Declan Caddell was left frustrated as his Crusaders side suffered their first defeat of the season, a 1-0 loss at Seaview against Glenavon.
After going behind to Michael O’Connor’s goal in the first half, the Crues were unable to find a goal themselves, despite being the superior team for large portions of the match.
“We dominated the game, dominated possession, dominated the ball and kept Glenavon at bay for the majority of the game,” Caddell told BBC Sport NI.
“Credit goes to them [Glenavon], they came here with a gameplan. They put all their men behind the ball and hit us on the counter-attack.
“They sat in, defended for their lives and you could see how much it meant to them after the game. They came here with a plan and it worked well for them.”
Although the Crues boss felt his side dominated proceedings, he was left frustrated by the lack of cutting edge.
“For me we didn’t do enough today. We didn’t have enough clear-cut opportunities to make it count. It’s a hard one to take in terms of how we played, but we move on,” added Caddell.
The Seaview side now face a trip to Stangmore Park on Tuesday night, with Caddell under no illusions of how tough it will be.
“It’s going to be another massive game, and it highlights the importance of being ready both mentally and physically.
“Rodney [McAree] is a really good coach, they have great players who are playing well at the minute. It’s always a difficult place to go, especially on a Tuesday night.”