Carrick Rangers 'won't get ahead of themselves' despite progress

​Stuart King’s men won nine of their 38 games in 2021/22 but ran out victors for the eighth time this term with Friday’s 2-0 triumph against Newry City, which ensured they leapfrogged Glenavon into eighth spot in the table.

With 13 games to go, they’re also only six points shy of last season’s haul and know they could go level with seventh-placed Ballymena United if they were to beat the Sky Blues tonight.

Their form at the Loughview Leisure Arena has been strong, only losing five of 13 on home turf, and they will be looking for some revenge after Ballymena knocked them out of the Irish Cup on penalties last month.

"It's going to be a tough game,” said Irvine. “We won't allow our players to get ahead of themselves.

"They are a grounded bunch anyway. We will be working on Monday night and we will have a plan to get three points on Tuesday."

It has been a season of progression for the ‘Gers and they feel like they can really compete, especially with the teams in and around them.

They’re coming out the other end of an eight-game winless Danske Bank Premiership run thanks to Emmett McGuckin’s brace, but they will be tested again in the coming weeks with a trip to reigning champions Linfield this weekend followed by a clash with current table toppers Larne.

Carrick will embrace those challenges though and Irvine believes their performances this season shows how far they have come as a club in a short space of time.

"It's massive,” he added. “For a club our size to be ahead of Glenavon – people wouldn't have believed you that with 13 games to go we would be eighth in the league.

"We almost have the same number of wins as we did last season and have 13 games to go.

"It shows the progression that the club has made and the steps we are trying to make going forward to make us a good Irish League side."

Tuesday’s Danske Bank Premiership matches: Carrick Rangers vs Ballymena United, Cliftonville vs Portadown, Coleraine vs Newry City, Dungannon Swifts vs Larne, Glenavon vs Crusaders, Glentoran vs Linfield.