Saturday 8th May 2021, Kick Off 5.30pm
On Saturday we start our defence of the Sadler’s Peaky Blinders Irish Cup when we host Cliftonville for our fifth meeting of the season. After the Reds won the league season opener at Solitude with the last gasp winner that has become such a staple of this fixture, Glentoran have deservedly won the subsequent three meetings. In the County Antrim Shield semi-final a top-quality late finish from Dale Gorman turned the scoreline 1-0 in the Glens’ direction. Yet again a late late goal clinched it at the Oval in February when Jamie McDonagh rocketed home from 30 yards to again make it 1-0 Glentoran. Finally, last month goals in each half from Rory Donnelly and Ciaran O’Connor gave the Glens a 2-0 win at Solitude.
The last Irish Cup meeting between the sides was in last season's Semi-Final, the first competitive game to be played post the imposed curtailing of the League campaign that March.
That late July evening, at a deserted National Stadium, Patrick McClean's unfortunate own goal gave the Reds a 16th minute lead, only for Robbie McDaid to draw the Glens level with a low shot into the corner on 36. There was no further scoring in the second half or extra time, and so ensued an epic penalty shootout. With no winner produced from the allotted 5 each, the score was 7-6 to Glentoran in 'sudden death' when Conor McDermott stepped up to face stopper Elliot Morris. Earlier Morris had saved well from our recent signing Conor McMenamin and the veteran goalkeeper (who turned 40 this week) was the hero again as he dived the right way to save the Cliftonville full backs effort and send his team into the Final to face Ballymena United.
The Reds’ last Irish Cup victory at the Oval came in the 2009 Quarter Final. That season the Glens would go on to be league Champions, but exited the Cup when Mark Holland set up iconic striker of that era Chris Scannell to score in the first half and secure a 1-0 victory for Eddie Patterson's side. While they would go on to defeat Linfield in a Semi-Final replay, there was to be heartbreak in the Final as a Mark Dickson goal early in the second half secured the trophy for North Belfast rivals Crusaders.
Patterson would go on to win the famous old trophy 4 years later, but this time as manager of Glentoran. That season Tommy Breslin's rampant Reds side had won the title with several games to spare, while Glentoran had secured a 4th place finish in a season wrought with financial problems and went into the game as huge underdogs. With Cliftonville leading 1-0 at half time, thanks to Joe Gormley's 34th minute opener, and dominating the play, few gave Patterson's side hope of stopping the Solitude side from claiming their first success since 1979. The Glens came out rejuvenated, however, and Andy Waterworth's goal just after the hour was enough to force extra time. The tie was turned 9 minutes into the first period when Jimmy Callacher got ahead of his marker to nod home a header from a left wing cross and, just 2 minutes later, Waterworth worked his way into the box and netted an angled shot to make it 3-1 and bring the Cup back to the Oval for the first time since 2004.
Full Back Levi Ives returned to the subs bench for Tuesday's midweek home defeat to Larne after a long layoff, but prolific striker Joe Gormley remains sidelined. Goalkeeper Declan Dunne filled in for the suspended Aaron McCarey, while midfielder Barry Coffey will hope to retain his place after scoring a spectacular free kick in that game.
Mick McDermott: “Coleraine on Tuesday night was a very disappointing result after a dominant second half performance. but when you're playing against strong opposition you have to take your chances when they arise and you can't afford to switch off for a second, even at the end of the game or you’ll get punished. Both those things happened on Tuesday and cost us the two extra points we needed. Everyone was understandably very disappointed about that. It’s hard to take. it says a lot about how far the club has come where we are so disappointed withdraws against teams Linfield and Coleraine who were so far ahead of us not so long ago. but the bottom line is that we are very disappointed. the players have been working very hard and playing well so it's simply a matter of picking ourselves up and approaching the next one with the right attitude. That starts on Saturday with the Cup.
Saturday gives us the chance to put in another strong performance against a good team. Since I've been here all our matches with Cliftonville have been tight with two reasonably matched seats both going for the win. but if we play as well as we know we can then I'd be confident of a win to progress into the next round, Our goal of European qualification removes very much in our sights on this very achievable. “
This match will be streamed live by the BBC here and on the BBC iPlayer.
