James Singleton has urged Glentoran to keep their impressive run of form going when they welcome Portadown to the BetMcLean Oval on Tuesday 29th December (Kick-off 7.45pm).

Back-to-back wins over Coleraine and Linfield have lifted the Glens into third place in the Sports Direct Premiership table.

Joe Thomson’s spectacular first half strike at the Clearer Twist National Stadium sealed a historic Boxing Day win over Linfield for Declan Devine’s men.

Tuesday night’s opponents also claimed festive derby success as they secured a 1-0 win over Glenavon for a third win in four games and Singleton is well aware of the threat the Ports pose.

James Singleton said: “We’ve played them twice in the League already this season and won both, but they have been very closely fought encounters each time.

“We beat them 1-0 on the opening day of the season thanks to Danny Amos’ goal, and Pat Hoban’s brace gave us the points at the BetMcLean Oval at the end of October.

“We had to work hard for the points in both games and I don’t expect it to be any different on Tuesday night. They will come here full of confidence after their win over Glenavon on Boxing Day and they are on a good run of form.

“We have to make sure we look after ourselves and focus on what have to do. The recent wins over Coleraine and Linfield have lifted us back into the top three again and we have to keep that going.

“Confidence is high in the squad but we have to back that up with another good performance on the pitch so that we keep the pressure on the teams above us in the table.”

After fighting back to secure victory over Coleraine, Glentoran gave their fans a late Christmas present with a first-ever festive win at the home of their rivals Linfield.

From the first whistle the Glens took the game to David Healy’s men and got their just rewards when Thomson crashed home a Goal of the Season contender before the half hour.

They could have added to their advantage in the second half but for the heroics of Chris Johns in the home goal who produced several impressive saves including successive stops to deny Jordan Jenkins and Pat Hoban.

At the other end Glentoran showed their defensive qualities to restrict their opponents to limited opportunities, completing a memorable day for the visitors, much to Singleton’s delight as the large travelling support went home happy.

Singleton added: “No matter when you play or who you are playing the main objective is to pick up the three points.

“But if you can back up a victory with a performance it makes it even more special. I think from the first whistle we showed what we are all about as we took the game to Linfield.

“We didn’t give them any time to settle on the ball with everyone to a man putting an unbelievable shift in. Thankfully we got our rewards with a fantastic goal from Joe.

“We all know what he is capable of in terms of his shooting and I don’t think he could have hit it any sweeter. It was a goal fitting to win such a big game.

“We were unlucky not to add to the score in the second half but their ‘keeper produced a couple of great saves to deny JJ and Pat in particular.

“We also showed that we are prepared to dig in and fight for the points, I don’t think they really opened us up on the day.

“As players we know what it means to the fans to win a derby game, especially on Boxing Day. As always, they came out in their numbers to cheer us on so it was great to be able to give them something back.

“And while our record at the Clearer Twist National Stadium over the festive period may not have been at the forefront of our minds it is nice to put that to bed now and write our own bit of history.”

The festive period is a busy time for all Sports Direct Premiership sides with the final round of fixtures for 2025 played on Tuesday evening before they are back in action again on Saturday with the first games of the new year.

Singleton is relishing the games coming thick and fast as Glentoran look to build on their recent winning run.

James added: “It’s obviously a busy time in the league with the fixtures coming thick and fast, but that’s what we’re here for.

“As a footballer there’s nothing better than playing games and when you’re coming off the back of winning you can’t wait for the next one to come around.

“I know it’s the old cliche but it’s important that we focus on one game at a time and Declan and his staff will have us well prepared for these fixtures.

“The fans also have a big part to play. They helped us on Boxing Day and I know they will be out in force again on Tuesday night, which is now the most important game as it’s the next one.

“We have to make sure that we back up our performance on Boxing Day with the same commitment and work rate against Portadown.

“We have hauled ourselves back up the table thanks to our results in the last two games, which have given us a platform to build on. That’s all it is though, we know that we need to keep this run going to see where it takes us.”

For Glentoran fans planning to attend Tuesday’s Sports Direct Premiership fixture against Portadown, match tickets are available to purchase at: www.glentoran.com/match-tickets-home-fans