This weekend could bring much more than just a few Easter eggs for Institute if they can beat Loughgall.

Three is the magic number for the Drumahoe side as they sit third in the table with a trio of games remaining, and that many points clear of PSNI below them.

They will play their Belfast rivals in the next game, but they could all but secure a play-off spot before then if they beat Loughgall and PSNI lose to league champions Warrenpoint Town.

If the Belfast side lose that game and Institute win then the local team would be six points clear going into the final two games, with a far superior goal difference.

Kevin Deery’s team have gotten themselves into a fantastic position after getting a late equaliser against PSNI last week that kept them at arm’s length. Despite missing a penalty, captain Stephen O’Donnell was pleased with his team’s showing.

“In terms of the game itself it’s always difficult to break a team down when they have eleven men behind the ball, and that was the case against PSNI,” the defender told the Derry News.

“When we look back in a few weeks’ time we may well say it was a very good point. We showed a lot of resilience and I thought we did well to keep pushing. We missed the penalty but we didn’t give up. Sammy came on and made a huge impact with the goal, and I felt that was just rewards for the character we showed.”

It has been just a month since ‘Stute last faced Loughgall, when they ran out comfortable 4-0 winners thanks to goals from Morrow and Stephen Curry, as well as a brace from Kyle Friel-Curran. Despite the ease of that victory, O’Donnell is wary of their threat.

“We’re not taking them lightly despite the fact that we had a good result against them a few weeks ago. This is a free hit for them. They have nothing to lose so we have to expect that they will throw caution to the wind and that’s always dangerous,” he insisted.

“We’re having a good week of training and we’ll take the positives from the PSNI game into this one. We’ll play at the same high intensity and see where it takes us. Warrenpoint are playing PSNI in the other game so depending on the result there we could have one foot in the play-offs if we win.”

While their opponents cannot secure a top three finish for themselves, the ‘Stute skipper says they still have a lot of motivation.

“They’re on course for their highest finish in the last few years so that’s a big incentive for them” O’Donnell said.

“They changed their manager mid-way through the season as well so the players will want to go out there and perform in these last few games to make sure they’re part of his plans for the future. To be fair, in the last game they were solid for the first hour or so and then they fell away a bit so we know they have something to offer.”

Anything less than a victory in this game could potentially open the door for PSNI to challenge ‘Stute’s play-off spot, and O’Donnell agrees that this is a ‘must win’ tie.

“We would have classed last Saturday as must win but with the manner of the performance and how the game panned out we were pleased in the end. This is certainly must win for us,” he admitted.

“It’s our last home game of the season and we want to go out with a victory. The boys are all aware of what it will take, and Kevin and the staff have put together a plan that will give us everything we need to go out and do the job.”

With away games against PSNI and Ballyclare ahead in the final two rounds of the regular season, O’Donnell says his team are focused on the task at hand.

“First and foremost, we have to keep the right mentality and the desire to win games and try for promotion. When you work hard you play well, and we have set ourselves up nicely now for these final fixtures,” he admitted.

“We might be potential underdogs going away to PSNI and Ballyclare but we have given ourselves the right platform. On our day we believe that we can beat anyone, but for now we won’t look past Loughgall.”

As the man with the armband, O’Donnell admits he feels an added responsibility to guide his team through these crucial fixtures.

“As a group of players it’s easy to be motivated for these big games because that’s why you work hard,” insisted the captain.

“This is why we train three nights a week. It’s why we do the gym sessions, the cold winter training nights, and why we travel the length and breadth of the country. We want success. We’re a close bunch and we have a good group of lads in the dressing room.”

He continued: “The onus is on me as the captain and some of the senior players to remind them all how far we have come since the start of last season, and how far we’ve come under Kevin. Not just that but there is a lot more to come from this year. We want to create great memories to look back on as individuals, and as a team. We set out to get promoted and if we continue to work hard then there is no reason why we can’t do that.”

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