Glentoran’s latest run, in the midst of managerial upheaval, has seen them score six times and concede just once

Ross Clarke has warned Glentoran they must keep their foot on the gas as they look to make it four wins in a row at Portadown on Friday night.

The Glens have transformed their fortunes under interim bosses Tim McCann and Paddy McCourt, climbing to fourth in the Irish Premiership after Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Dungannon Swifts.

After the turmoil following the departure of Declan Devine as boss, Clarke is determined to ensure the recent revival does not stall at Shamrock Park.

“The last three games have been good in terms of performance levels, but the most important thing has been the results,” said Clarke.

“At the start of the season, we struggled to find any real consistency and couldn’t string a number of wins together.

“I think following up that win over Cliftonville with another against Carrick gave us a big confidence boost and got that monkey off our backs.

“We want to make sure that we extend this winning run for as long as possible because we’re more than capable of doing that.

“Last season, we went on a great run from Christmas onwards, so there’s no reason why we can’t replicate that.

“We have responded well to what has been a challenging start to the campaign, and I think that says a lot about the squad.

“Both Paddy and Tim have been reinforcing what they want from us and making sure they get the best out of us.

“We are in a good position at the minute, but we want to build on it and keep progressing.”

Glentoran’s latest run has seen them score six times and concede just once, with Clarke highlighting the defensive improvement as a major reason behind their resurgence.

“If you don’t concede goals, you won’t lose games, and that has been a big plus for us over the last few weeks,” said the winger.

“It doesn’t just come down to the defence; it’s the whole team. I think when you look at the recent games, we have restricted our opponents to few chances against us.

“We have to keep this mentality, though, and continue to work hard because that’s what is going to keep us on this run.

“The standards have been set, and we have to make sure we are hitting the bar every time we go out onto the pitch for training or games.

“If we continue to do that, then we won’t be far away.”

Portadown will be buoyed by their own much-needed boost after securing their first league victory of the season last weekend, beating Limavady United 3-1.

Despite David Jeffrey's Ports remaining bottom of the table, Clarke believes their squad is considerably better than their league position suggests.

“But when you look around their squad, it’s packed full of quality, with players who have played in the Irish League for years, and they have a manager who has won everything in the game.

“They were never going to stay winless for long.

“Come Friday night, I would expect them to be bouncing out onto the pitch, raring to go again.

“We have to go there and match their energy and desire, and there’s no reason why we can’t, because that’s within our control.”