'January slump likely to cost Tullycarnet' says Darren Frame

Darren Frame believes a damaging slump in form back in January will ultimately cost Tullycarnet a shot at promotion this season.

New signing Neil McLarnon grabbed a hat-trick on Saturday in a 4-3 win at Suffolk, with Colin Callacher also on target as the visitors kept alive their faint hopes of finishing in the top two.

Indeed, Frame goes so far as saying the East Belfast men require a “miracle”, with his club lying four points adrift of second-placed Holywood with just two games to go.

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Tullycarnet can take points off their promotion rivals in their run-in, with Greenisland up this weekend and Holywood the week after.

For all the various permutations at the top, however, a win for Holywood this weekend at Woodvale will move them out of Tullycarnet’s reach.

But while there’s something to play for, Frame won’t be giving up.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t think it’s going to happen, but you never know,” said the Tullycarnet chief.

“We had a bad month in January and prior to that, we were on a run of 12 games unbeaten or something like that, so we’d a bad month and that has really derailed our season.

“So it’s out of our hands, we need a miracle to be honest. All the top teams still have to play each other so you don’t know.

“We have to win on Saturday but to have any chance.”

Whatever way the climax to 2021/22 pans out, Frame insists no one can deny they’ve made progress.

They led 1C for months, and bar that spell at the start of the new year when they lost two and drew one, it could have been all so different.

But with one eye already on next season, the Tullycarnet boss is remaining upbeat.

“All in all, it’s been a great year,” added Frame. “It’s the process and