referee: Tom Symington