Tuesday 19th April
7.45pm kick off
Tomorrow evening we welcome Larne to the Bet McLean Oval, seeking our first win over them in what will be our fifth encounter this season.
Larne have enjoyed the upper hand in meetings with Glentoran so far this season, winning two of the three league games to date (the other ending in a 1-1 draw) and also knocking the Glens out of the County Antrim Shield. After winning 3-2 at the Oval on New Year's Day they also registered a 2-1 win at Inver Park in February when Lee Lynch's long range strike with four minutes remaining secured the three points for the home side after substitute Rory Donnelly had cancelled out a Lee Bonis goal in the 72nd minute.
Since the start of March, however, it is fair to say that Larne have not reached the levels their supporters would have expected. As well as being knocked out of the Irish Cup quarter-final by Ballymena United they have only managed one win and seven points from their last six league fixtures and are confirmed to finish in a disappointing 5th place.
Larne manager Tiernan Lynch will have a strong squad to choose from with right back Tomas Cosgrove having recently returned from injury, although defender Cian Bolger and forward Andrew Scott have been missing from recent games as they serve out suspensions. Rohan Ferguson has reclaimed the number one spot from Conor Devlin, and David McDaid and Ronan Hale will be pushing for recalls to the line-up to partner Lee Bonis.
Mick McDermott: “As we know from our previous encounters this season, Larne are a very talented team. They went through a difficult period, but they’ve come back and had a very good win at Coleraine last week. Larne is a club that deserves credit for improving standards across our league, a club that doesn’t accept the status quo and in Kenny Bruce the club has an owner who is willing to challenge with hard questions: I admire that. We have also played our part over the last few seasons to help raise standards across the league and will continue to move forward.
I have enjoyed the battles with Larne since 2019. There are always close tussles and as usual today we expect a tough game between two good teams.
There is still a lot to play for…..this season and beyond. We performed well at the National Stadium last week in a great game of football. Our pressing game was good, the midfield three performed particularly well and it was pleasing to bounce back to equalise so soon after conceding. In the end we were actually disappointed with the draw. ”
As always at home matches, 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.
Tuesday’s sponsor is Doyle Shipping Group
Doyle Shipping Group is the largest private shipping company in Ireland. Founded in Cork by Denis Doyle in 1886, we operate in all major Irish Ports, directly employing nearly 700 people. Today, our business comprises of 3 principal divisions: Ports, Logistics and Renewables.
Telephone: 028 9075581 email: shipping@dsg.uk
Address: 101 Airport Rd West, Holywood, Belfast BT3 9ED
