Glentoran captain Paddy McClean says the Big Two giants were determined to get a win for the Donnelly brothers at Seaview on Friday night.
Jay and Rory’s mother passed away on Thursday following a period of illness and the strikers were missing for the trip to North Belfast.
The Crues led 1-0 through Josh Robinson only for Conor McMenamin and Robbie McDaid to hit back for the Glens in a 2-1 victory on the Shore Road.
On sealing a crucial three points, McClean said: “We wanted to go out and play for the two boys and we wanted to get that result for them.
“Jay has been unbelievable for us this season (23 goals in 26 games) as has Rory. They were a big loss against the Crues, but thankfully we got the win for them.”
Friday night’s fightback victory was the second time in four days the Glens hit back from 1-0 down to secure a 2-1 win in North Belfast.
Jay Donnelly bagged a double in a 2-1 win at Cliftonville on Monday night before Mick McDermott’s men repeated the trick after the Crues got off to a flier at Seaview.
“We had a bad start but grew into the game,” said McClean. “The first half wasn’t good enough from us, but we had a good chat at the half-time break.
“We sat down and said ‘this needs to change’. We regrouped and were a different team in the second half. We got back to what we’re good at and thankfully got the win.”
The Glens, who have lost just one of their last 17 league games, lie second in the table, just three points below Linfield who beat Glenavon 2-0 on Saturday.
A fascinating title run-in lies in wait with Cliftonville also still in the mix, although McClean isn’t looking beyond Coleraine at The BetMcLean Oval on Tuesday night.
“We’re just taking it game by game and week by week,” said the former Derry City defender. “We’re not looking at any other team and we’re just worrying about ourselves.”
