Linfield v Glentoran
Wednesday 9th May 2018, 7.45pm
On Wednesday evening we travel across the city to face Linfield in what is surely the most important ”Big Two” match in a number of years with the winners going through to the final of the Europa League playoff on Saturday. This gives us as a club a real opportunity to redeem ourselves by salvaging something significant from the season. This system is clearly an opportunity for us, having beaten each of the other teams involved once this season.
Both teams enter this one on the back of a poor end to the league season. The Blues have won four, lost three and drawn three of their last ten while we have won four, lost four and drawn two of our ten league games under Ronnie McFall so both teams will need to lift their game for this one.
The three Big Two games couldn’t have been closer with a win each and a recent draw in our visit to Windsor Park in March. In September we went to South Belfast, put in one of our best performances of the season but were very unlucky to lose 1-0 to a fifth minute goal from Aaron Burns. On Boxing Day the biggest domestic league crowd of the season saw an injury time goal from Robbie McDaid seal all three points after Curtis Allen had equalised an early opener from Cameron Stewart, while in March an early wonder strike from Marcus Kane was cancelled out by Robert Garrett for a 1-1 finish.
Curtis Allen misses this one following the rejection of his appeal of his recent sending off against Dungannon.
Ronnie McFall said on Tuesday night: “It was obvious early on in the season that if Glentoran were going to qualify for Europe through the league it was always going to come down to the playoffs, now here we are. Our form hasn’t been good since we qualified for the playoffs but I expect that to change on Tuesday night. I had to leave out a few players who had knocks and a couple of others who were on the verge of suspension. Also I felt some of the players took their eye off the ball to keep themselves for the playoffs. That’s not acceptable but there’s certain inevitability about it. Either way all the players are fully aware of what’s at stake for the club and of the need for much better, more committed performances from everyone.
Apart from Curtis we have the full squad available. European football has always been very important to Glentoran but never more than now. With a big crowd getting well behind us as they did in March I’m confident we can come out of this with the result we need and then go forward into the final on Saturday in a positive manner.”
