TEAMTALK: Reality check, a funding push and the draw specialists

Haveron had travelled to Seaview celebrating two years in the job and left the Shore Road ground reflecting on the biggest defeat of his managerial career.

Yes, his side may have produced an abject display and failed to thwart the Crues, but when four-goal Paul Heatley is in the mood and in that kind of form, he’s virtually unplayable.

When you look at it from that perspective, it’s not the end of the world for the Gers. Not every team has a magician like Heatley and Carrick should bounce back.

But, by the manager’s own admission, the his side have been guilty of some naive decision-making which has proven critical to the outcome of matches.

And while Miguel Chines’ sending-off mystified the majority at the weekend, the facts are it was Carrick’s fourth red of the season. It’s a trend they can’t allow to continue if they want to give themselves the best possible chance of beating the drop.

Down the road, Larne’s chief executive Mervyn McKay says the Championship 1 outfit could risk dropping to the Amateur League unless funding for a planned £4m upgrade of Inver Park is made available. There’s no doubt, the new facilities are badly needed.

Larne fan Andy Scullion summed it up well with his Facebook comment on the story that made last week’s Larne Times’ page three lead.

“This funding isn’t just for the benefit of Larne FC, it is for the town as a whole and would have far-reaching benefits,” he wrote. “If the development gets the go-ahead, Inver Park can be used 24/7 by people of all ages and become a real community hub.” Here, here. That’s what I say.

Eleven-and-a-half miles away at Dixon Park, Ballyclare are still searching for their first league win of the campaign.

David Dorrian’s men are Championship 1 draw specialists with four from five outings. Their other match finished in an undeserved 2-1 defeat at the hands of Niall Currie’s Ards.

We all know footballers take to the pitch to win matches. That’s what it’s all about.

The Comrades will be hoping they can rediscover that winning feeling when they entertain Armagh City on Saturday afternoon.