IRISH LEAGUE: Shoot-to-thrill call from Glenavon boss Hamilton

The Lurgan Blues defeated Cliftonville by 3-1 thanks to Andy Hall’s brace of goals and a fine finish from Andy McGrory.

Hamilton has spent much of this season frustrated at the shortage of names on his matchday scoresheet - despite a free slate from the sidelines for players to go for goal.

“It was a positive team performance against Cliftonville but especially encouraging to see goals from other areas,” said Hamilton. “It is no secret that we have struggled to provide that cutting edge over the course of the season and it has cost us points and cup progress.

“Greg Moorhouse has been our most consistent scorer but you need goals from more than one regular source and often I feel that confidence has played a part in such a low return around the team.

“I am a former striker, as is Paul Millar as assistant manager, so we certainly would never criticise players from having a pop under the majority of circumstances.

“You see out-and-out goalscorers and they have that ability to shut out any criticism and come off the pitch not concerned about missing three or four chances as long as they end up in those positions.

“Greg has that approach and you see it too with young Jordan Jenkins, plus we have Andrew Mitchell coming in next season.

“It is not necessarily a negative but certainly something we want to encourage but a lot of it comes down to confidence more than anything.

“If the team is struggling for goals overall then sometimes you see players maybe playing that extra pass but we would encourage just taking the shot on as anything can break in your favour.

“When Andy (McGrory) first broke into the side he was weighing in with goals on a regular basis from out wide and on Saturday you could see he reacted quickly when the ball came back off the wall.

“Andy (Hall) has a great shot and showed real awareness with his two goals on Saturday.

“As a player, he loves providing other players with an assist and it is a big part of his game but we feel he can also add goals.

“It is probably one part of his game that is really missing.”