Stephen McDonnell is the best manager I've ever worked under and Glenavon are lucky to have him, says midfield ace Jack Malone ahead of Knockbreda clash in the Irish Cup

The men from county Armagh begin their quest for Irish Cup glory as they are the visitors to Championship side Knockbreda this afternoon.

Glenavon have been on the crest of a wave since McDonnell took the reins at the end of September following the departure of long-time manager Gary Hamilton.

Since McDonnell's appointment, Glenavon have steered away from the relegation zone to top-six candidates, as well as securing a berth in the semi-final of the BetMcLean Cup.

When asked what difference McDonnell has made since arriving at Mourneview Park, Malone struggled to put the severity of the impact into words.

"To be honest, I could go on all day about what Stephen has done since becoming manager here," he said.

"Whilst there was nothing wrong with what was happening under Gary, Stephen has changed a lot and it's extremely professional with video analysis and things like that.

"The way Stephen prepares us for games is the best I've ever worked under and he knows how to exploit weaknesses in the opposition, so you can tell he spends a lot of time working on things away from the pitch.

"Of course, he's given us an added belief and Glenavon are extremely fortunate to have him as manager as he does so much despite us being part-time.

"In my honest opinion, Stephen has all the credentials to go to the very top as he’s one of the best managers in the country.”

Whilst Knockbreda are languishing at the bottom of the Championship table with just four points on the board, ex-Derry City man Malone vowed that Glenavon will not take them lightly.

He added: "It will be a tough game and we've prepared for it like we would any other contest.

"It's a tough place to go and we won't be taking anything for granted.

"We played Limavady United away from home in the BetMcLean Cup and that was a competitive encounter, so we know what to expect.

"The most important thing for us is to make sure we are in the hat for tomorrow's draw.

"Our run in the BetMcLean Cup has helped with League form and the mentality to do well in all cup competitions has certainly been drilled into us by the manager."

Glenavon have been busy adding to their squad in the January transfer window as Gavin Hodgins, Darren Clarke Kelly, Mark Byrne, David Toure James Doona and Gareth Deane have all signed on the dotted line.

23-year-old Malone believes this will provide competition for places across all areas of the pitch as he targets adding more goals before the campaign ends.

"Stephen has brought in a few lads he knows from the League of Ireland and I’ve played against a few of them,” he acknowledged.

"I’m hoping they can hit the ground running and adjust to the League as they’ll add a lot.

"I scored a few goals last year but felt I should have had more and it’s probably the same this season.

"I’m working on my game individually when I’m not training with Glenavon to help me improve.”