Saturday 6th January
Kick Off 3.00pm
We move into 2024 this Saturday with the visit of Annagh United to the Bet McLean Oval in the fifth round of the Clearer Water Irish Cup.
Having missed out on promotion to the Premiership in each of the previous two seasons (losing in the play-offs to Portadown and Dungannon Swifts) Annagh United have found consistency more difficult to find this campaign and currently find themselves in 8th place in the NIFL Championship. Their chances have not been helped by the terrible flooding that occurred at their BMG Arena stadium in November, which left the entire 4G playing surface submerged and required a huge community effort to clear and make playable again. They did, however, enjoy a notable 3-1 Boxing Day victory there over near neighbours Portadown.
Glentoran have also known what it is like to taste defeat at the Tandragee Road venue, having suffered a shock League Cup defeat there in August 2016. In what proved to be Alan Kernaghan’s final match in charge, a Glens side including the likes of Elliott Morris, Jay Magee, Ross Redman, Curtis Allen and Nacho Novo trailed 2-0 and 3-1 against a side who would go on to finish bottom of and be relegated from the Championship before eventually losing 3-2 after Novo had pulled a late goal back to no avail.
With the January transfer window now open, manager Ciaran McGurgan has wasted no time in overhauling his squad for the second half of the campaign; Brandon Doyle and Jamie Doran have ended their loan spells and returned to parent clubs Crusaders and Glenavon but winger Eoin Teggart from Knockbreda and strikers Thomas Burns from Lower Maze and Jackson Nesbitt from Glenavon have arrived on permanent deals and young midfielder Cohen Henderson has joined on loan from the Mourneview side until the end of the campaign. Their squad also includes former Glens defender Nathan Kerr and Irish Cup winning midfielder Niall Henderson.
Warren Feeney: “While we were disappointed last week’s game with Cliftonville was called off, it gave us a bit of extra time to regroup after Boxing Day and for our injured players to recover a bit. It’s always difficult going into a cup game as favourites as everyone knows the pressure is on us. Also I see Annagh have brought a few players in already but the onus is on us to go into it confidently, get the win and progress to the next round.
On the transfer window front, we’re interested in strengthening and making a few changes, but there’s no business done so far as the market is very inflated. We’ll keep working on it until the window closes.”
Tickets for this game can be purchased HERE. Remember season tickets are not valid for matched in the Irish Cup.
IMPORTANT SUPPORTER NOTICES
- The Board of Directors remind supporters that under no circumstance is anyone permitted to bring flares, fireworks or any other sort of pyrotechnic equipment into the Bet McLean Oval at any time. These are highly dangerous to other supporters and potentially to players. Any breach of this rule will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Persons breaking this rule will receive a lifetime ban from the Bet McLean Oval and will be reported to the police.
- We strongly request that supporters respect the rights of the local residents by parking well away from housefronts in the immediate locality. There is plenty of available parking at the Holywood Arches Heath Centre.
