Ciaran Coll issues a rallying call to Glentoran after high standards have ‘fallen short’

Glentoran have lost their last two games and Ciaran Coll is hoping they can turn things around against Ballymena United

Ciaran Coll insists Glentoran cannot dress up their last two performances as he believes they have “fallen short” of the high standards they have set themselves.

The Glens’ unbeaten start to the season came to an end against Dungannon Swifts last Saturday before their defence of the Co Antrim Shield was ended by Carrick Rangers in midweek.

It’s Ballymena United up next as they visit The Oval this afternoon and Coll says they cannot allow their last two results to derail the season.

“We’re disappointed with the last two results, there’s no point dressing that up,” said the experienced defender. “As a group, we set high standards for ourselves and we know we’ve fallen short of those over the past week.

“The message has been clear all week. We regroup, we respond and we make sure we deliver a proper reaction.

“We’ve worked too hard over pre-season and the opening months of the campaign to let those results derail us.

“What matters is how we respond and this squad has the character to do exactly that. Saturday is an opportunity to get back on track, to remind people what this team is about and to give the fans a performance they can get behind.

“Ballymena will be tough, we know that from the last game. They made us work hard that day. We got the early goals, which gave us control, but they asked questions of us throughout the match.

“They’re organised, physical and they’ve got plenty of quality that can hurt you. We’re under no illusions that Saturday is going to be another big test.

“Every team in this league is capable of taking points off each other. That’s what makes it so competitive.

“There are no easy games and no fixtures where you can take your foot off the pedal. You have to be at it from the first whistle and sometimes you have to dig deep and grind out results.

“We know Ballymena will come here looking to make it difficult for us and rightly so. It’s up to us to impose ourselves on the game, set the tempo and make the most of playing at home in front of our supporters. We want to give them a performance they can get behind.”