Glentoran new boy Aidan Wilson had new Oval coach Tim McCann “buzzing” after heading home the insurance goal in Friday night’s impressive 3-1 win over Crusaders.
Wilson, who left the Crues for East Belfast in June, stole the headlines against his former club when he rose to meet a Shay McCartan free-kick 12 minutes from time.
And it had McCann, who was recently added to Mick McDermott’s backroom staff as a set-piece specialist, beaming a broad smile of satisfaction on the touchline.
Read more: Glentoran coach Tim McCann lays down Oval law to players
“Tim McCann is buzzing in there,” said Wilson, gesturing towards the dressing room. “We have been working on set-pieces and it was great to see it go in.
"It was a great ball in from Shay, I just got up, headed the ball in and that was it. I got a wee bit carried away after scoring but emotions took over. It was an important goal to make it 3-1 and it maybe took the wind out of their sails.
“I don’t know if it was written that I’d score (against Crusaders) but I was just delighted with the result and it was a big three points for us.
“I think we showed great character to get back into the game after going a goal behind against a team like Crusaders.”
The Crues led through Ross Clarke’s fifth minute opener only for Ruaidhri Donnelly to squeeze home an equaliser three minutes later.
Conor McMenamin made it 2-1 from the penalty spot seven minutes after the break before Wilson made sure with a thumping header in the latter stages.
It made it four points from six so far for McDermott’s men who had secured a scoreless draw with Larne on the opening weekend of the new campaign the previous weekend.
Next up for the Glens is a trip to face Dungannon Swifts, who are still seeking their first points of the campaign, on Tuesday night.
“If you had said to us at the start of the season that we’d have four points from two games against Larne and Crusaders, you’d probably go ‘yeah, we’ll take it’,” he said.
“Look, you want to win every game, of course you do, but when you look at those two games, they were difficult games and we would take the four points.
“Tuesday night is massive for us now. There’s no point taking three points against Crusaders on Friday night and then slipping up at Dungannon. We’ve got to go again.”
Wilson, who spent 14 years at Rangers and played twice for the Glasgow club under Pedro Caixinha, is “delighted” to be back playing full-time football again at Glentoran.
Before joining the Big Two giants earlier this summer, the former Scotland U19s captain spent two years at Crusaders who operate a partial full-time model.
“I’m loving it here,” he said. “It’s proper full-time football which is what I’m after. I’m feeling fit, I’m feeling stronger and I’m just going to improve here.
“It was difficult for me to adapt to the hybrid thing Crusaders have got going on there, so to be back playing full-time football at Glentoran has been brilliant.”
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