GLOBAL attention may have focussed on the 13-year-old boy he fielded in midweek but Glenavon boss Gary Hamilton is more interested in finishing with 11 men on the pitch.
Christopher Atherton became the youngest ever senior footballer in the UK when he came off the bench during the 6-0 League Cup win over neighbours Dollingstown but the likelihood is that he won't be involved this afternoon when Cliftonville come to Mourneview Park.
Hamilton is keen to move on from the hoopla surrounding Atherton, and it's understandable that he wants to set his sights on the team as a whole.
The Lurgan Blues are still seeking their first home league win of a season disrupted by red cards – with five dismissals in their five Premiership matches so far, twice ending games with only nine men.
On the first of those occasions Glenavon battled to a 2-2 draw at Ballymena United, but next time out, again with two fewer players, they lost late on at home to Larne.
After the impressive 3-1 win at early leaders Coleraine, they then slumped to a 5-1 home hammering by Newry City, before suffering another dismissal – Robert Garrett – and having to settle for a 2-2 home draw with Carrick Rangers.
Hamilton accepts that discipline must improve, and fast, if Glenavon are to climb the table – and certainly if they are to compete with the Reds today.
"Some of them have been due to our own indiscipline, some have been poor decisions. I'll never defend the indefensible; it's hurt us at times. We have to make sure our discipline is better.
"The only thing we can do is punish them, drop them and fine them, we do that if we feel the sending off is deserved.
"When a player crosses the white line he has to take control of his own actions. We can't stop somebody pulling an opponent back or kicking out at somebody. They have to have their own discipline.
"We tell them they're letting the supporters and their own team-mates down when they get sent off, because their team-mates then have to do extra work and it becomes harder to get good results.
"Hopefully the penny drops and we won't get any more silly sendings off."
Hamilton believes Glenavon could have doubled their five-point tally without those red cards:
"Without going down to nine men do we win a game or get a draw? That's the impact these sendings-off are having. We've been playing well apart from the Newry game when we were really, really poor.
"The impact has been massive. All the sendings-off, bar one, have been three-game bans. I don't think we've been able to send out the same back four, it also affects what you're bringing off the bench."
Today's opponents Cliftonville will be another tough challenge, he knows: "They always have been a good side in my time at Glenavon. In my opinion at the minute they have as good a team as the Tommy Breslin team… When they can leave Joe Gormley on the bench, it shows you how strong they are – any other team in the league would kill for Joe Gormley."
