Marcus Kane is determined to make up for lost time and help lead Glentoran to a big finish to the season. The Glens captain was gutted to miss their Co Antrim Shield triumph last month due to injury.

He returned in style last Friday night starting the Irish Cup sixth round clash against Linfield, playing his part in their dramatic victory over their Big Two rivals.

That win took them through to the last-eight of the competition, and with the BetMcLean Cup final to look forward to next month and some massive league games to come Kane is targeting a memorable finale to the campaign.

READ MORE: Jim Ervin offers up Linfield opinion after the fallout from their Irish Cup exit

READ MORE: Irish League LIVE score updates from Saturday's Premiership and Championship games

“I was gutted to miss our dramatic County Antrim Shield win," said the skipper. "Watching from the sidelines is never easy, especially with silverware on the line, but I couldn’t be prouder of the lads for getting us over the line and securing our first trophy in five years.

“Now that I’m back, my focus is on helping the team achieve even more success this season because there’s still so much to play for. We’ve got the BetMcLean Cup Final, a massive Irish Cup quarter-final against Bangor and crucial league fixtures ahead.

"These are the types of games a club the size of Glentoran should be competing in. To be honest, this is probably the strongest squad I’ve been part of during my time at Glentoran. There’s a real buzz in the dressing room and we’re all pushing each other every day to make this season as successful as possible.”

Glentoran are currently on a 13-game unbeaten run with Dungannon Swifts next up. The Swifts currently lie a point behind the Glens in the table and Kane is expecting a tough test at The Oval.

“We won’t be taking Dungannon Swifts lightly," said Kane. "They’re a strong, well-organised side sitting just behind us in the table. They’ve already taken points off the so-called bigger teams in the league this season, so we know exactly how tough a challenge this will be.

“Rodney McAree is a fantastic coach who has them playing the right way. They’re compact, difficult to break down and always carry a threat going forward, so we’ll need to be at our absolute best to get the result.

“We want to extend the gap between us and Dungannon, keep the pressure on Linfield and maintain our unbeaten run. Every game matters at this stage of the season and we’re fully focused on delivering another strong performance.”

Join Belfast Live’s new Irish League WhatsApp group. Click this link to receive the latest Irish League headlines and breaking news direct to your phone. We also treat our members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our group, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice