Saturday 23rd April
3pm Kick Off
Tomorrow we travel to the Coleraine Showgrounds for our penultimate Danke Bank Premiership game of the season.
Having finished as runners up last season, this campaign has been a massive disappointment for Coleraine who can now finish no higher than the sixth place they currently occupy. Tuesday's defeat to Cliftonville was a fourth league loss in succession and an eighth defeat in the last nine in all competitions as part of a wretched run of two wins in thirteen games stretching back to early February. Interestingly both wins were at the expense of now relegated basement side Warrenpoint Town.
Eoin Bradley will hope to earn a return to the starting line-up after netting a late consolation goal against the Reds after replacing Matthew Shevlin as a substitute, while Curtis Allen and James McLaughlin will vie for the other striker's role. Manager Oran Kearney will have to do without talisman Jamie Glackin, however, after the midfielder picked up a straight red card in the second half of Tuesday's game.
Kearney will also be without Andrew Mitchell with the on-loan striker ineligible to face his parent club until his move becomes permanent at the end of the campaign.
When Glentoran visited Ballycastle Road earlier this season a first win there since late 2013 was secured thanks to a goal in each half from the Donnelly brothers, Rory heading home the opener after just four minutes and Jay sealing the welcome pre-Christmas 2-0 win with just over an hour played. In the three league meetings between the teams this season there have been two Glentoran victories and a 2-2 draw at the Oval.
Mick McDermott: “I felt the players put in a good shift against Larne on Tuesday evening and were unfortunate to just come away with one point. Larne should have been down to ten men before half time and obviously that would have made a significant difference.
It's disappointing that we’re now out of the race for first or second, but that means we have a play-off series to play so we’ll be giving preparation for that our priority, starting tomorrow at Coleraine.
Coleraine have had a difficult recent run, but every game we’ve played against them since I came here has been close and keenly fought. I expect the same this time.”
Glentoran supporters are asked to park at the Vineyard car park at the bottom of Hillman's Way and access the Showgrounds via the away entrance as shown below:
