Home Ending

COLERAINE will be at home for the final time this season as they welcome the assignment of Glentoran tomorrow afternoon (KO 3pm)…

Danske Bank Premiership

Overview:

Coleraine put in a much improved performance on Tuesday night but that still wouldn’t be enough as first-half goals from Ryan Curran and Joe Gormley sealed a 2-1 win for Cliftonville at The Showgrounds. That result confirmed that the Bannsiders will finish the campaign in sixth position. Oran Kearney will have to make do without the services of Jamie Glackin for the contest after the midfielder received his marching orders against the Reds.

Glentoran come into the contest after two draws and a defeat in the post-split fixtures. Those results mean that Mick McDermott’s side can’t win the league nor finish in the top two positions. The Glens were in action on Tuesday night against Larne with goals at a premium as the match finished scoreless.

Previous meetings:

The two sides clashed in the Danske Bank Premiership back in October in what would turn out to be an entertaining affair in East Belfast. The deadlock was broken on 15 minutes as Conor McKendry let fly from distance but the game would turn on its head as a quick fire double from Jay Donnelly allowed Glentoran to take the lead. However, the Bannsiders grabbed a share of the spoils with ten minutes to go as Cathair Friel pounced from Lyndon Kane’s strong run to make it two goals apiece – with Aaron McCarey dismissed following an off-the-ball incident with his own player.

A month later, Coleraine would be paired with Glentoran in the quarter-final stage of the BetMcLean League Cup.The Bannsiders would take the lead in fine style as Jamie Glackin and Conor McKendry combined for the opener which was slotted in by the former. After the Glens made a strong start to the second-half, Kearney’s men would bag a decisive second as Matthew Shevlin confidently slotted into the bottom corner.

Just before Christmas, the two teams would square off in a re-arranged Danske Bank Premiership fixture and the visitors would make a blistering start as Rory Donnelly headed home from Shay McCartan’s corner kick. The game was over as a contest just after the hour mark as Jay Donnelly converted from Conor McMenamin’s terrific pass. The Stripes would enjoy a late rally but neither Lyndon Kane nor Jamie Glackin could find the back of the net.

In January, the Stripes would visit east Belfast and would trail at the interval as Michael O’Connor used every inch of his body to stab home from Robbie McDaid’s cross. However, Coleraine were much improved after the break and equalised on 72 minutes as Stephen O’Donnell powered a header into the back of the net from a corner-kick. Despite looking like leaving with a share of the spoils, Glentoran would have the final say as Conor McMenamin was in the right place at the right time to convert an 89th minute winner.

Manager’s Thoughts:

“We will be looking to end the home campaign on a high,” Kearney said.

“The final thing I said to the players was it has been a tough week and we went someway to putting the Crusaders performance behind us so there is a platform now to build from.

“The key thing now though is we don’t go out on Saturday and undo all that work again.

“It’s important we gain a bit of momentum from Saturday and from Linfield next week to make sure we’re ready.

Officials:

The match referee will be Andrew Davey.

The assistant referees are Gareth Eakin and Ryan Kelsey.

Diarmuid Harrigan has been selected as the fourth official.

Sponsors:

The match sponsor is the Hummingbird Project.

Chris Gray kindly agreed to sponsor the match ball.

The mascots tomorrow afternoon are Jake, Ellie-May and Isla who will have the honour of leading out the team.

The Man of the Match award will be sponsored by Holley Optometrists.

Admission:

Season tickets are valid for the fixture, although, non-season ticket holders will require matchday tickets for the fixture which can be bought online HERE.

Glentoran fans will also need tickets to enter the stadium which can be purchased HERE.

Both sets of supporters are kindly asked to read the following matchday arrangements HERE.

If you are not feeling yourself tomorrow afternoon and you have symptoms which you feel are similar to COVID-19, please stay away from the stadium and think of others.

If you have access to a lateral flow/PCR test at home, we would encourage you to check yourself before coming to the game.

If you have been in contact with a positive case and haven’t yet been contacted by track and trace, please do not come to the game.

As ever, those unable to watch the fixture can follow the latest developments via the club’s official Twitter account (@ColeraineFC).