Carrick Rangers: Will County Antrim Shield win ‘kickstart’ season?

Not only was Carrick’s success a long shot, but they did it the hard way.

Their journey to the trophy started with a win over Bangor – promoted from the Championship but impressive as they found their feet in the top flight.

That was followed by a win on penalties over Glentoran and a derby win over Irish Premiership leaders Larne, again in a shootout, followed.

Baxter’s side had defeated Cliftonville 4-1 in the league on Saturday but they trailed with 10 minutes at Seaview to go thanks to Ryan Curran’s early goal.

But Adam Lecky, who had helped Baxter to so much success in their trophy-laden spell at Crusaders, popped up with a crucial equaliser.

Curran and Liam McStravick both missed in the shootout, which allowed Aidan Steele to kickstart the party.

“There’s no such thing as a bad medal and it’s a great night for them,” former Glentoran and Crusaders defender Paul Leeman said on BBC Sport NI.

“They beat Glentoran, Larne and Cliftonville. It’s thoroughly deserved.”

After a first trophy in 33 years, the challenge now for Carrick is to refocus and consolidate their position in the top flight.

They sit in 11th, just one point off automatic safety, but the pack above is tight and a run of results either way could see a team climb up, or fall down, the table.

“They have a trophy in the cabinet, now can they move on to bigger and better things by moving up the league table and getting themselves out of trouble?” added Leeman.