Stephen Gourley: Dundela's players haven't trained their hearts out since June to throw the towel in now

​The Duns restored their four-point advantage at the summit as Lee Rea’s brace and a William Faulkner strike secured a 3-1 victory over Newington at Inver Park.

That result means the East Belfast outfit will head into the split sitting top with Portadown, Bangor and Institute all chasing in what is set to be a fascinating end to another dramatic second-tier campaign.

After it emerged that Dundela’s Wilgar Park pitch doesn’t meet Premiership requirements and therefore meaning the club are unable to receive promotion even if crowned champions, many wondered if that would derail their title bid, but Gourley insists the determination within his playing group for glory remains just as strong.

"If you challenge any of those guys in that dressing room, when you get to this stage you have to have that hunger in you or else there's no point going out,” he told the club’s media channel. “We challenge them every week and as I've said many times they challenge themselves.

"They're a hungry bunch of guys...they're in it together and that showed today.

"There were three or four reserve team guys on the bench and they train with the first team so know what it's all about.

"The hunger is in the belly...they're not going to train their hearts out from June to throw the towel in. Fair play to them for standing up and being counted.

"Certain personnel weren't available today for one reason or another and that's senior players.

"I'm a bit annoyed we conceded at the end, but if you'd said we'd win 3-1 at 3pm I'd have bitten your arm off for it."

Dundela are back in action on Tuesday night with a home clash against Ballyclare Comrades, who are winless in their last six league matches, including Saturday’s shock 2-0 defeat to Knockbreda.

Having tasted success during his time as a player with the Duns, Gourley says it isn’t in his nature to settle for anything less now in the dugout.

"I'm immensely proud of them as it is,” added Gourley. “In a whole lot of people's opinions we've overachieved already, but Ginge (Laurence Fyfe), Ben (Anderson), myself, the backroom staff, we weren't just here to make up the numbers.

"We're here because we're hungry. Ginge won a load of medals with Dundela and I've won a few, so we're hungry for more and I don't see why we'd want anything else and that's what the club is about.

"To say we're just going to go out and make up the numbers isn't in our pedigree.

"Tuesday night will be massive. Ballyclare have always provided a tough game and it'll be no different on Tuesday."