30th Oct 05. Glentoran 0 Cliftonville 0 - Halloween night started early this year I can tell ya, Mark Glendinning and Parkhouse both saw red during the second half of this one, while Leeper was stretchered off during the first 45 with a dislocated shoulder! The high winds and driving rain may have contributed to what was a very untidy game yesterday, but from where I was sitting the Glens were back to their glorious worst! Somebody nip me and tell me it's only July!
28th Oct 05. Cliftonville game - Everytime I sit down to do a Cliftonville preview I'm usually thinking, 'God, not Cliftonville again, tricky enough, record's not great against them'. Then today I sit down and trawl through the records only to find that outside of that 2-1 County Antrim Shield Q/F defeat at Solitude last November, the Reds haven't beaten us in 15 games! FIVE years ago! Anyway's, that's not how I remember it ... maybe I'm just gettin old ;-) Well here's another strange fact - so far this season Cliftonville have played 10 competitive fixtures in League and CIS cup, 5 home, and 5 away. They have yet to WIN a single game at home ... and they have yet to LOSE a single game away! Won 3 (Ballymena, Ards & Larne), and drawn 2 (Distillery & Dungannon). They've won both their away games in the League. Still think I'm senile? Maybe you're right ;-)
As for the team sheet tomorrow, I doubt it'll line up like Tuesday's Shield encounter. I expect Gary Browne will come back in some shape or form, with wee Scotty back on the bench again after coming through 90 minutes at Seaview during the week with the Seconds. Pat McGibbon played for 70 minutes in that game too, but looked a few games away from a first eleven call-up yet. Don't know what the score is with Peter McCann. So there you have it folks, the scum's away to the sheepshaggers tomorrow, maybe big Smicker or Hamill can do us a wee favour :-) Mon the Champions! Betting: Glentoran 2/5, Cliftonville 13/2, and a draw 3/1. All odds by TOALS bookmakers.
CIS Semi-Final - Tickets for the League Cup Semi-Final v Portadown on November 8th will be on sale at the Oval tonight (Friday) between 6 and 8pm, priced £8 and £5. The remaining tickets will go on general sale at the Oval tomorrow. Thereafter, any remaining tickets can be had from the usual outlets, Dawson's Belmont Road, Westbourne GSC and the Ravenhill Road Spar (opposite My Lady's Rd).
27th Oct 05. GLENTORAN COMMUNITY TRUST
Only a week to go folks, Thursday 3rd November, Park Avenue Hotel - 7.30 for 7.45pm. We would encourage EVERYONE with an interest in the future of Glentoran FC to attend!
A chance for ALL of you to discuss the concept, and ultimately vote on whether to form a Supporters Trust, irrespective of where the current ground-move saga ends up.
This is about where Glentoran Football Club, YOUR FOOTBALL CLUB, and it's links with East Belfast will be in 5, 10, or even 20 years time ... for generations.
We would ask everyone to appreciate we have went to some considerable time and effort to deliver this forum to the fans in the best possible way. Rest in East and our sponsors will be flying in and overnighting 3 Supporters Trust Representatives from across England, we have enlisted the support of a professional conferencing facility, UTV, BBC, the local press, not to mention the availability of the Park Avenue's Cambridge Rooms itself, courtesy of proprietor and former GFC Director Billy Stephens.
This is a Rest in East initiative on the merits of forming a Supporters Trust, possibly we believe, the single most important thing EVER to happen at Glentoran Football Club, and will demand the attention of a full evening.
A forum on the ground move deserves no less of our time, but on another night, and the deliverance of which is something for the Board of Directors at Glentoran FC.
Please do your utmost to attend next Thursday night, a unique 'once in a lifetime' opportunity awaits us all - please don't let history say it passed you by.
Le Jeu Avant Tout - JIM, for 'Rest in East'
26th Oct 05. George Wilson Cup Final tonight folks, Glens Seconds v's Dungannon Swifts at Seaview. KO - 7.45. Holders Glens II's defeated Ballymena Reserves 3-2 in the semi-final, while Dungannon accounted for linfield swifts 3-0. The wee Glens will be going for their 5th win of the trophy in the last 6 years! Result: Dungannon 1 (88 min's) Glens II's 0
GLENTORAN SOCCER COACHING SCHOOL
The soccer school for the 2005/06 season will be starting this Sunday 30th October. As usual parents should accompany their children to the Milk Bar for 10.30 am where initial registration will take place. The school is for children aged 7 and over and who will not have reached the age of 14 before 1st May 2006.
As in past seasons the soccer school is completely free. If attending please make sure your children are suitably dressed for the weather and have both shin guards and boots. Looking forward to seeing you there. William Cameron
25th Oct 05, 9.30pm. Glentoran 4 Bangor 0 - Match report can now be found HERE
24th Oct 05. Just a wee reminder ... tomorrow night's home County Antrim Shield Tie Vs Bangor is a 7.30pm ko.
23rd Oct 05. Coleraine 0 Glentoran 0 - Hit the woodwork three times and when we did manage to get past that, met Coleraine keeper Davy O'Hare in absolutely inspired form - how the scoreline remained 0-0 is beyond me! Hard to swallow when you look back at some of the stuff served up by indifferent Glentoran displays this past 4 weeks, and STILL managed to collect all 3 points! Back down to second place on goal difference from the scum ... Ports lose 1-0 to the Whites. Results and Table page updates will have to wait folks - head's still on back to front ;-)
FANS FORUM - Eastway GSC will be attending the 'Rest in East' Fans Forum at The Park Avenue Hotel, Hollywood Rd on Thursday 3rd November 2005. Doors open at 7-15pm and meeting starts 7-45pm. They will be leaving Eastway Social Club Rathcoole at Approx 7-00pm. Anyone from the area in need of a lift contact gary@eastwayglens.co.uk
21st Oct 05. Coleraine game - Still only October and third time this season for the Glens v Bannsiders. Even more noteworthy given the fact the North West club were supposed to be out of business by now! Both CIS group 1 wins for the Glens before this one, a 1-0 win at the Oval back on August 13th, then a 4-1 trouncing up at their place (by all accounts our best performance of the season - and I was on holiday)! You might also be surprised to learn that outside of that 2003 Irish Cup Final setback, Coleraine have only beaten the Glens once in their last 13 attempts - a surprise 1-0 win at the Oval nearly two years ago. Keep that sort of run continuing and that'll do me - Champions top of the League for another week :-) On the player front the sight of Peter McCann limping off last week again just adds to our injury woes, no update yet as to Peter's condition, but the prospect of McGibbon and Locky possibly making a comeback soon would now be very welcome indeed. Never rains! Ballymacs bus leaves Wilgar Street tomorrow at 1.15pm folks, all visitors are very welcome to come along. Other buses can be found at the link above.
Match Betting: Coleraine 4/1, Glentoran 8/13, and a draw 5/2. All odds supplied by TOALS bookmakers.
18th Oct 05. It would appear the Glens have made an improved offer for the Bombardier site. According to UTV today a £2m bid has been tabled for the land currently used by Shorts FC, that sandwiched between Belfast City Council owned Blanchflower Park, and the Education & Library Board's Tommy Patton and Inverary sites on the Holywood Road.
17th Oct 05. Glens v Portadown in CIS Semi-Final - Date and venue for the match has yet to be decided, but it'll be either Tuesday 8th or Wednesday 9th November. Lisburn Distillery meet linfield in the other decider.
16th Oct 05. Glentoran 2 Armagh City 0 - CHAMPIONS - BACK ON TOP O' THE LEAGUE :-)
Match report has now been moved HERE
14th Oct 05. Armagh City game - Not long home folks, ever so slightly buggered! But here's tomorrows' match betting: Glentoran 1/3, Armagh 15/2, and a draw 16/5. All odds supplied by TOALS bookmakers
10th Oct 05. Schubert & Mozart, the Sound of Music, and the Danube ... Somehow Limavady and Armagh will never seem the same. All roads lead to Vienna folks, there's frig all happenin here and I need my football fix! Fraid that wee 'European sortie' to Shelbourne just didn't do it for me ;-) Can't wait to visit all those museums ;-) Mon Norn Iron!
7th Oct 05. Tolan out for season! - Despite all the optimism, it's as we feared here after the Institute game on August 28th (below), Jody Tolan has cruciate ligament damage and will be out for the entire season ... at least! Desperate news indeed for all involved, and a serious blow to our title defence aspirations!
6th Oct 05. Chris Walker Benefit - POKER NIGHT
If you like a little gamble and a game of cards and at the same time don't want to run the risk of losing your house, then come along to the Ballymac Clubrooms, Wilgar St on this Fri Night, 7th Oct, where the Chris Walker Benefit Committee in conjunction with the Ballymac GSC are holding a Poker Night. The entrance fee for the Poker Night is £10 (the most you can lose) with prizes up to £250 to be won. Registration starts from 7.30 pm with the Poker beginning from approx 8 pm. Looking forward to seeing you there and good luck. William Cameron (Chris Walker's Benefit Organising Committee)
4th Oct 05. Glentoran 2 Newry City 1 - Got outta jail tonight big time! If you'd been too keen for your pint you may well have missed all the action too! A Newry goal a minute to half-time, a Stephen Parkhouse equaliser a minute before full-time, and a Gary Browne winner a minute into extra-time! Other than that? Dear oh dear :-( Into the Semi-Finals by our finger-nails! As the song goes ... "Things can only get better." Think I'll take another three week break!
2nd Oct 05. Limavady Utd 0 Glentoran 2
