New signing striker James Costello made the starting line-up in place of Gary Liggett. Other team changes for Glenavon saw Paul Carvill come in at left back for Tim McCann and Adrian Harper at right back for the injured Kris McAdam with Niall Hudson not yet recovered from the flu.
The home side made four changes from the Boxing Day defeat at Windsor Park with Dean Fitzgerald, Jamie McGovern, Philip Carson and Johnny Black coming into the starting line-up.
James Costello in action against Glentoran goalkeeper James Taylor
Glentoran kicked off and inside two minutes McGovern sent a deep cross that Hamilton chipped back over Robinson and Harper did well to head off the line for a corner. Five minutes later Neill shot just over the bar from 18 yards after Hamilton slid a neat pass through to him. Simpson did well to clear Grant’s flick on for a corner as Ryan Harpur ran in for a tap in at the back post and in the tenth minute Grant fired over from 6 yards after McGovern failed to clear a deep cross from Scates but the Glenavon striker really should have scored.
Glentoran went ahead in the 16th minute in rather bizarre fashion. Former Glenavon midfielder David Scullion scored after he played a one-two with Halliday but it seemed like the Glenavon defence and keeper had just stopped as Scullion almost half-heartedly stroked the ball just inside the post. It later transpired that the players had all heard a whistle and this was confirmed by the assistant at half time.
Robinson got down well to save Halliday’s good downward header from Hamilton’s 24th minute corner and two minutes later Grant headed over from 8 yards from a decent Scates cross. The Glenavon keeper was then forced to tip Black’s long range pile driver over the bar in the 27th minute but he could do nothing to stop the hosts doubling their lead just after the half hour. Philip Carson, making his first start after over a year out injured, didn’t make a clean strike but it was enough to direct the ball through a crowded box and in off the base of the post after it dropped to him when Neill’s corner was headed out to the edge of the ‘D’.
Paul Carvill puts in a cross
Glenavon improved in the second half but Conor Walsh had to go off after only nine minutes, Willo McDonagh replacing him and Jay Magee taking over the Captain’s armband and it took another good save from Robinson in the 56th minute to keep out Halliday’s powerful header from Black’s cross. Molloy was booked for a dive in the box. It looked harsh as McGovern had seemed to catch the Glenavon player as he turned inside him. In the 74th minute Molloy picked up a diagonal pass on the left and his cross-shot was just in front of Costello who couldn’t get a sufficient touch to turn it in.
Two minutes later the new signing picked up a through ball and fed it on into Grant’s run but Taylor raced out and threw his body at the striker’s feet to block and then gather the ball. The former Carrick striker then fired wide after Murray’s corner dropped at the near post.
Tony Grant took a tumble with Glentoran's James Taylor.
Hugh Dickson came on with nine minutes remaining on the clock as Jay Magee limped off having twisted a knee. The Captain’s armband changed again with Dickson taking it over. In the 87th minute Glentoran substitute Mattie Burrows, recalled from a loan spell with Loughgall, drove a fierce shot from 25 yards and it wasn’t too far wide of Robinson’s right hand post. In stoppage time Robinson dived to his left to hold Burrows’ glancing header from Black’s cross and Costello had a shot from Molloy’s low cross but he didn’t really connect and it was blocked by Leeman and the danger was cleared.
With other results going the wrong way for Glenavon the Lurgan Blues dropped to the foot of the table and face a tough struggle in the coming weeks.
Post-match Comments
Robert Robinson “Five players heard the whistle; the linesman said at half time he heard the whistle. Everybody stopped. You’re supposed to play to the whistle but it’s a schoolboy error by me and whoever else stopped. We should have played on until we knew for definite.
“We’re not getting the breaks; not getting the bounce of the ball. It’s a good Club and a good set of players. In the second half there was no difference between the two teams but we gave away two stupid goals.
“Things aren’t going for us but there’s still a lot of belief in the changing room that we have enough quality to get out of trouble.”
“The manager put me on the transfer list along with Trevor Molloy and Willo McDonagh. That’s life, I’m not worrying about it, and actually I’m enjoying my football there. The Club’s good and everything else. I know I’m on the list and playing with an injury but Stevie asked me if I would play and I told him yes because my heart’s there and I just want to play football.”
Stephen McBride “Our players heard a whistle in the build up for the first goal and the linesman confirmed he heard it too but, having said that, our players and the goal keeper should know, even it it’s offside, you play on anyway; you don’t just let it go in.
“We had a couple of chances in the first half and I told them to go out and win the second half and if you score that one goal you never know what happens. The positive was that we played well in the second half, got it wide, got delivery into the box and we started to win the midfield battle. Obviously they’re going to catch us as we had to go and try to get back into it.
“Jay Magee has twisted a knee. Conor Walsh has been struggling the last couple of weeks with rib injuries. Tony Grant, I didn’t think was going to make today.
“It’ll take Costello a while to settle in. I had to try to shake things up a wee bit so it was a baptism of fire for him. I don’t think he did much wrong; he got into some good positions and, on another day, he’ll take his chance. Like any striker, once he gets his first goal; he’ll be up and running. He looks fit and sharp and he’s a strong boy. Can he step up and do the business? We had to take that chance.”
Teams:
Glentoran: Taylor, Neill, Leeman (C), Halliday, Hamilton ((Burrows 79), Scullion, Fitzgerald, Simpson, Carson (Fordyce 79), McGovern, Black. Subs: Nixon, Fordyce, Burrows, Waterworth, Gardiner
Glenavon: Robinson, Harper, Magee (Dickson 81), Haughey, Carvill, Scates (Murray 63), Harpur, Walsh (c) (McDonagh 54), Molloy, Grant, Costello. Subs: Buchanan (GK), McDonagh, Dickson, McCann, Murray
Referee: Dessie Loughery
