Our recent hurt against Lurgan Blues will drive us on: Carson
COLERAINE midfielder Josh Carson believes he and his teammates ‘owe the club a performance’ after two heavy defeats against Glenavon this season.
The Bannsiders suffered a 4-1 home loss to the Lurgan Blues in October, before being thumped 4-0 in December as the BBC cameras rolled into Mourneview Park.
However, the 25-year-old is hoping for a better result this time around as Coleraine aim to close the gap on fourth-placed Glenavon this afternoon.
“I was unavailable for the first game and it was hard to watch,” the former Northern Ireland international said. “We didn’t do ourselves justice in December and were thoroughly beaten. It wasn’t nice getting rolled over and we owe everyone involved with Coleraine a performance.
“We have been on a good run of form recently and we need to hunt down the teams above us. Glenavon are four points ahead of us, so we know a good result will help close that gap.”
The former Ipswich Town ace has been utilised in a central midfield role in recent weeks — a position that he is enjoying.
“I love playing in the middle of the park as you can sometimes be frozen out in games if you’re playing out wide,” he added. “You are more involved and can have a bigger say on how the game unfolds. It is great being in the heart of things and making sure you win your battles.
“It feels like a natural fit for me but I’m willing to play anywhere for the team.”
Bannsiders boss Rodney McAree has been busy in the transfer window as Ben Doherty, Jamie Glackin and Mark Edgar have joined the club, with Stute captain Michael McCrudden continuing to be heavily linked with a move to The Showgrounds.
“I’ve been impressed with our business so far and we have added to the quality already here,” he concluded. “It’s important that we have competition for places as it’s up to us to keep our shirts and be hungry.
“We have picked up a lot of points recently, so there haven’t been too many changes but that can easily change if we aren’t at our best.”