By 
ADAM Lecky is hoping the only way is up for Carrick Rangers, who last week ended a 33-year wait for a senior trophy by capturing the County Antrim Shield.
Lecky scored a precious equaliser against Cliftonville to take the cup decider to penalties with Rangers ultimately emerging 3-2 victors.
It was a momentous occasion for Stephen Baxter’s outfit and one that Castlederg native Lecky thoroughly enjoyed.
“To be honest it was a brilliant night and I enjoyed it maybe more than I thought I would,” he said.
“When you start out at the beginning of the season the County Antrim Shield is probably fourth on your list of priorities. But we played well on the night and for a club like Carrick that has been starved of success for so long it was massive. You could see what it meant to the fans and people who have been the life and soul of the club for years.”
On Saturday past Carrick capped off an impressive week by defeating Dungannon Swifts 5-1 in the league with Lecky helping himself to a sparkling hat-trick.
Seven days earlier a resurgent Gers defeated Cliftonville 4-1, that after holding champions Linfield scoreless at Taylor’s Avenue.
That upturn in fortunes has lifted Carrick out of the relegation doldrums and up to ninth in the table. Lecky is hoping that the improvement is a sign of things to come.
“To win the Shield we defeated Bangor, Glentoran, Larne and Cliftonville – we certainly didn’t do it the easy way,” continue the towering attacker.
“That said the two league wins either side of it were probably more sought after. We have been competitive in most games, bar one, this season and I think we are a better team that our league position showed. Hopefully now we can keep performing and climbing up the table.”
It’s perhaps no coincidence either that Carrick’s improvement has aligned with a return to something like full fitness for Lecky, who enjoyed successful periods at Ballymena United and Crusaders before moving to Carrick in the summer.
“On reflection I probably returned from an ACL injury too soon at the start of the season,” he continued.
“I was probably only 70 or 80% fit but Stephen Baxter was happy enough with that given we have a relatively small squad.
“The first five or six games weren’t great and I ended up tearing my hamstring. That left me sidelined for eight to 10 weeks.
“I returned again in November and I feel I’m getting stronger with every game. I’m happy enough when I’m not labouring and hopefully adding value to the team.”
As well targeting further league success, Lecky and his team-mates are eyeing up a run in the Irish Cup. That, though, will be easier said than done given that they have been drawn at home to the highly-fancied Coleraine in the sixth round.
“Home to Coleraine is not ideal but it’s a tie we are looking forward to. It could be a ding-dong battle and our pitch mightn’t be at its best in February! It’s obviously going to be a tough test but I imagine that Coleraine won’t be licking their lips at the prospect of coming down here either.”
