COLERAINE man Stephen Lowry is intent on putting an “inconsistent” campaign behind him now that his side have qualified for the top-six split, with Cliftonville next in his sights.
Carrick Rangers’ failure to defeat Linfield on Tuesday means Oran Kearney’s charges nabbed sixth place and will play the final five games of the season against the league’s big boys, starting with the Reds, who visit the Showgrounds tomorrow.
Lowry is hopeful momentum is building at the right time: “Things have certainly fallen into place this last few weeks, it seems,” he said.
“We certainly struggled with inconsistencies earlier in the season for a number of reasons, but it’s all about looking forward now as a club and building the momentum into the split and that starts this Saturday.”
Being a committee member of the recently formed Players Football Association, and playing a part in the coaching of his side throughout the season when he was off the field due to an Achilles injury, Lowry has had a look at what his career might hold when he hangs up his boots, but now the 37-year-old is back and is looking towards a potential place in Europe.
“We are guaranteed to be a part of the European play-offs at the end of the season and that is massive,” the ex-Linfield man said.
“In years gone by, European football was a good experience to travel to places that you might never have visited otherwise, but the campaigns were usually over before they started. But now, there is a buzz in the league and a feeling that reaching the group stages of the Conference League is within reach.
“I remember playing Celtic away before and it was probably the best footballing night of my life, and memories like those make you want more of it.
“I know the financial implications of qualifying and the boost it can give a club like ours, especially heading towards a full-time model.”
The Bannsiders look set to stay in their current sixth position as they are 14 points adrift of Crusaders in fifth, but are unbeaten in their last five league outings and will expect to capitalise on causing more pain to Jim Magilton’s Cliftonville side, who are now all but out of the title race.
The Reds went down 2-0 on Tuesday to a rampant Larne, who gained revenge for their loss to Magilton’s team in the Irish Cup last Saturday, and he must now keep his troops motivated to ensure they don’t fall off the pace in the weeks leading up to the showpiece final.
With three home ties, Coleraine will fancy their chances of picking up at least a couple of wins in the split.
Cliftonville are faced with four away ties, with only Glentoran to visit Solitude, and may struggle to pick up wins against tough opposition.
The two sides have met four times this season, three times in the league and once in the Irish Cup, with the Reds scoring 14 goals in those games, while the Bannsiders have managed just two in four defeats.
