Paddy McCourt, the assistant manager of Glentoran, expressed his disappointment after the team was unable to secure a victory against Cliftonville, despite having fought back from a two-goal deficit to end the match in a 2-2 draw.
Cliftonville initially took a commanding lead with two goals in the first half from Thomas Lavery and Joe Sheridan.
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In the second half, Glentoran responded strongly, with David Fisher scoring to narrow the gap, followed by an equalizer from James Singleton.
“We allowed two goals in the first half despite not playing too poorly; for about half an hour, I felt we were in control, although we didn’t create many chances,” McCourt said. “Unfortunately, we conceded two very preventable goals, leaving us with a tough task ahead.”
He added, “We had a discussion at halftime, gained some momentum, and the crowd rallied behind us. Honestly, I’m disappointed we didn’t manage to secure all three points.”
Notably, Glentoran’s head coach, Declan Devine, was absent from the sidelines during the match due to illness.
McCourt was pleased with the team’s performance in the second half, stating, “We played with greater intent, attacking more aggressively and with increased intensity. We were likely unlucky not to score four or five goals after the break.”
This result leaves Glentoran eight points behind league leaders Coleraine, while Cliftonville currently sits in sixth place.