Irish League Football

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Glentoran's Jordan Stewart insists he is not listening to his "critics" and is playing with "a lot of confidence" after his match-winning performance against Coleraine on Friday night.

Stewart, who rejoined the Glens in the summer after a single season at Crusaders, struck twice in the second half to help Declan Devine's undefeated pacesetters extend their lead at the top of the Irish Premiership table to four points.

The 30-year-old, who won an Irish Cup in his first spell at the Oval, doubled his tally for the season after being restored to the starting line-up at the Showgrounds.

"I've a lot to thank the manager for and his coaching staff for bringing me here," said Stewart, who also won four Irish Premiership titles during a seven-year spell at Linfield.

"I had a lot of critics when I came here and I knew I was going to get them, but it was an opportunity to play for a massive club and I've relished that.

"You need luck along the way but I've worked hard. It's been a good start but I'm not getting carried away, football can turn very quickly but I'll enjoy the good moments while they last."

When asked about silencing his critics, Stewart added: "Everyone's entitled to an opinion. It was a selfish decision for me, when Glentoran came knocking, you could say you're getting on in your career and I've had a few injuries.

"I wanted to come here and challenge myself, there were opportunities to go elsewhere but I saw this as a massive challenge and an opportunity for me to do well in the backend of my career."

Having brought Stewart back in for Friday's game, Devine said Stewart has "nothing to prove".

"I knew he would bring that and more," added the Glens boss.

"Jordan would be the first to tell you it's a team game but he was fantastic tonight.

"You look at his goals but what Jordan Stewart did without the ball tonight, what Liam Burt did without the ball, they're flair players but their discipline and willingness to do the ugly stuff was important to us."

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Dungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree says everyone involved "has to do a wee bit more" if the club are to gather the points they need to pull clear of the foot of the Irish Premiership table.

Last season's Irish Cup winners and fourth-place finishers lie in 11th place in the league table with one win and six defeats from their first seven top division outings of the campaign.

Next up for the Stangmore Park side is the visit of in-form Cliftonville on Saturday.

"I think they [the players] have to change, we all have to change and do a wee bit more," McAree told BBC Sport NI.

"Everybody has to deliver a wee bit more, that's from myself down through the coaching staff and through to the players.

"Everybody has to work a wee bit harder and we have to try and fight our way out of it. Too often lately we haven't fought hard enough for ourselves and we haven't worked hard enough.

"First and foremost when you cross the white line you have to work extremely hard and we're not doing that well enough."

Dungannon beat Glenavon at Mourneview Park to secure their first points of the season but then lost at home to Crusaders last week.

"It feels like we were taking one step forward and then two steps back. We have to find that level of consistency, that level of performance that's going to help us climb up the table.

"Cliftonville have shown a determination and a grit within their camp that they want to grind out results but we'll collectively do our best to put things right."

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Glenavon assistant manager Colin Coates has said that the Lurgan Blues "will keep fighting" as they search for their elusive first point of the season after seven straight defeats to start their Irish Premiership campaign.

Paddy McLaughlin's men sit bottom, three points adrift of Dungannon Swifts at the foot of the table, and face league champions Linfield in their next top flight game at Windsor Park on Saturday.

"I think seven defeats from seven games really doesn't tell the tale of the tape. In games we've missed chances and conceded soft goals," Coates told BBC Sport NI.

"They're a brilliant bunch of players, a great group of lads, plenty of quality in there too that we probably haven't seen enough of this season so far.

"We got a level of performance to build on against Larne [a 1-0 defeat last Saturday] and the challenge now is can we bottle that, can we bring it to the table every week.

"If we do, we will soon rattle off points and rid ourselves of that burden of having not won a game."

The former Crusaders captain says the spirit is good in the Mourneview Park camp despite the disappointing start to the season.

"We're always preparing for the next game. You're aware obviously that you've lost seven games and it's not ideal for any football club or any football team.

"It's how the players react and the gauge you get from them. They're giving their all and we just seem to have got into a wee rut at the minute of bad luck and when you're down there you keep getting kicked.

"The only way to get through it is to keep fighting and keep working hard and to the players' credit they're doing that every training night and every matchday."

Coates remains positive and confident that the club's fortunes will change.

"We'll keep fighting and it will turn. There's no doubt about that in our minds that it will turn. If we can replicate the effort and commitment we showed against Larne, we'll have no problems moving forward.

"Every week brings a new challenge and Linfield away at Windsor Park is probably the ultimate challenge.

"We look forward to it. No better game as a player to get that first win."

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Larne interim manager Gary Haveron has praised his side for their run of five consecutive clean sheets during their run of five successive wins in the Irish Premiership.

That impressive run has seen the Invermen challenge near the top of the league table, with a derby against east Antrim neighbours Carrick Rangers next up for Haveron's side on Saturday.

"I absolutely believe the cornerstone of any good team is clean sheets and that's our fifth on the bounce," Haveron told BBC Sport NI after watching his charges defeat Crusaders 4-0 on Tuesday.

"When we don't concede goals and we're ruthless in the box then we'll always have a chance in the game because we've got so many exciting talented players going forward.

"We've still got Paul O'Neill to come back in the mix, we've still got Leroy Millar to come back in, and Dylan Sloan. Aaron Donnelly's got one more game to serve of his suspension and then he comes back in, so it bodes really well that we have four excellent players on the cusp of coming back into the set-up."

With those players nearing a return, Haveron has urged the players currently in possession of shirts to make it difficult for him to drop them from the team.

"I said to the lads who are in there that when you have the shirt don't give it up easy, keep the shirt and make it a real problem for me to leave you out.

"I think the boys are definitely doing that with the level of performance.

"We've got strength and depth within the squad and we're capable of changing how we play to accommodate some of our best players.

"I'm excited about it. It gives me more options and that's only a good thing."

The interim Larne boss has praised the performances of central defensive pairing Matt Ridley and Ryan Nolan, who have excelled in the absence of Donnelly.

"Matt has been a rock for us at the back, alongside Ryan. The two of them have been absolutely outstanding.

"I couldn't have asked any more of the two boys. They're so committed, they train so hard. There's zero management to managing the two lads. They are very dedicated and committed."

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While acknowledging Friday's home assignment against Glentoran is "mouth-watering", Coleraine manager Ruaidhri Higgins says they will approach the game like any other (19:45 BST, live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website).

It is a meeting of the Irish Premiership's last remaining unbeaten teams with the Glens holding a slender one-point lead over Friday's opposition and Larne at the top of the table. Coleraine are just below the Invermen on goal difference, but have a game in hand on the league leaders.

Both clubs have made a good start to the new season and although the opportunity to go top with a win on Friday would be welcome, Higgins insists this stage of a campaign is just about banking points.

"I'd imagine it will be a massive crowd at the Showgrounds on Friday night with the lights on," he told BBC Sport NI after Saturday's 4-1 win at Portadown.

"It's mouth-watering, but we will prepare for it the way we prepare for any game and make sure the lads are ready.

"We want to win the game and get as many points on the board as soon as possible. It's another three points on offer and we are coming up against a good team. May the best team win."

Glentoran's previous outing was last week's 1-1 draw against Linfield at the Oval and manager Declan Devine has urged his players to seek improvements as the season progresses.

The Glens' boss will have Christie Pattisson available for the first time this season, having served a nine-game suspension from the the post-match brawl against Larne on the final day of the last campaign.

"We're just trying to go game by game," Devine said after the 'Big Two' derby.

"We have players to come back. That's the end of Christie Pattisson's suspension, Dylan (Connolly) will be back in another three or four games, Joe Thomson.

"We need to make sure we prepare really well and strive to get better, week by week. We've a tough game now and will get ready to go to Coleraine."

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Linfield manager David Healy said Tuesday's 1-0 defeat at Ballymena United was "frustrating and disappointing."

The Blues enjoyed plenty of possession but couldn't turn pressure into points as Matthew Clarke's 21st-minute goal was enough to condemn the defending champions to their first defeat of the league campaign.

Healy felt his team did a lot right, but a lack quality in attack to get back on terms would ultimately see them come away empty handed from the Showgrounds.

"We had so many final third entries tonight and couldn't capitalise on them," Healy told BBC Sport NI.

"You empty the bench and put the attackers on hoping for the clinical finish, but we didn't get that. We had 11 corners and never looked a threat.

"We had other bits and pieces, fluffed shots, half shots and didn't work hard enough in the final third. We didn't pick the right pass, the weight of pass was off. You can have as much possession as you like, but Ballymena managed the game.

"I can't fault the players' efforts as they played the way we want them to play, but in the attacking third we just didn't do enough."

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Crusaders manager Declan Caddell says his players will relish Tuesday's trip to Larne (19:45 BST) as they seek to build on the weekend win against Dungannon Swifts.

The 3-0 win over last season's Irish Cup winners halted a four-game losing streak in all competitions, but they face a much sterner test on Tuesday with the Invermen making it four victories on the bounce with a 2-0 win at Bangor on Saturday.

Caddell is hoping his team's performance against Dungannon will prove to be a spark as he seeks consistency.

"It's another huge game, but those are the games we want to be involved in," he told BBC Sport NI after Saturday's win.

"We've got a lot of new players here, and it'll be good for them to test themselves against Larne. The original fixture was postponed earlier in the season, so at least we can catch up.

"For me, today was the pinnacle of what we want: an all-round team performance, defensively and going forward. Now we need to carry that through week after week, but going to Larne will be a different game."

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Larne interim manager Gary Haveron says his side will need to be back to its best when they host Crusaders in Tuesday night's rearranged Irish Premiership game at Inver Park.

The Invermen made it four league wins in a row and four successive clean sheets in achieving those victories when they saw off bottom-of-the-table Glenavon 1-0 on Saturday.

Mark Randall had his penalty saved by Jacob Carney just after the half-hour mark but central defender Matthew Ridley headed in the winner for the east Belfast side nine minutes from time to condemn the Lurgan Blues to a seventh straight defeat.

"The performance maybe wasn't everything I wanted it to be but the boys found a way to win and that's a really good trait to have as a team," Haveron told BBC Sport NI after the game.

"You've got to keep on asking questions and keep knocking on the door.

"We got the all-important goal and another clean sheet."

Crusaders bounced back from their recent indifferent form by clinching a 3-0 win at Dungannon Swifts on Saturday and Haveron is expecting a difficult task against Declan Caddell's team.

"They are maybe not quite as direct as they once were but you know what the Crues are about. You know what Deccie's about.

"He'll want his players fully committed and going at it.

"They'll take confidence from their win at Dungannon as the Swifts were coming off their first win the previous week, so we know it's going to be a really tough ask.

"We'll have to be back to our best. I'm expecting a better level of performance than we got against Glenavon but if we get the same result I'll be just as happy."

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Glentoran returned to the top of the Women's Premiership table with a comfortable 3-0 win against rivals Linfield at the Blanchflower Stadium.

Emily Wilson latched onto a ball over the top from Demi Vance on 16 minutes to prod home the opener for the hosts.

Vance was provider again for their second goal six minutes after the break, floating in a cross which Aimee Kerr met with a looping header over Lauren Currie.

Wilson wrapped up the win and the valuable three points with her second and Glentoran's third as she finished from close range.

The victory sees Glentoran leap Cliftonville into top spot and they hold a two-point lead over the Reds heading into the split.

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Carrick forward Paul Heatley has been discharged from hospital after being injured in his side's game against Bangor on Saturday.

The 38-year-old collided with the wall surrounding the pitch at Taylors Avenue eight minutes into the second half.

He received treatment at the side of the pitch and was taken to hospital after being placed into the ambulance on a stretcher.

The decision was then made to abandon the fixture by referee Christopher Morrison as there was no ambulance in place after Heatley was transported from the ground.

In a statement on the club's website on Sunday, the club said: "Carrick Rangers can confirm that Paul Heatley was discharged from hospital late last night.

"He is currently recuperating at home with his family.

"Paul and Carrick Rangers would like to thank everyone involved with his care, and for all the messages of support."

Carrick boss Stephen Baxter said on Saturday he felt it was the "right decision" to abandon the game and his players "were not keen to play on".