Colin Nixon has said that qualifying for Europe is a must for Glentoran.

The Oval skipper believes that European football is ‘vital’ as the club tries to overcome a period of uncertainty.

And that uncertainty will continue for at least another few days, with the club’s board not yet ready to appoint a new manager to succeed Scott Young.

Roy Coyle will remain in caretaker charge for today’s Carling Premiership clash against Cliftonville at the Oval and Monday evening’s Setanta Sports Cup second leg tie at home to Bray Wanderers.

The delay in naming the new boss suggests that the board have been unable to come to a unanimous decision over which of the four candidates interviewed earlier this week is the right man for the job.

On Wednesday night former Cliftonville boss Eddie Patterson emerged as the man most likely to get the nod and he is also the choice of a large number of the club’s fans.

Ex-Ballymena United manager Roy Walker, Newry City boss Pat McGibbon and Ian Foster, who was in charge at Dundalk last season, are the other men in the running and it is thought that all three have received backing from certain board members.

Nixon and his team-mates have got on with the job of trying to win matches, having lost just once since Coyle took temporary charge.

And the man who has played more times for the Glens than anyone else, is determined to keep that run going as the club looks to emerge all the stronger from their latest drama.

“Getting into Europe is vital for Glentoran,” said Nixon, who scored the winning goal that took the Glens into the second qualifying round of the Europa League last summer.

“We know the rewards that come with European football and the financial benefits are very important for the club.

“We have games left in the league and our focus has to be on winning those games and trying to get ourselves up the table. We need to be in a position where we’ll get into the Europa League again because of how important it is for us.”

The Glens’ chances of finishing high enough to get into Europe — fourth place would probably be enough — have been boosted by the Irish FA’s lifting of a three-match ban imposed on striker Leon Knight for comments made via social networking website Twitter.