Tuesday 1st October
Kick Off 7.45pm
Dergview make the long journey from Castlederg tomorrow night to play their first competitive game at the Bet McLean Oval in the first round of the Bet McLean Cup.
Dergview’s 14-year spell in the second tier of Irish League football, along with their Senior status, came to an end last season when they lost in the promotion/ relegation playoffs to Premier Intermediate League runners up Armagh City.
In the aftermath of this, the club made the decision to part with former Crusaders defender Emmet Friars and former Northern Ireland International winger Ivan Sproule has returned for a second spell as manager of his hometown club, three years after his initial spell in charge came to an end. In the three Premier Intermediate League fixtures played so far, they have picked up two wins and one defeat .
In the preliminary round of this competition, they defeated Knockbreda (the other side relegated from last season’s Championship) 2-1 at Darragh Park back in August.
The last time the sides met was in the Irish Cup in January 2022. On a wet afternoon at Darragh Park, a brace from Robbie McDaid in the first half appeared to put the Glens in complete control. However, the Derg came roaring back in the second half to bring the tie level at 2-2 with only minutes remaining. It fell to substitute and debutant Sean Murray to win the tie when his strike from distance found the bottom corner and take Mick McDermott’s side through 3-2.
Declan Devine: “Our performance against Glenavon on Saturday was both disappointing and frustrating and I can absolutely understand how our supporters felt by the end of it.
"We knew how Glenavon would set up here and what they did was exactly what we prepared for as they’ve been doing it for the last five or six games. We changed from a back three to a back four and started with two wingers to play a certain way, but we created nothing in the final third and on the occasions when we did get in behind Glenavon, our final ball or final pass wasn’t good enough. If it hadn’t been for some superb goalkeeping by Dan Gyollai we could have come out of the game with nothing. There’s no excuse for that for any Glentoran team playing at the Oval.
"We need to bounce back at home in the Bet McLean Cup. Dergview will be up for this visit so we absolutely need to have got our act together for it. There are a few lads who need games so they can use this one as an opportunity to stake their claim for a place in the league team, including against Linfield on Friday night."
Ticket prices for tomorrow night's Bet McLean Cup tie game against Dergview at the Bet McLean Oval have been changed to:
- Adult £10
- Concession £6
Remaining tickets for this game can be purchased HERE
Photographs by JOHNNY CALDWELL
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.
- The Railway Stand will unfortunately be closed for this game due to some essential maintenance work currently being undertaken by the club with the support of NIFL.
