Glentoran (A)

Glenavon travel to The Oval on Tuesday night for the Danske Bank Premiership fixture postponed from Saturday. The game kicks off at 7:45.In keeping with most of the games between these two sides, the last encounter at Mourneview Park proved a tight affair, two goals from former Lurgan Blue Robbie McDaid turning the game on its head after Andrew Mitchell had fired the home side in front before Josh Daniels levelled late-on in his debut game. Glens keeper Elliott Morris put in a superb performance that night to help ensure that Gary Haveron’s side went away with a share of the points.

Photo by Alan Weir

James Singleton is forced to sit out the game tomorrow night having been sent off in the thrilling 2-2 draw with Coleraine. The versatile Bobby Burns is a ready-made replacement for the suspended left back and striker Marc Griffin comes into contention for a starting place alongside Mitchell up front. Mark Sykes returns to the team after playing 90 minutes in the NI Under 21’s 1-1 draw away to Albania last Friday night.

Calum Birney and Nathan Kerr are major doubts for the hosts while James Knowles has struggled with a slight groin injury but Haveron is hoping that McDaid will be ok to play after he received a facial injury in the Glens 1-1 draw with Ballymena United in last Monday night’s live Sky game.

“It’ll be a tough game,” Gary Hamilton said as he looked forward to the match. “The pitch looks to be in a lot better condition that what it has been over the last couple of seasons but we always know if it keeps raining it can carry a lot of water and it can be a difficult surface but we’ll go there and we want to play the way we’ve been playing recently and hopefully get the bit of luck that you always need in games of football. I want the lads to keep showing the same attitude and the togetherness that they’ve been showing and the confidence that they’ve been playing with as well on the pitch. If they go and give us all that then we’ve a chance.

“We know that Glentoran have a very young and energetic side and they’ll make things difficult for us, they’ll get in our faces and in terms of quality, they have Curtis Allen who can score from anywhere and Marcus Kane, who I’ve been an admirer of for a long, long time. They’re solid as well, defensively, so it’s going to be a hard game but we have to go there and make sure we do what we can do and play the way we can play and then if we can do that it gives us every chance of getting a result no matter where we go. We have to make sure we’re bang on tomorrow night, we’re at it and competing from the start of the game and take our chances when they come.”