Small left smarting after Shankill shock

“I’ve already spoken to the players about this; it was uncanny and it was not at all down to complacency. Although I put it down to individual performances, it was collectively as bad an example of that as I’ve seen,” he told the Times.

“Take centre-back Davy McAlinden, for example. He scored two goals, but his defensive contribution was nowhere near the standard we’ve come to expect.

“It’s very rare to see a squad of players all performing below par but it was just one of those strange days and the players are well aware that a repeat of what happened on Saturday will not be tolerated.

“However, having said all of that, I’m not going to berate the players because I think that it would be remiss of me not to commend the opposition on their performance. Three times Shankill United fell behind, but they just kept coming back at us and were steadfastly refusing to concede the tie.

“We had done our homework on them very well and knew they would present a formidable challenge and were full of confidence because they’d been doing so well in their own division.

“But the Irish Cup always encourages teams to raise their game against so-called superior opposition. Look at the way Warrenpoint pushed Cliftonville to the limit as well.

“Now, however, we have to be confident that we put the matter to rights on Wednesday night when the atmosphere should be tremendous, It was terrific last weekend and I’m sure it will be an even bigger crowd and an even more enjoyable occasion all-round.

“And I know that, if they weren’t already aware of it, our players will now certainly appreciate the pressure and expectation that comes with the weight of being massive favourites.

“But, before then, there’s an Intermediate Cup clash to be fulfilled on Saturday away to a Dromara Village side who are just like Shankill in that they are having a very good season at their own level and will see this as a chance to cause an upset.

“While we are going well in the league, and that is our stated priority, nobody should be doubting that we want to keep the momentum levels up and we are keen to go as far as we can in any competition we are involved in,” added Small.