Trio get extensions to their contracts

With boss Marty Quinn keen to assemble his squad for next season, the three key players have become the first of the summer to extend their deals with the club.

Molloy has just been awarded the club’s Player of the Season award and Quinn is delighted that he is staying to help the hoped revival.

“I’m delighted to have him on board for another year,” he said.

“He was carrying an injury when I took over and he wasn’t producing or firing on all cylinders. He was coming under a lot of criticism from the fans and I asked them to back off which they duly did. Then we started to see the Trevor Molloy that we knew was in there. He’s been exceptionally good.”

The boss is also pleased to have the versatile Willo McDonagh staying at the club but is keen to stress that these early contract extensions don’t mean automatic starting places for the trio next season:

“I’ve every confidence in Willo taking on the centre-back position and I think that’s where he played some of his best football for us this year so I’ve no hesitation in putting him in there. Whether he starts the season in that position or not remains to be seen. There’s nobody has nailed a place on. It’s all about performances and pre-seasons. No-one is guaranteed a place.”

As is indicated by these deals, Quinn is refusing to hand out contracts over one-year in length in a bid to ensure his club is no longer seen as a ‘soft touch’ in Irish League football and says that his current crop will have to work hard if they are to be kept at Mourneview Park.

“I’m only giving out one year contracts at the moment,” he told the ‘MAIL.’

“I’m not happy with underachievement and a lot of players have been in a comfort zone at the club for a number of years.

“We need to look at them over the year and if they are doing well I’ll be sitting them down at Christmas time and extending their contracts. It’s basically up to the players now to show me what they want and where they want to be. I have to see that character, will to win and commitment. I have to see all those qualities. My team are all battlers and I want to make sure that’s what I have.”

As well as showing the manager the dogged effort he requires from his side, it looks like players will have to accept a thinner wage packet next season if they want to remain at the club, with the bill needing slashed.

“A couple of the guys who have signed on have taken pay cuts as well which is good,” he said.

“That’s what I’m asking my players to do to help the club along. In my opinion some of the players are too well paid for what they produce. Glenavon have been a bit of a soft touch for a number of years and we have to make sure that we draw the line somewhere. The money just isn’t there.

“I know the problems that the management went to to produce the last month’s wages, which they have done right throughout the season. A lot of them have been digging into their own pockets and that’s not fair and that’s not on. I have to try and address that situation.”