MAY 2005

26th May 2005: SPECULATION ...?

6th May 2005: WE'RE BACK!

Historic Victory

Check out the photos from Glenavon's play-off triumph at Seaview.

Glenavon made Irish League history tonight by becoming the first team from the First Division to win promotion through the playoffs. Garth Walsh's crisp left foot shot into the bottom corner had given the Blues the lead in the 37th minute and it also cancelled out the Crusaders away goal from the first leg but the lead lasted barely 60 seconds when Darren Stirling volleyed home Andrew Morrows cross from 8 yards to tie the scores 1-1 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate.

Davy McAlinden, playing as a striker in a smart tactical switch by Tommy Kincaid, could have won the game in normal time but his 57th minute shot spun up off the head of Jeff Spiers and just missed the top corner with Armstrong beaten by the deflection. The ex-Crues player had an even better chance to seal promotion in the 74th minute when Hyndes' cross looped up off Spiers and dropped nicely at the back post for him but he put his header wide.

With the score finishing with an aggregate of 2-2 the game went to extra time and the introduction, near the end of normal time, of Paul McKnight for the injured Walsh proved a turning point as his perseverance and skill near the left corner flag saw him beat two defenders and cut the ball back from the bye line to McVeigh who fired a low left foot shot past Armstrong from 8 yards.

With the home side having to press forward, Glenavon had other chances to seal the victory but in the very last minute it needed a point blank save by Andy McDonald to deny Morrow and ensure that the Blues won 2-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate to guarantee promotion to the Premier Division for next year, after just a single season in the 'wilderness' of the First Division. Report.

Post-match Reactions

The Chairman says, “The hard work starts here!”

“I feel fantastic tonight after two years of absolute nightmare – first of all staring relegation in the eye and then living through the reality. I’m so happy for Tommy and the boys. Because they’ve worked so hard and really deserve this. People wrote us off but the team’s come back and this crowns off two years of pressure and stress. I’m so happy for everybody in the town of Lurgan.

“Off the field we’ve been doing well. The board has been working on the club’s finances and sponsors have been getting behind us. We’ve had our critics but I’ve tried to avoid ‘knee-jerk reactions’. Responsibility for such a great club weighs heavily on your shoulders. It’s a matter of keeping calm and thinking the thing through. I do what I think is best, not what every other person about the club thinks because, to be quite honest, you couldn’t cope with that and there’s no doubt that it’s the man who makes the decisions who suffers. We’ve made our decisions and stuck by them. I think the board has been loyal to the players and the manager, and they in their turn have rewarded us. What happened on the field was out of our control but Tommy and the boys have done it for us. They’ve certainly delivered.

“Within the next few days I’ll be sitting down with Tommy to discuss the future and how he might want to strengthen the squad in preparation for premier league football. Personally I think Tommy Kincaid has done an excellent job. Very few people would realise the stress that we’ve all been under at Glenavon, but particularly the manager, and I want to sit down with him very soon to start the ball rolling. There’s no way that Glenavon would EVER want to go back to first division football again. The hard work starts here!

“I’m delighted for all those people about the club for whom Glenavon means so much – the whole Glenavon family. We’ve worked together and got our just rewards. As a supporter, I’m certainly a very happy man!”

Tommy Kincaid’s agreement finished with the final whistle last night and he was intending to enjoy the lifting of the pressure he has been under – at least for a few hours. “A very wise man once told me, ‘enjoy your success’. I’ll enjoy tonight!”

He’ll be back at work presently and the Chairman is intending to sit down with him in the near future to work on a squad to keep Glenavon in the premiership.

“I’m so pleased. You can’t really put my thoughts and emotions into words. I think the players have been outstanding all season. They responded to everything we asked of them. Our supporters deserve mention also. They’ve followed us everywhere this season and tonight they definitely were the equivalent of an extra man. They really got behind us and were absolutely smashing. I have to mention the support of the Chairman and the board too. Everyone has played their part in this and I want to thank them all. It certainly hasn’t been any ‘overnight success’ story!

“I had this goal at the start of the season and it was a case of keeping the vision – week after week, result after result, sometimes knock back after knock back. We had our doubters at times but my backroom team and myself always had confidence and now to actually achieve it is…

“What a season! Three cup finals, two trophies and promotion – including a number of premiership scalps along the way. Tonight is a great weight of everybody’s shoulders, including mine, to be back in the premier league.

“I have plans to discuss with the Chairman. There’s hard work ahead but we just can’t wait for the start of next season!”

3rd May 2005: ALL TO PLAY FOR

As a sizeable crowd streamed out of Mourneview Park tonight the PA system was playing the appropriately titled Eddy Grant song "Gimme Hope, Joanna" and that was what Aidan McVeigh's 63rd minute 'wonder goal' has surely done for the Lurgan Blues. Crusaders had the best of the first half and, but for a brilliant goalkeeping display by Andy McDonald, the Shore Road outfit would have gone in at half time leading by more than a single goal. That had come from a Liam Dunne strike in the final minute of the half when his low shot finally beat the Glenavon keeper. Johnny Montgomery had tried to allow a Stephen McBride through ball to run out of play but the excellent Darren Stirling nipped in and cut the ball back for Dunne to stroke home as he burst into the penalty area. Seconds later McVeigh's right foot cross picked out Delany and he curled a shot around a defender but was denied by the post.

McDonald had already made a brilliant one-handed save to push a fierce 27th minute strike from Dunne onto the bar and minutes later he saved bravely at the feet of Stirling as the Crusaders striker burst through and found himself in a one-on-one with the Blues custodian.

Glenavon were much improved in the second half and 18 minutes in McVeigh picked the ball up about 40 yards out and, spotting Armstrong off his line, scored with a brilliant lob that had the Mourneview faithful in raptures. Tommy Kincaid's men went all out for a second goal that would have given them a vital lead to take to Seaview on Friday night and ex-Crusaders defender Davy McAlinden almost scored against his former employers when he crashed a volley off the bar in the 68th minute. Delany had a shot saved by Armstrong and O'Connor, diving headlong at the near post, just failed to get a touch to Walsh's cross from a short corner routine.

Ten minutes from the end Montgomery worked a short free kick to McKnight and his fierce strike from 18 yards was headed for the far corner when Morrow got his head to it.

Crusaders will start the second leg with the advantage of an away goal but Glenavon will surely take a lot of confidence from that second half performance.

Tommy Kincaid was in a positive mood after the game "I wanted to go into Friday's match with a chance of promotion and that is the way things stand", he said. Crues manager Stephen Baxter was also fairly happy with the result, conceding that his side was hanging on at the end despite enjoying the better of the first half.

FIRE AT MOURNEVIEW

Officials at Glenavon Football Club were alerted to a fire at Mourneview Park early this morning. A number of fire crews attended the blaze. PSNI officers have taken some items from the scene in order to carry out further forensic investigation.

Damage was caused to some clubroom accommodation but players and spectators at tomorrow night’s match against Crusaders will not be inconvenienced.

The area under the main grandstand at Mourneview accommodates various office facilities and recreational areas for the benefit of the main Glenavon supporters’ clubs. The fire appears to have been started in the Victoria clubroom, which has been extensively damaged. Smoke damage has been caused to the other two supporters’ clubrooms. The boardroom and offices have not been affected though the heavy smell of smoke will linger for some time yet.

The fire caused no other damage but grandstand seating directly above the damaged room has needed to be cleaned of smoke discolouration. Junior members of the Victoria Club were out in force this morning to wash down the affected area and Glenavon has been inundated by requests from supporters and neighbours with offers to help.

Chairman Roy Ferguson said, “This is a most regrettable incident. It is very disappointing especially in such an important season for the club. I’d like to thank all those involved in the clean up operation and those supporters who have contacted us to express their regret and to offer help. It’s at times like these that real supporters show their true colours and I hope that they’ll come out tomorrow night to get behind the manager and the team in the match against Crusaders.”

Mourneview Park is already in the midst of some re-development in preparation for hosting the Under 19 Internationals in June. The changing rooms and gym area, the dug-out area, and the pitch itself are all due to be extensively improved over the next number of weeks.

Glenavon face Crusaders tomorrow night (ko 19:45) in the first leg of the play-offs for a place in the premier league next season. The game will be played, as arranged, and players and spectators are unlikely to be inconvenienced in any way.

Manager Tommy Kincaid emphasised the unity of the club in the direction in which it has been moving, “This is an exciting time at Glenavon. The team has done well on the park and we hope to be playing in the premier division next season. The facilities at Mourneview, already among the best in the country, are being further improved. The club’s sponsors have expressed enough confidence in the club’s future to extend their support. So this incident is a distraction but my team, and the whole club, are only focussed on one thing and that is tomorrow night’s match against Crusaders.”

BLUES FANS ON THE BALL IN DUBLIN

Yesterday (Sunday) a Glenavon supporters team went to Dublin to play in the inaugural Cross Border Tournament along with supporters of Linfield. Bohemians (hosts), Cork City and Derry City represented the Eircom League.

The lads did the club proud, winning two of their four games. A 2-1 victory over Cork City and a 4-1 win over Linfield was enough to guide the team into 3rd place.

Referee's for the day's event were Glenavon legends Dermot O'Neill (now goalkeeping coach at Bohs) and Tony Grant (also with Bohs) and they were more than happy to chat with the Crescent Enders and were still looking out for Glenavon's results in the press. They also took the time to wish the club all the best for the playoff clashes with Crusaders and that they hoped to make the journey from the south to see the Lurgan Blues in action once again on Tuesday night.

Report by Michael Scott.

glenavonfc.com is the official site of Glenavon Football Club and the support of, and contributions from club officials are appreciated. The webmaster however can give no guarantee that the pages accurately reflect the opinions of individual directors or the management of Glenavon Football Club.