MANAGER'S NOTES

TODAY it’s Ronnie McFall and Portadown’s turn to come to Mourneview Park today and we welcome them to Lurgan today.

I’ve been saddened by the results we got over Easter. We’ve played some decent football resulting in decent performances, but to be outdone by a retaken free kick on Saturday which Paul Rice did brilliantly to get to first time around was heartbreaking.

On Tuesday I felt we started off the way we finished against the Crues with a very committed performance. Again we just didn’t get the result we required, even though the facts will show we were probably the better side, certainly with regards to shots on target.

When you can’t get that rub of the green it’s hard to take. The players are low at the minute and that was evident when they were coming off the pitch on Tuesday, knowing they deserved a better result than they got coupled with the scored being pumped out over the PA system. However, they appreciated the fact that the supporters applauded them off the pitch - we told the players that if a Glenavon crowd gives you that sort of reception after losing then you must be doing something right. As I have said all year, if the players, management and fans are pulling in the same direction like we did this week then we will get that bit of luck that we need.

On the injury front we are waiting to see how Marty Hunter and Gerard McMahon are, while Neal Gawley and Ross Black are out. It was good to have Nathan McConnell back over the Easter period too; he did very well on Tuesday and we were happy with how he did.

Keep behind the players - they need you more than ever now.

Previous Manager's Notes

10th April: TODAY it is my pleasure to welcome Eddie Patterson and his Cliftonville side to Mourneview Park. Being honest we're confident of getting a result today as we managed to get a result the last time the two sides met at Solitude and that was after we lost Atiba Charles to an early bath. We are boosted also by the return of David Bracken from suspension and hopefully Nathan McConnell, who played for the reserves last Tuesday night.

It would be a massive boost to have those two returning as they would be welcome additions to our strike force. We need to keep putting in the effort to get a result today; we are creating plenty of chances and if we keep on doing that we'll be in with a chance of not only doing that but staving off any threat of relegation. However, a big concern still remains over the number of goals we are conceding. It seems that no matter who we pair Gavin McDonnell with we are still letting in goals. Against Glentoran, for example, we paid the price for mistakes that really should have been bread and butter defending and gave away two early goals.

All we can do is try and keep confidence high and for both the management and yourselves as supporters to carry on encouraging the players to get the performances and results we require. Finally, it just remains to be said that we are in talks to a number of our current playing staff including Gavin and David Bracken with regards to next year. However, we are determined to keep that aside until our fate for next season is secured and we know where we will be as there is still a job to be done.

17th March: OVER recent weeks I have been largely disappointed with our performances. We were very weak against Limavady and got what we deserved. To score two goals is great, especially away from home, but the amount of goals we are conceding is very worrying. We are trying to curtail that, but the positive to take from it is that we are scoring.

The Newry game was a completely different performance. There was plenty of commitment and effort, plus the manner of our game was very good. However, once they scored from their free kick the jitters set in and it was the same old story. I’m very complimentary about the players’ attitude but it was very disappointing to see us lose.

At this stage we need everyone getting behind the players, encouraging every one of our lads to put in the necessary work and get points on the board. Not only should we all be doing that, but we also need to keep behind them to get the points on board and hold out for a win today.

Today we welcome Coleraine to Mourneview Park; I hope the players, officials and supporters enjoy their day out. I’ve known Marty Quinn for quite a while now – in fact if I didn’t know him before I really know him now as we attend Sunday training courses together! Marty assures me that the Bannsiders were very unlucky to lose to Glentoran on Saturday so they will certainly be hungry to pick up the three points they missed out on last week.

Today we are missing Adrian Harper through suspension, while I am hoping Paul Rice returns from his ankle injury. Ian Wallace is back from suspension.

Nathan McConnell continued his return from injury on Monday night as he took part in training. If he comes through Thursday’s training session unscathed he’ll be in line for a place for the reserves today. After that, if he is OK and training goes well next week then he will return to first team action which will be a welcome boost as we have not seen McConnell and Bracken play together yet.

17th February: A warm welcome is extended, not only to our own fans, but to Paddy Kelly and his staff from Donegal Celtic, along with their supporters to Mourneview Park today. This is especially inclusive of Stephen McAlorum, who has done a fine job at DC since leaving Mourneview Park for the West Belfast club.

The last few weeks have been disappointing for the club with regards to results – nobody can deny that. However, the encouraging performances that we have been showing over the last few weeks are more than a sign that we can turn the corner. On Saturday we played as well as we have all season, every outfield player had a shot at goal and for 75 minutes Glenavon were by far the best side. Sadly, they caught us on the sucker punch and we left the ground disappointed not to be in the hat for the quarter finals of the Irish Cup. If we keep encouraging the players the results will come – I am certain of that.

Today’s game is a six pointer, points that both clubs need and it is important that we are the team that takes them. The last time Donegal Celtic and ourselves met we took three points, but this time there are no guarantees as they have also started to play some good football. Good luck to them nonetheless, although hopefully we will be the team celebrating at 4.45pm.

With regards to today’s team Ross Black is out suspended, while Nathan McConnell continues his recovery from injury. He took part in training on Tuesday night and has started running, so hopefully he will be back sooner rather than later. Marty Hunter could start, while Conor Walsh could be out. For all of last week he was suffering from ‘flu but came back to training on Tuesday although he found the going tough as he continues to recover.

As you will know Stephen Caffery was a full time footballer before coming to Glenavon, and as such had to find alternative employment. Stephen appears to have moved into the taxiing business, and while we congratulate Stephen on finding a new job the club are now waiting to see where that leaves us.

Get behind the lads today and cheer us on to the result we want and deserve.

13th January: The Irish Cup today provides us with a nice break from the League competition, and indeed we welcome the players, officials and supporters of the PSNI to Mourneview Park. The game is something which we must try and put our league form into although it won’t be easy. The Police are a side we know a bit about, they are a tough side to beat but a win would see us in fine form. More importantly, it will mean that our good form will keep going into the League game with Lisburn Distillery.

Last Saturday was yet another encouraging result. It was great to get a win at home and it is a great boost for both the town and the club. It was also a nice change to be 3-0 up at half time, although we made it hard for ourselves in the second half. Nonetheless, we thoroughly deserved the result and I must say the players were in awe of the support they received throughout the ninety minutes. Keep it up!

With regards to today’s game we are missing Atiba as he returns to Trinidad and Tobago to sort out some things at home, while Marty Hunter is out as his neck and back injury persists – in actual fact he is unable to train so best wishes to him. We are still pursuing our striker but it is looking good for having one in the very near future.

6th January: Today we welcome Ballymena United to Mourneview Park. They arrive here today off the back of a fine win on Tuesday night over Glentoran and will be buoyed by that, however we will be on the start of a three match run at home and trying to get the ‘home hoodoo’ off our back. Best wishes to Tommy Wright and all at Ballymena for the rest of the forthcoming season.

I felt after the Armagh game we undid all our hard work over the last six weeks. Up until then we had been moving in the right direction and everybody around the club felt encouraged by the way things were going. It was disappointing, it hurt and I can only apologise for the result.

Pride was restored on New Years’ Day when we took a vital point off Dungannon. I was very pleased with the way in which the fans got behind the team and they responded in the correct fashion. It was a good point to get, and when you consider we lost two of our key players in Marty Hunter and Conor Walsh it made the point that bit more valuable.

Of course, now that the transfer window is open it means we could give debuts to a number of our new players. I thought that Stephen Magenniss, Ian Wallace and Barry Meehan came into the side and fitted in very well. They all have a good career ahead of them at Glenavon and hopefully they’ll be good additions to the squad and I’d just like to take this opportunity to welcome them to the club.

I’d also like to welcome Stephen Caffrey back to Mourneview Park. As our fans will no doubt know Stephen is a very versatile player and can play right back, centre half or centre midfield. With a vast amount of experience behind him I’m sure it will stand both him and Glenavon in good stead.

We are still actively pursuing our striker options however, and with three weeks still to go in the transfer window we hope to find someone who fits our billing.

As players come in, another goes out. The loss of Stephen McAlorum is not one we needed. We did offer him an improved contract but with his first team opportunities limited he felt he had to move on. Stephen has been good for Glenavon for the past five years and we wish him well at Donegal Celtic.

16th December: Last Saturday’s game with Cliftonville was another ‘biggie’ and it’s never easy going to Solitude. It was a good game and gave us another encouraging performance.

We fought hard, even after the sending off of Atiba Charles. To me it looked like it was handbags - I think McAlinden made a meal out of it but, nonetheless, we played in a good fashion with only ten men.

The loss of Gerard McMahon was a setback, but Stephen McAlorum came in, did very well and got the job done and this too was encouraging to see.

It was a great point to get and it shows we are continuing to acquit ourselves well against the bigger sides in the league. We certainly don’t look out of place and what more is that we have a good, honest bunch of lads who are willing to play for the shirt.

I was absolutely delighted with the result; however I was disappointed to learn of the events after the match. We were on the bus home when Joel Taggart interrupted his phone in with the news and the players and ourselves were wondering what had happened. These fans were enjoying a day out and in a time where we are trying to encourage kids back to football it is worrying that they have to face this on the way home. Of course the question now is if their parents will let them travel again on the buses. It’s left everyone within the squad very disappointed and I send our best wishes to those on the bus, especially the kids.

By now you will no doubt be aware that Aaron Black has left the club. What has happened has happened; we both have our different sides to the story. However, that is not for public knowledge and that is the way myself and Aaron have agreed to leave it. Of course, we wish Aaron all the best in whatever he may do next.

Today we welcome Linfield to Mourneview Park. We are hoping for a repeat result of the result last time, and with your support we can achieve this.

May I finish off by wishing everyone a very merry Christmas.

1st December: Last Saturday’s game against Glentoran sent everyone, players and staff as well as, I’m sure, supporters home happy after what was a good performance and a positive result. I felt we showed good character to get the point, although I was a little upset that we didn’t get all three points on the day. It was sloppy defending that cost us both goals and we just seemed to switch off for them.

However, I have to say that for the second goal I was very unhappy with the way the Glentoran players conducted themselves in the lead up. We had two players down injured and, as is the norm in football, we put the ball out so they could receive treatment. Now, in any other match you would expect the ball to come back in a sporting manner. However, the Glens played on and scored from the resulting throw in. I have to say that this has left me very disappointed in Paul Millar’s men, but nonetheless we left happy with a point.

It was no secret that we were in the market for a few players, namely Chris Morgan and Peter McCann from the Glens. Sadly, these approaches have been rejected and, to be honest, I don’t expect them to be going anywhere in January. Despite this setback, our search for players, namely a striker, will continue.

It is also no secret that we have a lot of injuries and quite a few doubts ahead of tonight’s match. We welcome Crusaders today, however, full of confidence following last week and knowing that against the top sides this year we have acquitted ourselves well. Our main problem at the minute is trying to turn our home form into something similar to our away form. For whatever reason things just haven’t clicked at home, but we are picking up injuries and this will also take its toll.

A huge pat on the back must go to Conor McAnallen for his performance last week. Conor went through quite a big operation last week and wasn’t intended to play – I had even told him that I wouldn’t be using him. However, we were forced to use him when we lost Aaron Black to injury and fair play to Conor – he gave a resounding performance despite his wound, so a massive well done to him.

Good luck to Stephen Baxter and Crusaders for the rest of the season.

18th November: This week it gives me great pleasure to welcome John Cunningham and his Limavady United side to Lurgan for today's match. This is a must win game for us now - the points are there to be got and we need to get them. There is a need now to be over the half way mark to survival - thirty points would see you safe, and by Christmas time I would hope to have at least fifteen of those chalked up.

Last Saturday was a very disappointing performance for us, especially in the second half. We were lacking all over, especially when you consider that the elements were very much in our favour during that period. Of course, it was that usual headache of a poor defending and a comedy of errors by individuals. That said, I felt were were unlucky not to come in at half time a couple of goals to the good, most of the ideas came from us. However, we must learn to batten down the hatches when we are playing so well. It would be very easy to blame the defence on the defeat, but you have to remember that in previous games we have relied on the defence to keep us in games which we've gone on to win. Hopefully they have learnt their lesson and we will get back to winning ways tomorrow.

Aaron Black is out for this week's game, which is a huge blow although that said it will be a huge advantage to us to have him back in the side for the Glentoran game. Hopefully that will be the end of Aaron's suspensions and we will have him for the rest of the season. We cannot afford to have suspensions with the difficult games we have ahead of us in December.

I have to say that I was a bit miffed at the news of the new league structures which will be coming into effect. To me it seems strange to be announcing who will be invited mid way through a season, meaning squads will have to tighten the purse strings in preparation. This is also hampered by the fact that at the minute nobody knows what criteria is going to be laid down for entry or just when the league is going to start! It is all very confusing at the minute, but there are going to be some interesting days ahead.

We welcome Stephen Maginness to the club. Stephen scored 31 goals last season for Lurgan Celtic, but due to the transfer window he won't be able to make his debut until January. We are currently in the process of talking to players who might wish to join us in January - we certainly won't be leaving it to the last minute to sign players.

Finally, on behalf of the club I would like to wish all the very best to Brian Mallon, who goes in for his operation in early December.

Enjoy the game,

Colin Malone

11th November: Hello and welcome once again to Mourneview Park, and a warm welcome to the players, officials and supporters of Newry City and Roy Coyle.

Last Saturday’s performance against Coleraine was fantastic – I felt it was a great display by every man in the team and everyone performed well and we were more than glad to take the three points home with us.

I have to take my hat off to Neal Gawley – what a celebration! I’d have to score him a 9.5 for that one, it was like something Lomana Lua Lua would do! That was his first goal in the first team since January, if only he could score more so we could see more of the same!

Sadly, one of the downsides of the game was Aidan McVeigh’s injury which looks worse than we first feared. It looks as though it could be ligament damage and it is causing him a lot of pain, however we won’t know for a few weeks just how bad the damage is.

Of course, this double header with Newry today and Limavady next week is the run in to a very difficult December where we meet all of the top four sides. We need the points from these two games and hopefully, with your support, we will get them. I have been impressed with the very vocal support the team has been getting over the past few weeks and it is helping to drive the players on to give great performances.

One thing I am very concerned about is the ‘penalty points’ that our players are picking up with their bookings. It is very worrying that at this stage of the season players are collecting 20-30 points from bookings and our players know that suspensions will be coming shortly. It would appear that cards are being given out very cheaply by the referees and it is giving me great cause for concern, considering the games we have coming up soon.

I’ll just close now by wishing Roy and Newry all the very best for the rest of the League campaign.

28th October: Hello and a very warm welcome to our supporters, and of course to the players, officials and supporters of Loughgall Football Club. Jimmy Gardiner's men will be no pushovers today, but I am hoping that by 4.45pm today we will be sitting higher up the table. It's up to us to match Loughgall and nothing less than a win will do for us today.

Our last home game against Larne got us a point which I suppose in many ways was a starting point for us. We finished strongly and it was a well earned point. We gave away that customary early goal but rallied well and took the game to our opponents. It's concerning that we are giving away early goals and this was something that happened again last Saturday against Donegal Celtic. Indeed it was an individual error which cost us and this is something which we need to work on. However, we showed good character and I was very pleased to get the three points.

One of the main factors for me behind last Saturday's result was the support we got from the crowd. I feel they pushed the team and I was particularly pleased for Davy Hawthorne. The warm reception he and others got emanated throughout the side and really spurred us on to victory. Brian Mallon could be out for the rest of the season as he has injured cruciates, which is a blow to us. However, we will have Marty Hunter back in training next week along with Conor McAnallen. I'd just like to round off by wishing Jimmy and Loughgall all the best for the rest of this season.

14th October: Hello and a very warm welcome to all our supporters, and a special warm welcome to the players, officials and supporters of Larne Football Club.

Since I last wrote, we have gone through another two disappointing results against Lisburn Distillery and Dungannon Swifts. Despite this, the statistics will show that we have had more shots on goal than our opponents and that really we should have got something from both matches. However, it is our shipment of goals that is proving our downfall as we aren’t scoring enough, and schoolboy errors which must be eradicated before we make any sort of further progress.

The next three games for us, against Larne, Donegal Celtic and Loughgall, are against sides who are likely to be in and around the bottom of the table come May. Therefore it is vital that these matches must end with positive results for Glenavon. The players know this, the coaching staff knows this and you all know this.

Your support is vital over the next few games. Please cheer them all on and get behind the players. With that vital twelfth man the wins will come, so we need everyone backing everyone to succeed.

Finally, I’d just like to send my congratulations to Atiba Charles on winning his recent cap against St. Vincent for Trinidad and Tobago. What a fantastic win they got as well, hopefully inspiration can be drawn from the 5-0 victory.

With that, I’d like to wish Jim Hagan and Larne all the very best for the rest of this season.

Enjoy the match,

Colin Malone.

30th September: Hello and welcome to our own supporters and a special warm welcome to the players, officials and supporters of Dungannon Swifts. I spent 20 years there and I have to say they are a professionally run club with a youth set up that is second to none in the whole of Ireland; you only have to look at the number of young, local players who have come through their fantastic Academy.

Through the forward thinking and structure put in place by Joe McAree and despite not having the money of the Linfields and Glentorans of this world they have qualified twice in a row for the Setanta Cup – an amazing achievement that any club should aspire to emulate.

With regards to the Linfield game, I thought it was a fantastic effort and a great result. It proved to our doubters what we really are capable of achieving and was a welcome boost ahead of our first League game with Ballymena, thanks largely to the great work put in by the players and our fantastic support.

At Ballymena we continued where we left off against the Blues, starting off well with two goals, playing football that was pleasing to the eye and giving everyone a reason to cheer. But for whatever reason we took our eye off the ball, fell asleep and played second fiddle for the rest of the game. As the saying goes, once you stop playing it’s hard to start again. I know it was disappointing for our large support who travelled to the Showgrounds but it was also very disappointing for me and to be honest it’s hard to put a finger on what went wrong.

The players and I talked about what happened at training on Tuesday night and while the players took the praise against Linfield they will have to take the brunt of the blame for the result against Ballymena. They have been made aware that this sort of result is not what we are about and now we will aim to build on our last home game and hopefully get another home win under our belt. We’ve seen both sides of Glenavon – the good side against Linfield and the bad side against Ballymena however I’m hoping that this is the last we’ll be seeing of the bad side.

We’ve lost Gerard McMahon for three weeks with a torn muscle in his leg, while Atiba Charles will miss the game with Lisburn Distillery as he has been called up to play for Trinidad and Tobago for two weeks in the International Week. Sadly, nothing can really be done about this but we’ll carry on regardless.

Enjoy today’s match and good luck to Harry Fay and the Swifts for the rest of the forthcoming season.

Enjoy the match,

16th September: Hello and a warm welcome to our supporters and to the players, officials and supporters of Linfield.

This will be a tight match; Linfield are top of their group and rightly so. Our aim is to achieve what they have by winning trophies.

Last time we met we were on the receiving end of a five goal thumping. Today will be tighter with the introduction of Mallon and Charles making it tougher for them to score, but the proof is in the eating.

Last week I felt that despite Distillery never really posing a threat they were comfortable winners.

We are lacking in the final third but we are lucky in that we have options in Gerard McMahon, Paul McKnight and Aidan McVeigh still to come into the reckoning, and they will sooner rather than later.

McKnight will be playing for the reserves today and on Wednesday night against Linfield Swifts - this should bring him up to match fitness while McVeigh will be available from next week so there are new quarters to pursue.

I know that defeat will have been disappointing for fans but I felt we bossed at the back and in midfield and this shows progress.

Next week is the start of the league campaign. It’s the real bread and butter – you live or die by your results. It has been a disappointing CIS Cup campaign but I’m looking forward to the League and making progress.

Enjoy the match,

Colin Malone.

9th September: “Since I last wrote in the programme we have suffered two very disappointing defeats to Linfield and Larne. I have no qualms with the result against Linfield, they were clearly the better side on the night but that is the standards to which we have to set our sights. Gerdie’s goal was superb and I hope to see many more moments like that during the course of the season. I was disappointed by our defeat to Larne as I felt we dominated the match but couldn’t threaten on goal and our defence also let in another sloppy goal.”

“However, our search for a centre-back has come to an end following the arrival of David Atiba Charles. I am very excited at his signing and I feel that he is the rock on which we can build a team. I am delighted to say we have secured the signatures of former player Brian Mallon who is undoubtedly a class full back, in the Mark Glendinning mould and Andy Forsythe who was eager to come to Glenavon despite interest from other clubs. Andy has impressed in training with his general fitness and pace and he can be a big threat to defenders down either flank. Also re-joining the club is Aidan McVeigh who has come back on loan in search of first team football and that’s what he’ll get here at Mourneview. On his day Aidan is a class act and hopefully everything will work out for him at his hometown club starting with a win today against Distillery.”

19th August: Welcome to Mourneview Park for our first home game of the season, and my first back in the manager’s hot seat – let me tell you it’s great to be back.

This is a second chance for me here and I don’t intend to let it pass me by. We’ve been working hard here from day one to build a team that is big and strong, but also has a lot of skill. Our work isn’t done either – so far we’ve made seven new signings and there’s more to follow.

This team is capable of challenging for trophies, we’re not here to just survive in the Premier Division.

As you will see there is a local theme to the new staff and players. This is something we hope to maintain as local talent is being actively pursued. Alex Denver and Neal Carson also have big parts to play – our training schedule now is three nights per week as well as a session on Saturday morning. This means our players will be of a high level of fitness in the weeks ahead.

Our first game against Lisburn Distillery was a disappointing result to say the least. But we will bounce back fitter and better very soon and the team will perform at a higher level.

Keep the faith – this team will do you proud.

To view last season's notes, click here.

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