NEWRY FANS CAN HELP TURN TIDE

NEWRY City AFC manager Gary Boyle asked supporters to make plenty of noise in Friday nights Irish Premiership clash against Glenavon.

Newry dropped to bottom of the league table after giving their worst performance of the season in their most important game of the season thus far, to lose 4-1 against fellow relegation battlers Dungannon Swifts on Saturday.

The only way is up for Newry City but they are no strangers to lying low in the table and Boyle has previously said his team is up for the fight.

“We have been here before, it is not where we want to be, it is not where we set out to be, now that we are here, we have hit rock bottom so to speak and we have to revaluate, reassess and move the thing forward and that has to start on the training pitch this week and bring it into Friday in what is going to be a really difficult game,” said Boyle.

“I am glad to be back at home and we hope we can make the place busy and noisy to try and help the players because we all need a bit of a pull-out at the minute and certainly their influences is massive and they have never turned, fair play to them, they keep supporting us and I am sure that was a difficult day for everybody and I am Leading it and I feel for the the supporters. We ask them to stick with us and we hope we can turn the tide.”

Newry have gone over five league games without a win, although there was the Irish Cup victory away to Carrick Rangers. A goal difference of seven is what separates Ballymena United and Newry City from the automatic relegation position and the relegation/ play-off spot, with both on ten league points.

Swifts have leap two places to tenth with 12-points while Carrick are next on 19 points.

Friday's opponents Glenavon have won their last four games on the trot and they come to Newry with confidence. Newry have already taken their scalp this season and a repeat result would change City's landscape and the City manager accepts that results have not been good enough this season.

“The table doesn't lie, we are halfway through, we haven't picked up enough results to not be there, which is frustrating because we have probably played better against one of the better teams but they have ultimately won the game,” said Boyle.

“But that is always the fear, is getting them sort of moral victories whereby you get beat 1-0 or 2-1 by a so-called good side and you come to play a team that is in and around you in the table and you fall flat. “Ultimately we done that for the first half hour and 3-0 down at this level it is extremely difficult to get back in any game.”

Newry face Glenavon in the Sports Direct Premiership on Friday (November 24) at Newry Showgrounds with kick-off at 7.45pm.