Glens will push on but must cut out
STRIKER Curtis Allen insists there is a new belief at the Oval — and the best is yet to come from rejuvenated Glentoran.
The east Belfast side inched up to fourth place in the Danske Bank Premiership after sealing three points against Dungannon Swifts, but it wasn’t a routine victory by any means.
Goals from Calum Birney and Allen — his third in as many outings — appeared to have Rodney McAree’s boys on the ropes. That was until Chris Hegarty reduced the deficit with four minutes remaining.
Suddenly, the tension that had been evident in recent home games surfaced. Perhaps not surprising as the Glens shipped late goals against Cliftonville and Coleraine, which ultimately cost valuable points.
But this time they were big enough to ride out the storm.
Allen said: “We’ve started well. It’s important to keep that going. We had a tough pre-season and we are fitter than we were last year. The more points we have, the more belief we have.”
He believes the addition of legends Gary Smyth and Paul Leeman to the Glens’ management team is a masterstroke. “They have made a big difference,” he added.
“They are defensively minded and are a big help to the likes of Willie (Garrett), Calum (Birney) and James (Ferrin) in terms of working on their technique.
“They have been around this club for so long, they will be a massive asset for the younger players in the squad.”
After Hegarty’s late intervention, Allen admitted the Glens were living on their nerves over the final minutes of the game.
He said: “We were disappointed to concede so late on, it put a little bit of pressure on. We had conceded late in our last two