Marcus Kane says Glentoran must pull together and get their season moving again when they welcome Bangor to The BetMcLean Oval on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).
Friday night’s defeat away to reigning champions Larne was a third in five league games for the Glens during a stop-start opening to the new Irish Premiership campaign.
The result left Declan Devine’s side eighth in the table, five points ahead of Saturday’s opponents. Kane remains confident that Glentoran can turn their form around but admits they must begin by eliminating the costly mistakes.
“Of course we can turn things around,” said the captain. “First and foremost, we’ve got to stop giving away poor goals. We’re conceding really poor goals at the minute and that’s obviously disappointing.
“It’s not about any one individual. It’s something we have to address as a team because, as a unit, we’re giving away goals that we shouldn’t be.
“Against Larne last week, we were very disappointed with the manner of the goals we conceded.
“They have a lot of attacking players who can hurt you, so if someone fires one in from 25 yards, there’s not much you can do about it. But we came away disappointed because we felt we gifted them the goals.
“We need to get that right first and foremost and hopefully get a few players back over the next couple of weeks. Then we can start picking up results and moving in the right direction.
“It’s been tough. We have a squad capable of coping with injuries and it gives other players an opportunity, but when you’re missing that many key players at the same time, it’s always going to make things difficult.
“We’re hopefully not too far away from getting Pat Hoban back. Zeno Rossi, Greg Sloggett and Jarlath O’Rourke are all big players for us as well, while Jack Malone has been carrying a little niggle. The sooner we can get them back, the better.”
Despite his frustration at the goals conceded at Inver Park, Kane did not believe there was much between the sides overall.
“I didn’t think there was much in it in the first half. Larne had the majority of the possession, but they didn’t really cause us too many problems,” said the experienced defender.
“In the second half, we gave away two really sloppy goals and, when you’re playing against a good side, especially away from home, you’re going to get punished for that.
“We had a go towards the end. We went 4-4-2 and matched them up, and maybe could have nicked a point, but overall we were disappointed.
“We got the penalty but couldn’t build on that momentum in the final few minutes. To be fair to Larne, they managed the game well and slowed things down with a couple of throw-ins and fouls.
“We couldn’t get into their final third often enough to create the opportunity that might have earned us a point, and that was disappointing as well.
“We can’t afford to feel sorry for ourselves. We have another game against Bangor coming up and it’s imperative that we turn this run around.
“It won’t be easy. Bangor have shown in their last two games that they’re up for the fight, and they’ll come to The Oval looking to build on getting off the mark against Ballymena United last week.
“We have to roll our sleeves up, produce the performance we know we’re capable of and hopefully get back to winning ways.”
Despite the frustration of dropping nine points from their opening five league games, Kane insists there is no panic within the squad.
“No one likes losing games and I can assure you that we’re all hurting because we don’t want to be in this position, but there’s certainly no panic,” he said.
“We know it hasn’t been good enough and that it needs to change, but the only way we can change it is by picking up results.
“We’re all working hard to turn this around and we know that every one of us can do a little bit more to help achieve that.
“The important thing is that we’re sticking together and working through it. That’s the only way you can respond.
“If you look back at last season, we had a difficult spell around November and December when we were dropping points. We put it right, went on a fantastic run into the new year and beyond, and never looked back.
“There is a real belief within the squad and coaching staff that we can do that again. We just need to string a few results together.
“You don’t get handed anything in this game. The Irish League is so competitive that anyone can beat anyone on their day.
“Consistency has to be the key word for us now. Picking up points regularly has to be the objective.
“It has been a challenging start, given the games we’ve had and the key players who have been missing, but we won’t use any of that as an excuse.
“The responsibility rests with us as players. We know what we need to do and I can assure the supporters that we’ll be doing everything we can to turn this around.
“It’s vital that we pull together, get ourselves back on track and kick-start our season.”
Saturday’s fixture is proudly supported by Match Partner Diageo and Match Ball Partner Eastside Loyal Glentoran Supporters Club. We thank both partners for their valued support and look forward to welcoming them and their guests to The BetMcLean Oval.
For Glentoran fans planning to attend Saturday’s Irish Premiership fixture against Bangor at The BetMcLean Oval, match tickets are available to purchase at: https://www.glentoran.com/
Read more: Club Captain Marcus Kane signs new contract with Glentoran · Irish League Saturday: Four Premiership Clashes to Watch Across Northern Ireland
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