Carrick staying cool amid relegation battle: Frazer

ALTHOUGH Carrick Rangers are firmly rooted to the bottom of the Danske Bank Premiership table, versatile Jonny Frazer insists his team will not be pushing the panic button.

Having picked up a paltry four points from nine starts, Frazer believes Rangers have the artillery to fight their way out of what is becoming a serious situation. They entertain fellow strugglers Portadown at the Loughshore Hotel Arena today — a game that the on-loan striker reckons is crucial for both sides.

Matty Tipton’s men are merely four points ahead of Rangers but have played one game more, so Frazer insists there is no better time to begin the revival.

“We are now playing catch-up in terms of points and games. We have played three fewer than some clubs,” he said. “Yes, we are sitting at the bottom, so we are in a difficult place at the minute.

“But there is no panic. The gaffer has built a good squad and has brought in some good experienced Irish League players in the January transfer window.

“We just want to get a run of games under our belt to help build a bit of momentum. We have put in some really good performances and we have been unlucky in certain games.

“In saying that, we have let ourselves down in games that mattered against teams in the bottom half of the table.

“We want to make it difficult for teams to come to Carrick. I always found it a difficult venue when I was with other clubs. The key for us is to make home form matter, whether there are fans there or not. If we start picking up points at home, we’ll be fine.

“One thing Niall (Currie) has proved is that if things are not going well, he’ll shake things up. The new boys will help keep everyone focused because no one is assured of a shirt.”

Frazer admits his season has been stop-start since his loan move from Glentoran in the summer.

“I moved to play games because I wasn’t getting the game time I wanted at Glentoran,” he added. “I started well, but once our game against Portadown was called off because of Covid, the season kind of went into turmoil.

“My first game back, I sustained an injury, and when we were due to return against Coleraine the game was called off because of a frozen pitch, so it’s been difficult to build any sort of momentum.”

Glenavon striker Jordan Jenkins has joined Carrick on loan until the end of the season.