Glentoran’s European adventure ends but Devine hails effort and fans

Declan Devine has refused to be downbeat after Glentoran’s involvement in Europe came to an end with a 4-1 aggregate defeat to Latvian side RFS.

The Glens travelled to Latvia with a 2-1 deficit from the first leg but fell further behind when Modou Saidy scored with just five minutes on the clock. Pat Hoban missed a headed chance in the first half, and Janis Ikavnieks made it 2-0 on the night after the hour mark.

Devine said: ‘I can’t fault effort and commitment and desire and some of the phases of play. Let’s not shy away, it’s a ridiculously high level opponent. In the last year and a half, they’ve beaten Ajax and played at an incredibly high level.’

The Glentoran boss also questioned a goal conceded while Daniel Larmour was off the pitch injured, calling it offside, but ultimately praised his side’s resilience. ‘Not once did we lie down in the two ties, not once,’ he said.

Devine challenged his squad to use the experience as motivation for next season. ‘Now that we have tasted this, we want to make sure next year that we’re really back on it and hopefully give a bit more luck in the draw.’

He also paid tribute to the travelling fans, calling their support the best he has ever seen and urging his players to reward their loyalty with domestic success.

Article and image source: newsletter.co.uk