Tuesday 26th December
Kick Off 3.00pm
On Boxing Day we cross the city to face Linfield in Ireland’s biggest domestic fixture of the season. Incredibly this is the third Big Two meeting in the Sports Direct Premiership so far this season and our fourth meeting overall.
Both teams go into this game on the back of a very similar run of recent form, the Glens having secured 13 points from our last 6 games in comparison to the Blues’ 12. However 3 places and no fewer than 14 points separate us in the table with Linfield also having a game in hand. Both teams will find themselves under equal pressure on the day with the Blues just one point ahead of Larne and us sitting 10 points away from third place with 22 games played.
Last season’s league fixtures at Windsor Park ended well from a Glentoran perspective, as we came away with an excellent 3-0 win in October 2022 and gained a 1-1 draw in the post-split fixture in April due to a last gasp Bobby Burns equaliser. Glens supporters will have been more than pleased to see Bobby’s unexpected return from injury on Saturday at Dungannon as scored twice in the October game.
The Boxing Day fixture has been unpredictable in recent years. Last season at the Bet McLean Oval a last minute Eetu Vertainen goal secured a 2-1 win for Linfield after Jay Donnelly had equalised a Chris Shields penalty. Two years ago Trai Hume (now Sunderland) opened the scoring for the home team before Jay Donnelly was again on the scoresheet for the Glens’ equaliser after a Conor McMenamin red card had reduced us to 10 men.
Injuries throughout the Linfield squad will give this one an unfamiliar look as young players like Rhys Annett and Aodhan Doherty have been promoted to the starting lineup with others such as Braiden Graham and Ceadach O'Neill on the bench. So there will be a fair number of Boxing Day novices in both teams this year.
Warren Feeney: “The team showed a tremendous amount of character at Dungannon on Saturday to come back from a goal down to win it. The first half performance was sluggish but I got the reaction we needed from the boys after the break and came away with the three points which is always an achievement at Stangmore Park. We’re obviously without key players like Singo, Jay, Rhys and Cammy’s also been hurt. But we’ve dealt with that well in recent weeks so we’ll just need to keep doing so. Bobby coming back on Saturday was a big boost and he and Moko both came in and made a massive contribution to the win. That’s what we need from anyone who comes in.
Linfield are a good team and David and I are good friends and ex-team mates with a strong mutual respect between us. I was disappointed with the first two Big Two defeats this season but we were excellent in our win over them earlier this month and that should have given the boys a lot of confidence going into this one. That’s massive in any big Two game, but since then we’ve kept our feet firmly on the ground and worked through some very good performances and results.
We know Linfield will be hurting from the last game between the sides and they have responded very well since that defeat, but we’ve been together this morning (Christmas Eve) and the boys know its not about anything other than our ability to focus on ourselves in the build-up and on the day, and make sure we are ready to deliver a strong performance. We all know there will be a big crowd and a great atmosphere and it should be a good game with two teams going for it. Hopefully, we will come out with a positive result.
There are no tickets available for this game.
IMPORTANT POLICE NOTICE FOR GLENTORAN SUPPORTERS ATTENDING THE GAME
Police are requesting that Glentoran fans travelling by car and coach to the Sports Direct Premiership League match with Linfield at the National Stadium, Windsor Park on Tuesday 26th December 2023 with 1500 hrs KO, leave sufficient travel time to arrive at the match.
Entry to the ground will be via Windsor Way off Boucher Road and if you are driving to the match, please park with consideration for the local community/residents and businesses. Traffic congestion is likely at key ingress and egress times due to the expected volume of supporters attending the fixture.
Police are reminding all fans that there are specific offences created by the Criminal Justice Act NI 2011 in relation to soccer matches-
- Possession of or throwing Fireworks/Flares, etc
- Throwing Articles capable of causing injury
- Going on to the Playing area
- Sectarian Chanting
- Drinking on Passenger Carrying Vehicles
In addition all fans are reminded that the areas around the stadium are “No Street Drinking” zones under Belfast City Council By-Laws. Supporters are asked to be respectful and considerate whilst walking through residential streets convenient to the stadium.
Any Street drinking taking place will be dealt with robustly by police and any alcohol found subject to seizure. As a condition of entry to the stadium fans will be subject to random searches.
Maximum Use of CCTV/ Video Evidence will be utilised as part of the match Policing Operation in an effort to deal with any criminal offences/anti-social behaviour which takes place.
Police will take all steps to identify and deal with anyone who has been or is committing offences.
It is hoped that a commonsense approach to the event can be taken by all and the occasion enjoyed.
It is vitally important for supporter and community safety that these instructions are complied with.
