Tuesday 20th August
Kick Off 7.45pm
The games come thick and fast with a new look Coleraine side coming to face the new look Glens at the Bet McLean Oval.
Coleraine have four points from their first two games with an opening day away 1-1 draw with Dungannon Swifts followed by a hard won 4-2 derby win over Ballymena on Friday evening. Anyone who watched that feisty affair on the BBC iPlayer will have been impressed with their resilience in that game.
Coleraine have had a busy window to date, having gone full time earlier than expected under new owners. Out have gone a considerable number of well-established players such as Rodney Brown, Josh Carson, Aaron Jarvis, Stephen Lowry, Lee Lynch, David McDaid, Conor McKendry, Adam Mullan and long serving skipper Stephen O'Donnell.
Incomings have included Dylan Boyle (Ballymena United), Rhyss Campbell (Dungannon Swifts) who scored at the weekend, Ciaron Harkin (Derry City - loan), Max Little (Dunfermline Athletic), Kyle McClelland (Hibernian - loan), Kyle Spence (Gżira United), Cameron Stewart (Ipswich Town) and our own Kirk McLaughlin who rejoined his hometown club after two seasons at the Bet McLean Oval.
Also there has been a major change in the manager’s office with Dean Shiels replacing the long serving Oran Kearney who moved into a newly created Director of Football role.
Declan Devine: “Saturday was a much better performance from the team and a lot more like I know they can play. I know it took a late winner from Niall to clinch the three points but I don’t think that was reflective of the overall performance from all areas of the team as we had plenty of good chances to extend our lead. But that will come.
"We made some personnel changes from the Crusaders game and the workrate and commitment of the players was outstanding without exception. I was also very pleased with the brand of football we played against a well organised and committed Portadown team.
"Dylan Connolly was exceptional and our supporters got a look at how exciting and dangerous a player he will be for us. Also JJ and Jay worked tirelessly throughout and I’m delighted for JJ as with his work and finish he demonstrated why I wanted him back at the club as he’s just turned 24, a natural finisher and a very hard and honest trainer. There’s a lot more of that to come from him.
"But really I could name very player across the team for their performances on Saturday, including a few who had to change roles from the Crues game. They all did what they needed to do and got us our first win in a fixture that’s always been a challenging one for Glentoran.
"It was great to be able to bring Marcus Kane in at an important stage and he won a few important headers in his time on the pitch. Johnny Russell was back in action on Saturday as he and Harry Murphy both helped the Seconds make the next round of the Steel & Sons Cup. That was great for the boys, considering we had a few of the Seconds’ more experienced players with us in the squad at Portadown.
"On the recruitment front clearly we still need a few in to give us the necessary depth and we’re working very hard on that daily. We lost a couple at the end of last week to clubs outside Northern Ireland as I think everybody in the UK seems to be fighting for the same players from League One down, Scotland and Northern Ireland. We’ll get there but we have to make sure anyone who comes in will completely buy into the fundamentals of the club, which is hard work, honesty, the courage to get on the ball and play.
"Tomorrow night’s match with Coleraine will be another tough one as they had a good win on Friday night against Ballymena. Like us they’ve had a lot of personnel changes this summer so like us a number of players will be working hard to establish themselves. I know Dean was at Portadown on Saturday so he’ll have seen us perform well. We need to build on Saturday but also to take our chances better when they arrive.”
Tickets for this game can be purchased HERE.
- 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.
- The Railway Stand will unfortunately remain closed tomorrow night due to some essential maintenance work currently being undertaken by the club with the support of NIFL.
Tomorrow night's match sponsor is BOX-IT
Ball sponsor for the game is PREMIER GROUP FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
Thank you to Glentoran legends Darren Lockhart (Box-It) and Jason Hill (Premier) for their continued strong support of the club.
