Performance nowhere near good enough - Ferguson

“Glenavon deserved to win, there’s no doubt about it,” said Ferguson.

“I was really disappointed in our overall attitude, application and performance.

“From start to finish we simply weren’t good enough and the players are under no illusions now.

“If they think by winning the County Antrim Shield that they’ve arrived and don’t have to lift a leg the rest of the season, they’ve got another think coming.

“We didn’t work hard enough, didn’t battle, didn’t win second ball, didn’t create enough – basically we weren’t good enough.

“It could have been worse, we could have been more goals behind at half-time.”

When asked if the players had been given some ‘home truths’ after the game, Ferguson replied: “In a constructive manner – the cups were thrown and tables kicked but the players certainly know now and if they have any qualms or disagreements with me, on their heads be it.

“If the players are living in a bubble after winning the Shield, the bubble has just burst and a lot of them have fallen out of the bubble.

“In my time, when you won a trophy you wanted to build on it, not lie back and live off it.

“The first goal was a free kick which took a deflection that wrong-footed Stuart Addis; the second one we have no excuse, free header, marker didn’t do his job; the third one also took a deflection into Ciaran Martyn’s path but he has got himself in there; and the fourth one Guy Bates has come off a defender, dropped his shoulder come inside and Stuart should probably have done better.

“At 3-1 James Costello had a header from a yard or two yards – if he scores that it’s a different game. He didn’t and Glenavon went up the field and scored,” added Ferguson.