GLENAVON V CRUSADERS, A LOOK AHEAD

On Saturday 18^th April 2026 Glenavon faces Crusaders at Mourneview Park in its penultimate Sports Direct Premiership fixture.

Victory would move Glenavon into pole position to secure eleventh place in its final fixture against Carrick Rangers; a draw would make Crusaders favourites to survive; and defeat would mean relegation.

Last weekend the Crues brought a twelve match winless run to an end with an impressive 4-0 home success against Portadown.

When looking ahead to the clash with the North Belfast club, Michael O’Connor did not attempt to minimise its importance. “It is Glenavon’s biggest game for ten, twelve or thirteen years,” he said. “I don’t want to put the players under pressure, but they know themselves how significant it is. It is all about, if possible, getting the three points. We will be setting the team up to win but, if that does not happen, it is imperative, for obvious reasons, that we don’t lose. It is all about the result. The performance is secondary.”

Michael has been encouraged by his team’s defensive solidity in recent months. “We have been really strong at the back since February,” he said. “We are not conceding goals. Even when we lost 3-0 against Larne, we gave up relatively few scoring chances. Last Saturday at Clandeboye Park Bangor had, I think, one chance in the entire match. It is important that we stay solid and make it as difficult as possible for Crusaders.”

O’Connor has watched both the Crues’ 6-1 defeat at Carrick Rangers in the first post-split fixture and their 4-0 victory against the Ports. “Carrick were very good that afternoon at Taylor’s Avenue,” he reflected. “They opened them up time after time. That is what we need to aim at in terms of quality. But I also saw the game at Seaview versus Portadown. It was completely different. Crusaders could have scored seven or eight goals. The Ports played as if the season was over and they were on the beach. Our Under-20s would have done a better job.”

Whilst pleased with the clean sheet at Clandeboye Park, the Belfast man was disappointed that his team did not collect all three points. “The swirling wind made it very difficult for both teams,” he reflected. “But I felt that we were flat for the first 60-70 minutes. We didn’t threaten them enough. To be fair, we created some opportunities in the closing stages and had a couple of good attempts saved or cleared off the line. We tried hard to force the win but weren’t quite able to do it.”

Nonetheless, Michael is confident that Glenavon has the firepower to keep the club in the Premiership. “We have Fallsy, Ferris, McGovern, Luke McGerrigan and Peter Campbell,” he said. “They have helped to get us to a place in which our destiny is in our own hands. We have two games at home. They are more than capable of scoring the goals we need.”

O’Connor is hopeful that Luke McGerrigan, Luke Cartwright, and Stephen Mallon, who have picked up injuries in the last few weeks, will be available for selection. “Luke McGerrigan got a whack against Ballymena,” he explained. “He didn’t train before the Bangor match, but he has made some progress this week. We are doing our best to get him back for this weekend. It is the same with the other two lads.”

Prior to the vital 3-0 victory at Seaview in February, Glenavon had lost both of its two meetings with Crusaders this season – 2-0 at Mourneview Park in September and 4-1 at Seaview in November.

The match sponsor is RKX, a company which supplies innovative equipment capable of breaking the toughest of materials. It is based at Lisburn Enterprise Centre.

The match ball sponsors are Gary and Nathan Stewart.

The McCracken’s Brewery “Player of the Match” sponsor is Jayden Smyth in memory of his grandfather, Danny McArdle.

There will be a bucket collection in support of the Glenavon Academy’s 2015 squad. Please give generously.

Other Glenavon teams in action:

(Free Admission to all games)

• Monday 20^th April 2026 – Glenavon Reserves v Portadown Reserves, Mourneview Park, 1945 k.o.
• Friday 17th April 2026 – Bangor U-18s v Glenavon U-18s, Clandeboye Park, 2000 k.o.
• Saturday 18^th April 2026 – Glenavon U-16s v Coleraine U-16s, St. Patrick’s High School, Banbridge, 1115 k.o.