Ground: The Bet McLean Oval (26,556 capacity)
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland Ticket price: £12
The Bet McLean Oval is a rough 20-25 minute walk from the Titanic Museum (which is a must see attraction in itself). From my hotel (Ibis Belfast) it was a 45 minute journey.
Ah Glentoran, the Protestant club situated in East Belfast and one of the most successful clubs of all time, boasting 130 major honours. How could I not go to Northern Ireland's capital and not make the time out of my not-so-busy schedule to see this team draw their blades against their Catholic rivals Cliftonville?
The Danske Bank Premiership, unlike their neighbouring league just a few hundred kilometres south, operate a winter league, running from August to the end of April. Their league structure is similar to that of the SPL; where the league splits off to form two mini leagues: a Championship Group and a Relegation Group. Glentoran, prior to the game, were sitting in 4th in the Championship Group, just two points behind their bitter rivals Cliftonville. The Reds had won the reverse fixture 1-0 back in November, but with both teams in rocky form there was everything to play for.
I was hanging around the beautiful Titanic Museum prior to the game (which I foolishly didn't buy a ticket for), gazing at the River Lagan which saw many boats docked row in row, flattering themselves in a glistening shine for the eyes of the onlookers to feast upon. It was a sunny day in East Belfast and a fine day for a stroll to take in the city's main attractions. Perhaps one would venture the City Hall or the Ulster Museum, which I visited the day prior with one hour's sleep to my name. But it was the opportunity to see The Cock and Hens in their black, green and red plumage, strut their stuff across the greenery of the Bet McLean that got me excited.
The Glentoran programme is perhaps the best one I've picked up so far too. Wonder what the editor thinks of Linfield?
As the announcer read the team names out I was hoping to hear the name Hrvoje Plum blared out, however this never bore fruit. Instead however, the announcer called out another name, 'Junior'. "Who is this Junior?" I thought to myself. When doing my homework on this team I never came across any Brazilian, Portuguese, Angolan or Mozambiquan players so I wondered whether this was a nickname, an imposter or someone who had not been included on their Wikipedia page. It turns out that this 'Junior' character is none other than Junior Chukwuemeka Ogedi-Uzokwe (no wonder he has a nickname) who boasts such clubs as Türk Ocağı Limasol, Hapoel Hadera and Maidon and Tiptree on his CV. Predominantly a lower league striker, he has been bouncing around Ireland for the last few years and joined the Cocks in January 2023. I was eager to watch him play.
As the whistle blew and the teams kicked off I could not keep my eyes off of Junior. He was as stubborn as a mule. Dogged and determined, he reminded me of Gabriel Jesus in the way that he shows great energy, endeavour, grit and power and knew how to pick a pass. And if there was anything his spell at Maidon and Tiptree taught us is that he knew how to score goals. A long ball played by Luke McCulloch angled its way into the direction of Junior, who swatted away the defender like an ox would do to a fly. He then bamboozled a second defender with a deft touch before slotting it under the legs of the goalkeeper. Glentoran did look in good value for their lead and I was impressed with the way Rodney McAree had set his team up; overrunning the midfield, double-pressing in the middle of the park and winning the ball in dangerous positions in the turnover. If the ball did end up breaching the midfield line then the aforementioned McCulloch, who had an outstanding game at the back, was available to clean up.
With the tenacity and energy the home team was showing and Paddy McLaughlin's refusal to switch away from a midfield three, it was only a matter of time before Glentoran would grab a second. A fantastic save by the Glentoran keeper gave the Cocks the opportunity to counter. A fine ball from Terry Devlin fell into the path of Junior, who played a delightfully weighed ball into the path of McMenamin. The Glens winger was on hand to find an unmarked Boby Burns, who slotted it coolly into the corner of the net. The third came shortly after, Bobby Burns finding the top corner from 30 yards past the sprawling keeper who got a touch to it. Junior himself had a couple of chances and could have grabbed a hat trick, but his finishing was slightly off the mark. Glentoran fans were enjoying themselves, with the Glens chanting Junior to the tune of Tequila. Cliftonville on the other hand, were on the floor.
The second half saw no more goals but it showed a confident Glens side who were happy to see the game out. Cliftonville had a couple of half chances at the start of the second half, but these were dealt comfortably by the goalkeeper. The best chance fell to sub Danny Purkiss who was 1 on 1 with the goalkeeper. but the Reds man spread himself well to deny the Glens of a 4th. 3-0 it finished and a very confident performance by the home side. I was particularly impressed with the technical ability on play and how they were able to cut through the Cliftonville press with swift movements in the middle of the park.
Paddy McLaughlin would resign from his post a couple of days after the game, perhaps ill-timed with so little of the season to go. This win saw Glentoran leapfrog their rivals into third to maintain their push for a European place.
Glentoran 3-0 Cliftonville 15/04/23
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