Saturday 1st January 2022
5.30pm, Kick Off
While Larne were boosted by Monday’s 3-1 win at Carrick, it was achieved without several first team regulars. Defender Kofi Balmer missed out at Taylor’s Avenue serving the suspension for his dismissal against Linfield the previous week but should return tomorrow. Also missing that day were defenders Cain Bolger and Dean Jarvis and midfielders Mark Randall, Fuad Sule and Jeff Hughes. There was a further blow for boss Tiernan Lynch with experienced Central Defender Albert Watson went off injured during the match, but there was more positive news with former Glentoran man John Herron retuning to the side for the first time since being stretched off late on in the 2-2 draw at Portadown at the end of November.
While Larne are the second highest scorers in the League at the moment (behind Glentoran) they have also conceded more (23) than any other team in the top six. A run of two wins in seven has seen the Inver Park side slip eight points behind both ourselves and Linfield and six behind Cliftonville in the race for the League Crown.
In last season’s league meetings at the Oval, the first game in early November 2020 was a largely uneventful 0-0 draw. The second game in April of this year was a completely different proposition, however; having fallen 2-1 behind in the first half (after taking the lead though Rhys Marshall’s early strike) the Glens had to dig deep after the break to take the points, with Jay Donnelly drawing us level with 20 minutes remaining and Fuad Sule turning the ball into his own net 10 minutes later to give us a 3-2 win. That result was to prove crucial, as we edged Larne for third place at the end of the season to secure automatic European qualification.
Mick McDermott: “Ultimately I have to be happy with the manner in which we earned a point against Linfield on Monday. We started off really well, but then Linfield took control of the game, the system they played made it difficult for us. We changed our shape in the second half and it helped us, but then came the red card for Conor McMenamin.
It was disappointing and very harsh to lose Conor at the point we did, I though the referee was coming to give both of them a yellow card as it looked like a 50:50 challenge. Fair play to Jimmy Callacher he stated to Conor afterwards that it was a 50-50 challenge, and he was shocked to see him being sent off as well as being carried off.
I was delighted with the attitude the players showed after a red card that clearly changed things in such an important match. The players deserve a massive amount of credit for how they responded to the changed circumstances. To score with ten men against the league champions at the National Stadium with that crowd behind them, driving them on. It takes a lot of heart, desire and commitment.
Larne is always a tough game, either home or away, and that has continued this season with the league draw we had at Inver Park in November. They had fallen back a bit prior to Christmas but we know the quality in their squad and the type of attractive football they play. But we also play good football so it should be another attractive game for the supporters, and we’ll be going into this in a very upbeat frame of mind. Conor McMenamin and Joe Crowe are suspended for this one, but that’s commonplace at this time of year so we will regroup and have been working hard in training with the various options open to us.
As this is the first match preview of 2022, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone in the Glentoran Family a very Happy New Year. I can guarantee you that everyone on the coaching and playing side of the club will continue to work tirelessly for the success we all desire and that the Glentoran Family so richly deserves for its loyalty and commitment to the club.”
