Warren Feeney's 'move on' derby message after Glentoran night to remember

Two goals inside the opening 10 minutes set the Glens on the path to a memorable ‘Big Two’ night as Linfield, at 4-0, suffered t he club’s heavies t Irish League defeat at The Oval since 1972, as reported by Joel Taggart of BBC Sport NI.

Niall McGinn dazzled under the floodlights with three assists and a goal, joining Daire O’Connor’s double and a Shay McCartan finish on the Glens scoresheet.

Home supporters celebrated success on the pitch and the sight of Linfield fans leaving before the final whistle of the derby dream night.

For boss Feeney it was a case of relishing the immediate rewards of a rise up the Sports Direct Premiership standings to fourth heading into the weekend – plus the reality of plotting a path to sustained gains.

He highlighted the contribution of Northern Ireland international McGinn but reserved his main praise for the collective effort.

"I said to them ‘you've got to start well' - I'm not a believer in tiredness,” said Feeney in his post-match interview on Glens TV . "Two games in four days (following Tuesday’s Co Antrim Shield semi-final)...it does fall in the back of your mind.

"You've got to be mentally tough, you've got to be strong physically and keep a strong mind.

"I thought there were some outstanding performances tonight.

"It's about both boxes - obviously we were ruthless today in the box and could have had more.

"But the clean sheets are massive and from the goalkeeper and back five I thought they were outstanding.

"You've two kids in there, you've a makeshift defence at the minute.

"They were outstanding, plus the midfielders...I couldn't fault anyone.

"Everyone showed intensity, everyone was hungry and I'm pleased for everyone we got the result.

"But I won't get carried away.

"That's the Niall McGinn that everyone wants...he's had 72 caps for his country for a reason.

"He showed it...games like this you need quality and Niall certainly showed the quality.”

Victory arrived just days after a Co Antrim Shield semi-final triumph over Carrick Rangers – marking a week of high points for Feeney in a first season during which the summer appointment has had to deal with sustained outside noise.

"I'm not being disrespectful, I don't worry about it because it doesn't affect me,” said Feeney on BBC Sport NI. "I've been in situations before, you can't hide.

"All I worry about is that changing room.

"This is a great football club, passionate fans...I'm an East Belfast boy myself.

"People are always going to criticise, people criticised when I played - but the players deserve it tonight.

"We'll move on to the next one."

Now Feeney will aim to utilise time before facing Cliftonville on December 9 as an opportunity to cement the standards set.