LARNE V GLENAVON, A LOOK AHEAD

On Friday 20^th March 2026 Glenavon faces Larne at Mourneview Park in its next Sports Direct Premiership fixture.

The Inver Park outfit is challenging strongly at the top of the Premiership table with 21 wins and 7 draws from 32 matches. It is two points ahead of Glentoran and has also qualified for the Clearer Water Irish Cup semi-finals. Last summer the East Antrim club defeated Auda (Latvia) and Prishtina (Kosovo) in the first two qualifying rounds of the UEFA Conference League before losing to Portuguese First Division club Santa Clara.

Larne has an unbeaten record against Glenavon in all competitions since it returned to top flight football in 2019.

Michael O’Connor reckons that the league leader’s visit to Mourneview Park will indicate how much progress Glenavon has made in the last few months. “Larne has been the best team in the Premiership this season,” he said. “Results show that. It will be a tough test for us, but it is a match we are looking forward to. It will be difficult. They have good players in their starting eleven and they can introduce equally talented performers off the bench.”

O’Connor takes some encouragement from Larne’s surprise defeats last month against Portadown at Shamrock Park and Carrick Rangers at Inver Park. “Those results demonstrate that they can be beaten,” he continued. “But they have recovered well and are back on a good run again. So, it is going to be a big challenge.”

Michael hopes that the fact that the game is on grass might give his team a slight advantage. “It might help to a certain degree,” he said. “But they are full time professional footballers. They should be as capable on grass as they are on 4G. We take confidence from our home record. We’ve had good results against Linfield and Glentoran and some other leading clubs.”

The Belfast man hopes that his team can maintain its excellent recent run. “We are aiming to hit the levels we showed against Bangor, Ballymena, Portadown and Crusaders again,” he added. “I think we have been very good in every department. We have been creating clear cut chances and taking them. It has been very encouraging.”

O’Connor, when asked why Glenavon has become so clinical in the final third of the pitch, gave an emphatic reply. “We are playing with two strikers who are good players and they have been scoring goals. But it is not just about them,” he continued. “Others have contributed. Paddy Burns, crucially, scored the openers against Portadown and the Crues. Luke McGerrigan and Paul McGovern have been scoring, and Peter Campbell has been involved in many of our goals.

Last Saturday’s 3-0 win at Seaview improved Glenavon’s prospects of avoiding automatic relegation. Michael reckons that it was the club’s biggest match for a number of seasons. “We didn’t build the game up too much beforehand. We didn’t want to put pressure on the players,” he said. “But they knew themselves that it was very important. If we had lost, we would have fallen six points behind. Thankfully, that did not happen, and we picked up three more points to overtake them on goal difference. So, on any basis, it was huge. But every game from now on has real significance.”

O’Connor, when asked what pleased him most about the display against Crusaders, immediately pointed to the ten minutes immediately after half time when the home side was completely on top. “Two or three months ago we might have conceded two goals at that stage,” he continued. “Jacob Carney’s save from Frazer Bryden was crucial. But, looking back, considering the extent of their dominance, they created comparatively little. We have more of a backbone now. It was really pleasing that we came away with a clean sheet.”

Michael agreed that goals from set pieces have been big factors in the wins against Bangor, Portadown and Crusaders. “Corners and free kicks are really important in the modern game. I am told that, generally speaking, 35% or 36% of all goals come from dead ball situations,” he added. “We have players who can deliver a good cross and players who can get on the end of things. Peter’s ball for Paddy Burns last weekend was bang on the money. We are now attacking crosses with more conviction and reaping the benefits.”

O’Connor had a special word for Luke McGerrigan, scorer of the crucial second goal in North Belfast. “Luke has done really, really well,” he said. “When I arrived in October he was injured. Now he is getting minutes in the team. Over the last four matches he has got better and better. He is very calm on the ball and has a really good range of passing. He also has a happy knack of getting into threatening positions. It is important that he keeps his head down and continues to work hard. But he is a lad who wants to improve. I have every confidence in him.”

Michael agreed that Luke’s emergence is another feather in the Glenavon Academy’s cap. “Obviously he came through the Academy. It has played a big part in his development. But he also has lots of natural talent. He is in the Northern Ireland underage set up which is a credit to him.”

O’Connor and the players appreciated the tremendous support they received from the many hundreds of Glenavon supporters who made the trip to Belfast. “I wasn’t surprised by it at all,” he added. “The fans have stuck by us all season. I think they understood the significance of the match. It was like playing with 12 men from minute one to minute 90. But, as good as they have been, we need them to stick with us over the next five or six weeks. They have a huge part to play in what happens between now and the start of May.”

The Belfast man reported that John Mountenay, injured early in the Portadown fixture, is running and making excellent progress but is unlikely to feature against Larne. Oran O’Kane is completely fit. Ben Wilson, another product of the Glenavon Academy, is doing well and might be able to take part in the warm-up before Friday night’s game.

When Glenavon played Larne at Inver Park in September, a late goal by Matt Ridley gave the home side a 1-0 victory. When the teams met at the same venue in November, the East Antrim side came from behind to win 2-1.

The match sponsors for Friday’s fixture are Neil Dillon, Dean Kennedy and Alan Wells.

The match ball sponsor is Tandragee Sewing Machines, a leading distributor of industrial sewing machines, parts, needles, and thread. It also repairs and services equipment.

The McCracken’s Brewery “Player of the Match” sponsor is Barry Craig.

There will be a bucket collection for Knitted Knockers of Northern Ireland, a charity which provides practical help to breast cancer survivors. Please give generously.

Sincere thanks are extended to all sponsors.

Other Glenavon teams in action:

(Free Admission to all games)

• Monday 23rd March 2026 – Glenavon Reserves v Larne Olympic, Mourneview Park, 1945 k.o.
• Wednesday 25^th March 2026 – Glenavon U-18s v Linfield U-18s, St. Patrick’s High School, Banbridge, 1945 k.o.
• Saturday 21^st March 2026 – Glenavon U-16s v Larne U-16s, St. Patrick’s High School, Banbridge, 1115 k.o.