Carrick Rangers manager Stephen Baxter insists “it doesn’t surprise me how well we’re playing” after his side collected their third consecutive Premiership victory with a 3-0 triumph over Portadown at Shamrock Park.
January proved to be a special month for Carrick as they ended a 33-year wait for major trophy glory by collecting the Senior Shield after beating Cliftonville on penalties.
The ‘Gers also enjoyed an upturn in league fortunes, winning three and drawing one of their five Premiership matches to significantly boost their bid to climb clear of potential relegation threat.
Another major positive for Baxter’s men is the goals scored column – across the past 10 league matches played by each top-flight team, no side has netted more than Carrick (20, joint with Coleraine and Glentoran).
Twelve of those have come across their previous three outings, putting four past Cliftonville before scoring five against Dungannon Swifts.
Adam Lecky’s purple patch continued on Saturday, bringing his personal league tally for the season to seven, while strike partner Danny Gibson has now registered 10 after his Portadown brace.
“Paul Heatley, Danny Gibson and Adam Lecky were incredible,” Baxter told the club’s media channel. “When you have all the others doing their jobs and you play with that spark up front, that’s hard to deal with.
“Billy Joe Burns, being able to play two games in four days can always be difficult, his body seizes up – WD-40 needed for him!
“What an outstanding player, what he has brought to the team is incredible. Mikey Place, it was an incredible performance from him and he has been superb since he has arrived.
“All these things are added to our quality and they’re a brilliant group to work with. They’ve a bit of attitude about them now, they’re playing with confidence, and that’s what you need.”
Carrick have pulled 14 points clear of basement club Glenavon, while they’re five ahead of Crusaders, who currently occupy the relegation play-off position.
Baxter’s side are now be looking up the table given recent form and are only two points adrift of sixth-placed Cliftonville.
“It’s a very pleasing performance from us,” added Baxter. “It has really just carried a little sign of what we have been doing over the last three or four games.
“We’d real quality in our play, boxed clever all around the pitch in regards to where we needed to be at the right times, taking the chances when they appear with clinical finishing.
“With people like Billy Joe Burns, Luke McCullough, BBR (Ben Buchanan-Rolleston) because we lost Jimmy Callacher with a knee problem last week, just that quality in organisation and knowing what’s coming your way.
Portadown threw the kitchen sink at us in the second half but we boxed it all off very well, very smartly and just some of the desire in our play, the focus, has been outstanding.
“That’s what it takes. It’s a big group effort, it’s people putting their bodies on the line, putting their heads on things and making sure we get over the line.
“It doesn’t surprise me how well we’re playing. I came here saying ‘we have to be confident in our own performance and not worry about the opposition’.
“We were carrying that momentum with us and have been very good in the last few games, so it didn’t surprise me at all that we won this game well today.”
