Glentoran FC

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Match Preview.

Fri, 28/04/2017 - 00:13

Glentoran v Ards

Saturday 29 April 2017. Kick Off 3.00pm.

This Saturday we have our last match of the season, at home to Ards. We welcome club legend and record appearance holder Colin Nixon to the Oval for the first time as a manager.

The hallmark of this disappointing season is that the winners of this match will finish eighth in the Danske Bank Premiership. Not a position Glentoran expects to be in and not one we will want to see repeated.

This fixture so far this season has resulted in two wins for the Glens and one for Ards. In our first meeting, under the caretaker leadership of Roy Coyle back in September, we lost 2-0 through goals from ex-Glens centre back Johnny Taylor and Ross Arthurs.

In November at the Oval we had a 1-0 win thanks to a Curtis Allen lobbed goal while at our last meeting, in Bangor in January, we had a 1-3 win through goals from Stephen O’Flynn (2) and Curtis Allen.

Manager Gary Haveron said: “Saturday sees us bring an end to what has been a disappointing season with very few highlights. We look to build on a positive performance last week against Portadown where a number of our young players successfully grabbed the opportunity to impress.

The work for next season has begun and will continue to gather momentum over the coming weeks with the targets we have identified that will strengthen us. Also I will be informing a number of players next week (Wednesday) that their futures lie away from the Oval. It's never a nice part of the job but there is no player that can say he hasn’t been given enough chances or opportunities to stake a claim to stay. So I wish them well but I am only focused on the players we will work with moving forward.

I'm very keen to stress that what players get from here on they will need to earn. As well as poor performances we have also been incredibly hampered with injuries this year. As much as that’s a part of the game it's also a major drain on valuable resources so we must work in pre season to make sure we have everyone available for selection to give ourselves the best chance of success.

We have a number of players still under contract and I hope those who stay will come back for pre season as determined as I am to very quickly make sure this season will be a distant memory!

I can only thank the supporters for the support we have received this season, as I know how difficult it has been at times. Good times lie ahead. I truly believe that.

Enjoy the game.”

The Board of Directors at Glentoran Football Club would again request that all supporters travelling to the Oval by private car consider the local residents when deciding where and how to park.