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Steven Crawford

Glenavon's Gary Hamilton fearing a Linfield backlash at Windsor Park

Gary Hamilton is wary of a Linfield backlash when his Glenavon side make the trip to Windsor Park on Tuesday evening.

The Lurgan Blues boss knows David Healy's men will be still smarting from their 3-0 drubbing by old rivals Glentoran on Friday night.

In the aftermath Healy said "sink or swim" time for his players as they lie ten points off league leaders Larne.

Read next: Conor McMenamin says Glentoran support helped him deal with historic video fallout

Hamilton, whose Glenavon side slipped to a narrow 3-2 defeat at Crusaders on Saturday, compared the reigning champions to "a wounded animal".

"It's another tough game for us," he told the club's Youtube channel.

"There are non easy games, but there's certainly none tougher than going to Windsor Park.

"They will be wounded animals after the result the other night against their rivals Glentoran.

"Someone gave a stat out that it was 70-odd games since they were last beaten at home, so that shows it is certainly not an easy place to go and get a result.

"We weren't too far off being one of the last teams to beat them at home as we went close to beating them down there.

"If we go and put in another performance like that you never know.

"We need to be on our game and play like we did against Crusaders to have any chance of getting anything from the game."

Glentoran’s Daniel Purkis scores Glentoran's second goal (INPHO/Brian Little)

Hamilton felt his side were hard done by at Seaview.

The visitors twice held the lead against the Crues before being pegged back and eventually coming out the wrong side of a five-goal thriller.

The Glenavon boss was left to bemoan another refereeing decision, which he felt denied his side a "stonewall penalty".

"The most disappointing thing after a performance like we produced was we were let down by a decision," said Hamilton.

"It's another stonewall penalty which we haven't got.

"It's disappointing, everybody in the ground saw it. If we had come away with a point a draw is a good result at Crusaders.

"We weren't given that opportunity from a poor refereeing decision.

"The Crues players I spoke to after the game said it was a penalty.

"You always know in football as you see the reaction of players, and their players turned around straight away and looked at the referee.

"It was so clear to be seen all over the ground.

"I think the Crusaders players were worried that it was going to be given, but they got away with it and again we are on the wrong side of a poor refereeing decision."

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