Photo by Alan Weir
Just one change for Glenavon, enforced as Conor Dillon has the flu so Kris Lindsay comes in, otherwise Gary Hamilton has kept faith with the starting line-up from Tuesday night’s 5-1 league win at Carrick. That means Andy Hall has to settle for a place on the bench on his return from suspension.
Minute’s silence before kick-off. Photo by Alan Weir.
The home side could have scored twice inside the opening three minutes with former Glenavon winger Chris Lavery cutting the ball back from the byeline for Curtis Allen who saw his shot cleared off the line by Rhys Marshall. Sixty second later Lavery was in again and this time it took a great stop by Jonny Tuffey to block his close range shot, the Glenavon keeper gathering the ball at the second attempt.
How appropriate, Glenavon have scored in the 10th minute, Rhys Marshall heading in from Joel Cooper’s cross, the goal celebrations joined in by the minute’s applause in memory of Mark Farren, who was Glenavon’s number 10.
It was 2-0 to the Lurgan Blues in the 18th minute when Ciaran Martyn rose at the front post 12 yards out to power a bullet header into the top corner from a cross from the left by Cooper. Mark Farren wore the number 18 shirt in his final spell at Derry City.
Photo by Alan Weir
Apart from those opening few minutes it’s been a dominant first half by Glenavon.
Eoin Bradley may have missed with a lob in the first half but he made no mistake in the 54th minute when he cut in onto his left foot on the right corner of the Glens box and curled a delightful shot around the defender and into the top corner, leaving Aaron Hogg flat-footed.
Eoin Bradley celebrates his goal after making it 3-0. Photo by Alan Weir
A Kris Lindsay own goal came in the 87th minute as he slid in front of Tuffey at the near post trying to cut-out a cross from Curtis Allen.
That may have spoiled the clean sheet but Cooper made it 4-1 in added time with a low left foot drive from the edge of the areas into the opposite bottom corner of the net.
Joel Cooper bangs in the fourth goal. Photo by Alan Weir
Glentoran: Hogg, Holland, Gordon, Addis, Birney, Kane, Morrow, McCaffrey, Scullion, Allen, Lavery. Subs: McCullough, Caldwell (Scullion 56), Gibson, D Patton McCaffrey 46), Smith (Gordon 73)
Glenavon: Tuffey, McGrory, Kelly, Lindsay, Marshall, Kearns, Martyn, Sykes, Cooper, Braniff, Bradley. Subs: Kilmartin (Sykes 79), Hall Kearns 84), M Patton, O’Brien, Hamilton (Bradley 84)
Referee: Andrew Davey
