MATCH REACTION: We were second best against Glenavon, says Gers boss

Carrick's Daniel Wallace in action with Glenavon's Eoin Bradley. Photo: Presseye

The Lurgan Blues ran riot at Taylor’s Avenue and Carrick crumbled. The Lurgan Blues’ goals came from all areas of the team with Joel Cooper, Eoin Bradley, Conor Dillon, Kevin Braniff and captain Ciaran Martyn finding the net. Rangers sub Miguel Chines’s 76th-minute reply was scant consolation for the home team.

Haveron described his side’s defending as ‘diabolical’ and, giving the Carrick Times this honest assesment of his side’s lacklustre display, said its imperative his men re-group and become hard to beat.

“We were second best all night,” he admitted. “They missed a few chances other than the five they got.

“Glenavon showed why the are a top side in this league. They’ve got real quality and players who are willing runners. We just looked like a team who was very much jaded after getting the run-around at Windsor Park at the weekend.

“I’ve always said we’ve got to compete with the teams around us. It was never going to be about the teams who are going to be in the top four. With the strength in depth they have, its always going to be difficult, and in games against top sides you want to frustrate them as long as you possibly can but we just haven’t done that in the last two games.

“We haven’t given ourselves anything to hang on to and our defending has been diabolical. We have Crumlin Star in the Irish Cup on Saturday and we’ve got to re-group and become difficult to beat.”

He added: “Our last two performances have been a let-down and I feel disappointed. I hope we’ve got more about us. I was looking for a reaction after Saturday but when we conceded so early it was very easy to let the head go down and it’s then that you need leadership and that’s what we’re going to be looking for over the next couple of days.

Carrick's Barry Johnston takes a tumble.

“I need to be strong myself because it would be easy just to throw the towel in and say: do you know what? I’ve had enough. It’s incredibly hard at this end of the table but I’ve always said if I come through this I’ll be a better manager for it.

“I’ve got to take the rough with the smooth. Last year it was all plain sailing but this year it’s about grinding it out, digging in and knowing how to deal with situations like this and knowing how to deal with players whenever they are going through this spell.”