Glentoran suffered a 1-0 defeat to Cliftonville in the quarter-final of the Co Antrim Shield on Tuesday night, losing a four-game unbeaten run in the process

Ryan Cooney wants Glentoran to turn their cup disappointment into a positive response when Limavady United visit The BetMcLean Oval on Saturday (3pm).

Tuesday night’s 1–0 defeat at Cliftonville ended the Glens’ Co Antrim Senior Shield campaign and a four-match unbeaten run, but Cooney is determined to protect the progress made in the league under interim bosses Paddy McCourt and Tim McCann.

Glentoran have taken 10 points from their last four Premiership matches, with three successive league clean sheets providing a strong foundation ahead of the Roesiders’ visit.

“It was a disappointing result for us against Cliftonville, especially as it meant we’re now out of the Co. Antrim Shield,”said Cooney.

“Our aim at the start of the season is to go as far as possible in every competition we play in, and we had the chance to progress to the last four.

“Unfortunately, we probably didn’t do enough on the night and ended up suffering defeat. It’s a hard one for us to accept.

“We can’t do anything about it now. It’s gone, but what we can do is make sure we bounce back as quickly as possible.

“Our form was patchy at the start of the season, but over the last month we have looked more like ourselves again and put together a four-game unbeaten run.

“Now we have to learn from Tuesday night and make sure we produce a performance we know we are capable of on Saturday.

“The last thing we want is for one defeat to become a run of poor results. There is a determination in the squad to make sure that doesn’t happen and to keep our good league form going.

“We have managed to close the gap on the teams above us in recent weeks and climb the table. We don’t want to throw that away with a couple of poor results.”

Glentoran have already beaten Limavady at the Oval this season, with second-half goals from Jordan Stewart and Pat Hoban securing a hard-fought 2–0 victory on the opening day.

Cooney supplied the corner for Stewart’s breakthrough, but remembers a contest in which Paul Owens’ side carried a threat of their own.

“It was a very tough game for us that day, and we were happy to come away with the three points,” said the full-back.

“We probably had the better of the first half, but they had a spell at the start of the second when they maybe should have got their noses in front.

“It came down to small margins. They had a big chance to break the deadlock before we went up the pitch and Jordan scored the opener.

“Pat then added a second very quickly, which gave us a bit of breathing space, but we knew we had been in a tough contest.

“I am expecting Saturday to be very similar, and they will be coming here full of confidence given their recent results.

“Limavady had a tough spell at the start, losing their first four games, but since they got that first win under their belts they have really kicked on.

“Last Saturday’s comeback win over Ballymena United was a fantastic performance and shows they are a team with plenty of character.”

Last Friday’s goalless draw at Portadown briefly lifted Glentoran into third place before Larne’s victory at Crusaders the following afternoon.

Cooney wants the Glens to keep applying pressure to the sides above them by maintaining their own consistency.

“Our results at the start of the season left us playing catch-up,” he said.

“But picking up 10 points from our last 12 has helped us climb the table and close the gap on the teams above us.

“Our aim is to keep looking upwards and chip away at that gap, but we can only do that if we keep picking up points.

“If someone above us drops points and we’re not in a position to take advantage, that’s on us.

“It’s going to be tough because those teams don’t drop a lot of points, but we can’t focus on that. Our focus has to be on the next game.

“We have shown in recent weeks, and for large parts of last season, that we are capable of putting a run of wins together.

“There is real quality in the squad, and getting players like Jarlath O’Rourke and Pat Hoban back from injury is a massive boost.

“We also have magnificent supporters who have stood by us through thick and thin. Having their backing gives us such a lift, and we want to make sure we give them something to cheer about.”