​Glentoran manager Kim Turner has questioned whether people truly care about the women’s game after her side played two matches on consecutive days. The east Belfast club were crushed by Cliftonville in the Women’s League Cup final on Sunday and then fell to a 2-0 defeat against Lisburn Rangers in the Women’s Challenge Cup quarter-finals on Monday evening. Turner noted that the team is trying to defend the league title while balancing cup commitments and European qualifiers, and said that club representatives are reviewing the scheduling. “I think the scheduling of the fixtures is really poor and really unfair on players, who are working full-time jobs as well as juggling some important games into their schedule,” Turner told Glentoran media. “We are trying to do our best and prepare the squad as best we can for the games, but the fact is the games have to be played. Uefa are really clear about the required amount of recovery time between fixtures, and it makes me think, do people actually care about the women’s game? Our club reps are looking into it and the players have also spoken to the PFA about it and hopefully we actually see something happening as it’s not fair on the clubs.” The Glens could face a similar predicament later this month when they meet Riga FC in Champions League qualifying on 22 July and are scheduled to host rivals Linfield in the Irish Premiership two days later. If they can overcome the Latvian side in first-round qualifying, they would then face either Wrexham or Pyunik on 25 July, a day after their league clash with Linfield. “The Champions League qualifiers don’t seem to have been factored into the fixture schedule at all,” Turner continued. “That’s unfair on the likes of ourselves who want to give a good account of not only ourselves, but the league and country as a whole.” The Glens, who aim to reclaim the Premiership title after clinching top spot through a final-day decider against the Reds last season, have started strongly in their title defence and are unbeaten after five league games. They currently sit second, level on points with leaders Linfield, who have played one more match, with the two sides set to meet on Friday at Midgley Park (19:45 BST). “There’s no better game to get us going again than against Linfield, but we know it’s going to be another real test for us,” Turner said. Linfield are top of the table and have lost only once this campaign, a narrow May defeat to Cliftonville. “They will be relishing the game as they see it as a real opportunity to inflict a bit more pain on us, so we have to make sure that we don’t allow that to happen.” Turner emphasised that her squad is capable of great things as they attempt to move past this difficult spell. “What we have to do now is go on another run and put this behind us,” she insisted, highlighting the need for resilience and momentum as they push to restore the team’s footing amid a congested schedule.