BLUES MUST STOP RORY

The striker has been in top form recently and has so far bagged 26 goals this season, scoring a hat-trick in each of his last two league games against title-chasing Crusaders and Glentoran.

The front-man, who has already agreed to join current champions Glentoran at the end of the season, has fired his side to sixth place in the Carling Premiership, seven points off top spot and six points ahead of Glenavon with two games in hand.

Blues’ boss Marty Quinn doesn’t underestimate the task of stopping the former FC United of Manchester forward but is looking for his side to block the service from Patterson’s talented team-mates.

“There’s nobody stopping him (Patterson) at the minute but it helps whenever he has players like Stephen Carson and Darren Boyce feeding him,” said the Mourneview Park gaffer.

“With all due respect, Stephen Carson played a couple of balls into Patterson against Glentoran last Saturday and I could have scored them myself so it’s all about the service and supply to him. He’s only as good as the players around him and we’ve got to stop them picking the ball up and running at us.

“Coleraine, along with Cliftonville, are the form team in the Premiership at the minute and I wouldn’t rule them out for winning the league if they can keep the run going.

“They’re absolutely flying at the minute. They hit four against Glentoran and five at Crusaders the week before so they’re just rattling the goals in for fun.

“It will be a very difficult one for us but if we could get a win it would give us a major lift. We’re lacking a bit of luck and a bit of confidence but you make your own luck by plugging away at it.”

Speaking before his side’s 1-0 victory over Newry City on Tuesday night, Quinn went on to say that his squad’s morale had remained high throughout their 11 game winless streak in the Carling Premiership.

“We’re keeping our heads up at the minute and the morale’s good,” he said.

“There’s nobody going around with a long face but it’s important that we get a win because the longer the bad run goes on the longer it goes on.

“I would probably take four points from the two games this week,” he continued before three of those points were gained in that win over Newry.

As regards his own squad, Quinn is waiting on striker Tony Grant who is struggling with a toe injury and was on the bench for Tuesday’s match.

“It’s just a case of him taking pain killers and hoping for the best at the moment. We’ll just have to see how he gets on,” the gaffer told the ‘MAIL.’