Glenavon and Carrick Rangers for a game which has been over a year in coming around!

The two sides last met on Tuesday, December 10, 2019 in a game decided by a Daniel Larmour header.

Mourneview Park had been set to host the two teams on Saturday, March 14, 2020 – however, in the days before that, it was decided to end football for the time being as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic began to hit home.

The 2019-20 season was eventually ‘knocked on the head’, with league football finally returning in October. However, our scheduled game in November was also postponed, meaning it’s over 14 months since Glenavon and Carrick Rangers met.

And now the sides face each other twice in a week, with the two teams set to play each other again on Saturday at the Belfast Loughshore Hotel Arena.

Glenavon have had another enforced week off, following the postponement of the games against Coleraine and Warrenpoint Town.

Glenavon will be hoping that the break will have allowed Sean Ward time to recover from a hamstring strain he suffered in their last outing, a 2-1 win over Ballymena United. Calum Birney remains out through long-term injury, while Robbie Garrett is serving a one-game suspension.

Carrick, meanwhile, come into the game off the back of beating Crusaders at Seaview and drawing 1-1 at home to Linfield.

This game is being played, once again, behind closed doors but it is available to watch on 247.tv/niprem. It is free for season ticket holders, and for everyone else the stream will cost just £5.

LAST TIME OUT: Glenavon earned a much-needed win against Carrick Rangers as Daniel Larmour scored the only goal of the game against his former club on the half-hour mark.

MATCH OFFICIALS

REFEREE: Jamie Robinson

ASSISTANT REFEREES: Stephen Donaldson, Andrew Nethery

FOURTH OFFICIAL: Niall Gallagher

SPONSORS

MATCH SPONSORS: The Ex-Directors

BALL SPONSORS: City of Armagh GSC

MAN OF THE MATCH SPONSOR: Ken Cardwell