Baxter won’t over-analyse Crues’ slide down the table
CRUSADERS manager Stephen Baxter doesn’t intend to push the panic button even though his team have slipped into the bottom six in the Danske Bank Premiership table.
The north Belfast club has dined at the top table in European football for the past decade, but if the players’ passports are to be stamped this season, it will be via the play-offs — or the Irish Cup.
Uncharacteristically, the Crues have won only four of their last 16 Danske Bank Premiership games and their agony was compounded at the weekend when they looked to have secured a draw against high-flying Glentoran at The Oval, only for Jay Donnelly to pop up with a 92nd minute winner.
It was a cruel and horrible way to lose, but Baxter admits the players cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves — especially with tonight’s Premiership encounter against Portadown at Shamrock Park looming.
“We must now show character,” he said. “We are in a little run after losing four or five games on the bounce and you start to question where is the next goal coming from, or where is the next win is coming from.
“But it’s been down to having a lot of injuries, putting in poor performances and not doing what we need to do.
“We’ve had a fabulous successful run for such a long period of time and this is the first time in 10 or 12 years that we’ve lost four on the trot.
“I don’t remember losing any more than two on the trot, but we are in a results-based business.
“Everyone is talking about our league position, but I can’t afford to over-analyse things too much or worry about where we are.
“This is settled over 38 games. If we are in the European playoffs, we must be in the top seven. It happens. The league results look after themselves.
“My concern at the minute is injured players, fit players, and getting everyone ready for what will be another big challenge at Portadown, so I’ll not be mulling over too many stats.”