Declan Devine blasts Glentoran as they put themselves in 'crippling' situation once more

A picture of Glentoran boss Declan Devine
-Credit: (Image: INPHO/PressEye/Stephen Hamilton)


Declan Devine pulled no punches as his Glentoran side slipped to the fourth defeat of their league campaign at Larne on Friday night.

Devine was less than impressed with the manner of the goals his team shipped against the reigning champions. They looked to be heading in at half time on level terms but "pressed the self-destruct button" once again to turn the game on it's head after a tight first 45 minutes.

Frankie Hvid's challenge in the box on Andy Ryan was punished to the full extent by the Scottish striker who coolly fired the hosts into the lead from the penalty spot in first half stoppage time. And it was to get worse six minutes after the restart as they offered up possession from their own throw, with Matty Lusty strong enough to hold off Paddy McClean before finishing past Daniel Gyollai.

Read more: Jim Magilton hails return of influential Cliftonville star but urges caution

Read more: David Healy issues Linfield a warning after being victims of previous backlash

That visibly sapped the Glens, who could have been on the end of a heavier defeat but for the heroics of their goalkeeper. He made several excellent saves to keep the score down and McClean hacked a late Ryan effort off the line, which on closer inspection looked like it should have been a third for Larne.

Devine was left to lament his side's defensive performance once again as they were made to pay the price for their mistakes. The Glentoran boss said it was becoming an all too familiar occurrence.

He said: "Both teams were reasonably comfortable in the first half, I don't think there was anything in it. It was a very tight cagey affair but we have been pressing the self-destruct button for a few weeks. In the last three away performances we have not managed the game well. We gave a penalty away ten seconds before half time when we should have managed those moments.

"We didn't do that, our confidence took a hit, but the second goal was from our throw in and there's no excuse for it. It was the same against Dungannon when we gave a goal away from a throw in and it's very frustrating. I'm really disappointed in the way we are giving goals away, it's crippling."

Join Belfast Live’s new Irish League WhatsApp group. Click this link to receive the latest Irish League headlines and breaking news direct to your phone. We also treat our members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our group, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice