Marcus Kane is targeting a League title win with Glentoran as he approaches his own special milestone with the club.
The Glens captain will lead his side out at the Blanchflower Stadium on Wednesday evening for his testimonial game against St Mirren.
It's almost 11 years to the day since Kane switched Big Two rivals Linfield for The Oval.
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And while he has won the Irish Cup during the last decade the Gibson Cup is the one he wants, and he feels the Glens are heading in that direction.
“I’ve only got the Irish Cup," he said. “I didn’t have enough appearances for a league medal with the Blues.
"I scored the winner against Cliftonville in a year they won the league but I wouldn’t have felt a part of it enough to say I’ve won the league in my career, so I really want to do it with the Glens.
“I feel we are progressing. Look at the players we’ve been bringing in, the likes of James Singleton and Rhys Marshall. Junior and Aidan Wilson are quality players, Luke McCullough is an international, as are Conor Mac and Niall McGinn.
“These are the players you want to be bringing to the club, but it’s important to have good experienced players pushing standards.
“Niall is shouting at people about not playing a pass in pre-season, and you need that to be a success.
“You’d be in denial if you said we aren't going in the right direction."
Kane admitted it is hard to believe he has been at the club for so long. He has seen a lot during that time and revealed he has adapted his game in latter years.
"If you’d told me in year five that I’d be here for 11 seasons I’d have thought you were mad," said Kane.
“But I’m glad I have been here that long, if you look back at my appearances, I’ve stood by the club in hard times but I’ve also played my part in terms of appearances.
“I’ve had a couple of injuries but rarely missed big chucks of seasons. When I signed my first contract I could never have imagined sitting here as a Glentoran player 11 years later.
“I come from a different era of footballers, so sticking with a club isn’t alien to me. Look at other clubs around the Irish League, a few of their players have had testimonials or are close to it now.
"But in the current climate if you’re a young boy coming through now you probably are looking at a higher level.
“I definitely wasn’t good enough ability-wise to go much higher, but I knew my mentality was good.
“I wanted to make a good career in the Irish League. I remember a quote from David Seaman, he said he signed for a non-league club early in his career and it was just about trying to make a living out of football.
“That stayed with me and when I signed for Glentoran I knew it was my level and I’ve adapted as a player, especially with the full-time element which was a struggle at the start.
"I’ve had to change my fitness and diet to make sure I was able to stay at this level and the club has backed me."
Kane has seen a few managers come and go at The Oval, but there is one in particular he will be ever grateful to.
Eddie Patterson brought Kane to Glentoran from Linfield back in 2012 and helped set him off on his journey to become one of the best full-backs in the Irish League.
“Eddie signed me. His spell in charge was a real success. We all remember the two Irish Cups and they were amazing," he said.
“There was a really strong top four back then and we were always close,
“Eddie’s influence on me really developed me into a good Irish League player - mentally, physically and positionally.
“I hadn’t really played left-back until I went to Glentoran. I played more in left midfield or centre midfield, and even centre forward if you’d believe that.
“I’ve a lot to thank Eddie for and that’s why I invited him to the fans v Legends’ game as part of my testimonial so he could manage one of the sides as did Roy Coyle.
“As first managers go at a club, Eddie was a brilliant fit for me."
Kane also paid tribute to his wife Aimee for her support throughout his career.
“Aimee has been a rock and never gets enough credit," he said.
"For me, your family circle is vital. If that isn’t working, football will struggle.
“The whole way through, Aimee has nearly made all the decisions for me. She’s the brains of the operation. She’s basically my agent, I just don’t have to pay her!"
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