Focus returns to Danske Bank Premiership action as the Glens travel to league leaders Crusaders this weekend.
Alan Kernaghan’s men were forced to stall their Irish Cup defence last week due to a waterlogged pitch at the Oval. Their fifth round tie has been rescheduled for next Tuesday, 19th January (kick-off 7:45pm) and a home tie against Glenavon awaits in the next round for the winners.
Saturday’s opponents, Crusaders, are also in the sixth round as they eased past NAFL Division 1A side Rathfriland Rangers with a comprehensive 3-0 victory. In his 370th game for the Hatchetmen, striker Jordan Owens netted his 158th goal for the club to become Crusaders all-time record goalscorer.
Diverting back to league attention, both sides endured a poor festive period as they failed to secure a win. The Glens had it worse than their opposition following consecutive defeats to rivals Linfield and Dungannon Swifts. Stephen Baxter’s men drew with North Belfast rivals Cliftonville on Boxing Day, despite taking a commanding two-goal lead. The champions then tasted defeat for only the second time this season as Linfield claimed a 2-0 victory at Windsor Park on New Year’s Day.
Tomorrow’s game is set to be a cagey affair as Crusaders look to get their title defence back on track. Meanwhile, the Glens are looking for their first win in almost a month, and will be itching to break their Seaview hoodoo, as they have failed to beat the current league leaders at their home ground in the last eight Premiership meetings.
The latest defeat came last November as Crusaders stormed to a 3-0 win against nine-man Glentoran to give Kernaghan a miserable start to his tenure as new Glens boss.
Glentoran were rocked by the news this week that skipper Stephen McAlorum’s season is over. The midfielder limped out of last month’s 2-0 win to Cliftonville, and it has been confirmed he has suffered a cruciate ligament injury. It comes as another bitter blow for the East Belfast side as the captain joins Willie Garrett on the long-term injury list.
Transfer window signings, Chris Lavery and Danny Mckee, could feature for the Glens tomorrow, but Chris Morrow, who joined on loan from tomorrow’s opponents, will have to wait for his debut.
Nathan Webb