Glentoran made a return to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Linfield at the BetMcLean Oval on Friday evening.
A Marcus Kane strike on the brink of half-time proved to be the difference between the two sides, despite the Glens playing the final half-hour with ten men.
The first chance of the game came after just three minutes as Dylan Connolly got in behind the Linfield defence before picking out Jay Donnelly on the edge of the penalty area. The forward took his shot first-time, forcing David Walsh into a save with a strong right arm before the visitors cleared the danger at the second attempt.
Twenty minutes later, Daniel Gyollai was called into action for the first time as Cameron Ballantyne found Joel Cooper unmarked in the Glentoran box. Luckily, his shot was brilliantly saved by the shot-stopper with his left hand tipping the effort off the post and out for a corner.
Just moments later, referee Tim Marshall dismissed a Glentoran penalty appeal as Aaron Wightman laid it off for James Singleton and the midfielder tried his luck from range. The subsequent effort was charged down by Blues defender Scot Whiteside, with the ball seeming to strike his arm. However, the referee swiftly waved away the appeals, to the dismay of the Glentoran supporters.
On the brink of the half-time break, there was time for one more chance as Daniel Amos delivered an in-swinging corner that Walsh failed to clear after it took a touch off Dane McCullough. The loose ball fell to captain Marcus Kane, who calmly slotted it into the open net, breaking the deadlock in the 46th minute and sending Glentoran into the break with a 1-0 lead.

In the second half, it took until the 58th minute for a major talking point as James Douglas was shown his marching orders by the referee. With Glentoran on the break, the midfielder was shown a second yellow card for a high boot when contesting a 50/50 ball with Linfield captain Jamie Mulgrew.
Just five minutes later, Gyollai was called into action once more after a loose ball fell perfectly for Dane McCullough. Luckily, the number one was quick off his line to close the angle and make another great save, denying the visitors an equalising goal.
With the Glens down to ten men, the Linfield pressure continued with Joel Cooper going down in the box under the challenge of Kane, but the referee dismissed the penalty appeals as the danger was eventually cleared.
With 79 minutes gone, the visitors had another chance as a cross was delivered into the penalty area from the left wing. Punched clear by Gyollai, the ball landed at the feet of Joshua Archer, but the Linfield man blazed his effort over the crossbar.
Despite the continued late pressure, the resilient ten men of Glentoran held on to the slender advantage to see out an impressive 1-0 win.