Tim McCann, assistant manager of Glentoran, described the 2-1 win against Glenavon at Mourneview Park as “a really tough game.”
The match began slowly, but an own goal by Niall Quinn gave Glentoran the early lead, followed by Cammy Palmer extending their advantage.
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Although Paul McGovern managed to score for the home team in the final 20 minutes, they were unable to equalize before the final whistle.
Earlier in the season, the Lurgan Blues had defeated Glentoran 3-1 at the same venue.
“It was a really, really tough game,” McCann remarked to BBC Sport NI. “After losing here last time, we needed to make amends. These are the types of matches you must win; you have to grind out the results.”
“Were we at our best? Not at all, but we got the three points, and that’s what counts.”
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This victory helps Glentoran bounce back after a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Larne earlier in the week, which ended their four-game unbeaten streak.
Meanwhile, the Lurgan Blues find themselves 11 points behind at the bottom of the Irish Premiership, with manager Michael O’Connor expressing frustration over the goals his team has been conceding.
“The two goals we gave away were soft,” O’Connor noted. “In the first 20-25 minutes before they scored, I thought we were the better team, even if we didn’t create a lot of chances. Then we were hit with a sucker punch.”
“We tried hard towards the end but didn’t create any real opportunities. We are competitive in our matches, but we need to be more clinical in front of goal and stop conceding so easily.”