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May 13, 2008
13th May 08, 3.00pm. Portadown lose appeal - IFA Statement: "Portadown Football Club’s appeal against the decision was heard by an IFA Appeals Board on Monday 12 May 2008. The IFA Appeals Board, after hearing lengthly and detailed submissions from Portadown Football Club, unanimously agreed to reject Portadown Football Club’s appeal on the basis that the required documentation was not submitted on or before the deadline set by the Association. Therefore the original decision made by the IFA Executive Committee on Wednesday 30 April 2008 remains valid."
12th May 08. Glens UEFA Cup trip ... to Manchester or Fulham? Possible European opponents for the Glens in this seasons UEFA Cup could now include Manchester City or Fulham from the English Premiership! As leading ranking nation in this years UEFA 'Fair Play' league, England are already assured of a seeded club in the first qualifying round of the competition, meaning a 14/1 shot of the Glens or Cliftonville making the short trip to England in July! The English FA have yet to announce who their representative will be, but with the top of the English Fair Play table before Saturdays games reading Tottenham, Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal & Everton (who have all already qualified for Europe), it means Man City, Fulham, West Ham and Wigan are all in the hat! Norway, Denmark, Sweden or Finland (Northern Region) could supply the 2 other fair play representatives between them depending on Tuesdays draw. Updated seeded teams for UEFA Cup 1st Qualifying Round: 1 from England, Viking Stavanger (Norway), Djurgårdens & Kalmar FF (Sweden), Metalurgs Liepaja & JFK Olimps Riga (Latvia), Haka Valkeakoski & Honka Espoo (Finland), FH Hafnarfjardar (Iceland), Brøndby IF + 2 others (Denmark). Seeding for Lithuania's Luduva Marijampole & Vetra Vilnius is still undecided.
11th May 08. Glens U16's at the double! - Glentoran's U16 side defeated Larne Youth 2-1 (AET) in Saturday's Northern Ireland Boys FA Cup U17 Final to record a unique 'end of season' cup double after securing the Lisburn League U16 cup last Monday. Two goals from Michael Doran (one in extra time) were enough to lift the trophy for the young Glens with Daniel Burns named man-of-the-match. Congratulations all round to the lads and the management team.
6th May 08. Glens trio in U23 call-up - David Scullion, Sean Ward, & Darren Boyce have been listed in the Northern Ireland U23 squad for the "Challenge Trophy" game against the Republic of Ireland at Mournview Park next Tuesday night.
5th May 08. Glens U16's win cup - Glentoran Under 16's tonight won the Lisburn Junior Invitational League U16 Cup, defeating Newmills 2-0 in the Final at Mourneview Park Lurgan. Goals from Patrick McCauley and Gareth Ballantine sealed the win for the wee Glens while team Captain Jimmy Callagher was named Man-of-the-Match. They now look forward to the Northern Ireland's Boys FA Cup U17 Final against Larne Youth this Saturday 10th May in Banbridge (ko 11.45am).
Young Glentoran Goalkeeper Appeal - Please help ... HERE
30th Apr 08, 6.30pm. PORTS OUT OF INVITATIONAL LEAGUE! - Portadown Football Club could just have just been thrown into turmoil. The new Irish FA Invitational League applications for next season had to be delivered to the IFA offices by 4.00pm on Monday 31 March 2008, but apparently, due to traffic congestion, their application arrival was delayed and they missed the deadline. The following statement has just been released by the IFA:
"The IFA Executive Committee met on Wednesday 30 April 2008 to consider the application of Portadown Football Club for the IFA Premiership which will commence from August 2008." "The application was not submitted by the stipulated deadline of 4.00 pm on Monday, 31 March 2008 which was endorsed by the Executive Committee at its meeting on 10 January 2008. The application has, therefore, not been included in the process."
That being the case Portadown will now join Armagh City, Larne and Limavady United as the teams already ruled out of the process, leaving the remaining 12 Premier League sides and 1st Division side Bangor to compete for the 12 places!
29th Apr 08. Glens Youth flying the flag - GCT-sponsored Glentoran U16's (Lisburn League), will contest TWO Cup Finals in the next 11 days! First up this Monday night (5th May) the young Glens defend their Lisburn League U16 Cup title against League leaders Newmills, the game taking place in Glenavons Mourneview Park (7.30pm). Next up it's the Northern Ireland's Boys FA Cup U17 Final against Larne Youth on Saturday 10th May, the Glens last night met Newmills yet again, this time in the NIBFA Cup semi-final, and defeated them 5-4 on penalties after 1-1 in extra time. The Final is in Banbridge (ko 11.45am). The lads would be delighted to have your support in either final as they aim to see the season out on a real high before heading off to the Foyle Cup in late July, and try to go one better than beaten finalists to the Republic of Ireland last year..
28th Apr 08. The last Halfers draw of the season ... was made by Referee Davy Malcolm who hijacked Jason Hill's attempt to make the draw! The winning ticket 7719, and prize of £480, was eventually claimed by Mark Burns from West Belfast. A Big Thank you to all the Draw's loyal supporters who make it such a success. Your generosity is immense! Tommy McKee.
27th Apr 08. Glentoran 3 Portadown 1 - Second place and the UEFA Cup it is then, ended the season with 8 points more than last, 71, which was enough to win the Premier League Title this time last year! Contrast that with the whimper we ended last years Championship with, going down 2-0 at Portadown and qualifying for Europe courtesy of Cliftonville losing at home to Limavady! Course there have been a few hic-cups along the way, but one trophy in the bag, a semi-final defeat, unbeaten in the League since New Years Day and ending runners-up - other than actually winning the thing I don't thing I've seen so much room for optimism at the Oval for years! Roll on next season! Results and Final Table pages now updated.
25th Apr 08. Portadown game - Match Betting: Glentoran 2/5, Portadown 11/2, and a draw 3/1. All odds by Paddy Power.
21st Apr 08. GCTretro - "The Heritage Collection" ... HERE
20th Apr 08. Here we go again ... Possible European opponents so far (should we finish second and qualify for UEFA Cup).
UEFA Cup 1st Qualifying Round: Viking Stavanger (Norway), Djurgårdens & Kalmar FF (Sweden), Metalurgs Liepaja & JFK Olimps Riga (Latvia), Suduva Marijampole + 1 other (Lithuania), Haka Valkeakoski & Honka Espoo (Finland), Cork City & St. Patrick's Athletic (Ireland), Flora Tallinn + 1 other (Estonia), FH Hafnarfjardar & IA Akranes (Iceland), Denmark x 3.
Three other clubs will also enter the UEFA Cup 1st Qualifying Round by virtue of their finish in UEFA's Fair Play rankings. As leading country for 2008 Norway are guaranteed one of those places, with the other 2 clubs most likely coming from either England, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Spain or Estonia. The draw for the 1st Qualifying Round of the UEFA Cup will be Friday 27th June, first leg played 17th July, second leg July 31st. Course that could all change on Saturday if we win the League :-) Distillery by the way, will find out their Intertoto opponents tomorrow, their first match on 21st June! Aye wud yee!!
Halfers Draw v Cliftonville ... has been claimed by Jonathon Taylor who won £420 with the ticket no. 8805. Fradays draw was made by by Jamie McGovern - Tommy McKee
19th Apr 08. DOC'S SEASON OVER! - The destiny of Glentoran's League Title aspirations has quite literally just been taken out of Michael Dougherty's hands - the Glentoran keeper attended hospital after last night's Cliftonville game and has been diagnosed with a fractured wrist, he is now in plaster and his season is over! We await news on Elliott Morris who left the field last night with a groin strain, while Colin Nixon has sustained ligament damage.
18th Apr 08. Glentoran 2 Cliftonville 1 - Second place now only on goal difference, no matter what happens at Mourneview tomorrow it all goes down to the last day. Who'd have believed that just 3 months ago!
Cliftonville game - Just 2 games left to play, 3 points off the lead, and Cliftonville 5 more behind with a game in hand. All in all that means if we beat the Reds tonight we'll finish at least second in the table, anything else, and depending on how Cliftonville do at the Crues next Tuesday night, it goes down to the last game ... exactly the same as last season! News that Coleraine could be unable to fulfill thier European obligations, if true, is tough for the Bannsiders but very welcome news indeed for both ourselves and Cliftonville. As Irish Cup Finalists Coleraine were guaranteed a UEFA Cup spot win or lose against Linfield, but if UEFA rules dictate they are indeed unable to take their place due to the clubs 're-invention' a few years back, then 3rd in the League will fill their shoes, meaning both ourselves AND the Reds have already qualified for the UEFA Cup before tonights kick-off! That all remains to be seen, far as I'm concerned make sure we finish at least 2nd and remove any doubt. That's not to say we should take our eye off still winning the Title of course, it ain't over til it's over, and with the leaders away to both Glenavon and Crusaders in the next 8 days, one slip and it's still all to play for! So, all roads lead to the Oval tonight, if it's half as exciting as the last time the sides met (4-2) the armchair "LIVE on SKY" viewers are certainly in for a treat. Kick-off tonight is 7.45pm. Match Betting: Glentoran 11/10, Cliftonville 9/4, and a draw 11/5. All odds supplied by TOALS.
17th Apr 08. Paul Leeman Testimonial Pin Badge
The Raven GSC will be selling pin badges in The Oval
tomorrow night (v Cliftonville 17th April) as a fundraiser
for Paul Leeman's Testimonial season.
They'll cost you £3 quid each.
Halfers Draw v Derry ... was won by Frankie McClarnon of Castlereagh GSC who won £200 when his ticket No. 9145 was drawn by Dean Fitzgerald. T. McKee
15th Apr 08. Result - Glentoran 1 Derry CIty 1 - A Colin Nixon goal 20 minutes from time salvaging an understrength Glens side their second point of the competition, but not enough to keep us from dropping to bottom spot in the table as St Pats defeat Linfield 2-0 to go 2 points ahead of ourselves and level with Derry City in second.
Derry City game ... Setanta Cup game 3 tonight at the Oval with second-placed Derry City the visitors. It was honours even last season between the 2 sides in the competition, Glens losing 1-0 at the Oval while winning 2-1 at the Brandywell. A win for the Glens tonight could see us leapfrog tonights opponents into second spot going into the summer break, while anything else could see us go bottom! Your guess is as good as mine as to which 11 manager Alan McDonald names for this one, but given the crucial League encounter with Cliftonville this Friday night don't be surprised if the line-up is along that of last week. Kick-off tonight is 7.45pm. Betting: Glentoran 2/1, Derry City 4/5, and a draw 21/5. All odds by TOALS.
14th Apr 08. Halfers Draw v Linfield ... in aid of Paul Leeman's Testimonial season was won by Marty the Quiff's mate Dean Browne who won £470 when his ticket number 9306 was drawn in front of Glentoran supporters in the North Stand by Glentoran Steward Adrian Veighey. The draw was won on what Dean said was his 24th birthday, although it is thought that he conveniently forgot about the 15 years he was in a coma!! Congratuations to him and a huge thank you for the supporters of the Draw, although the result of the game could have been better, I have a massive feeling that there will be a twist in this Championship! Believe!! Tommy Mckee
13th Apr 08. Linfield 0 Glentoran 0 - At the end of the day the League Championship is decided on how you fair over 7 long months and 30 games, we're it simply down to a 90-minute bout the Glens would have won it yesterday by a unanimous decision. The lads were outstanding. It ain't over yet of course, but every person in that ground at 10 to 5 yesterday knew the dream had all but gone - and the blues were there for the taking! I can't remember the number of chances that went abegging, l lost count, and when Gary Hamilton cracked one straight at Manus from just 6 yards centre of goal in injury time, the penny finally dropped. The irony is, such was the game we were having, if Gary had'a scuffed his shot, it probably would have went in! At the other end I only remember Eliott Morris making a solitary save the whole game. The players will be gutted today, but I'll tell you this, it's been a long time since I saw us practically lose the title to the arch enemy on their own patch, and still see the Glentoran team receive a standing ovation from the fans at the end. That's twice we've played them now in the league this term, and twice we've played them off the park - at the start of the season you'd have laughed at me. We'll battle away for the last 2 games of course, the race isn't over yet and there's still that UEFA spot to secure, but however it finishes, unlikely manager Alan McDonald and his players can hold their heads high. There were some very worried looking bluemen leaving the swamp yesterday at that final whistle, if this Glentoran side continue to improve at the rate they have this term we really could be in for something special next year. The look on Jeffrey's face during the game said it all - he must be friggin terrified.
10th Apr 08. Glens better than 3/1! - Saturday's Betting: Linfield 8/11, Glentoran 10/3, and a draw 12/5.
And to win the League: Linfield 1/6, Glentoran 7/2. (Win Only) - All odds supplied by EASTWOODS.
WHAT A LOAD OF BALLS! ... HERE
Angus Livingstone - News just reaching me this afternoon is that the Glentoran family have lost yet another great character. Angus Livingstone, a former member of Parkview Glens, Ballymac GSC, and Raven GSC I'm told has sadly passed away. Angus had been a member and already left the Ballymac GSC by the time I even joined the club way back in 1986, and although his attendance at the Oval had diminished over the years, he remained part of Oval folklore amongst many. Never one to suffer fools lightly, manys a person felt the wrath of Angus's sharp pen! I'll always remember though, the proud story he told of the letter he penned to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (on celebration of her 1978 Silver Jubilee I think), and receiving a personal reply from the big girl herself! I'm sure it's still on a wall. They threw away the mould Angus - a Glentoran legend!
9th Apr 08. Update - The below Funeral will take place this Fri 11th April. Service at 10.00am in Castlereagh Presbyterian Church, up Church Road off Ballygowan Road (opposite Harry Jones Playing Fields) HERE. Interment to follow at Roselawn Cemetery. The family would also like to extend an invitation to mourners for refreshments in the Westbourne GSC thereafter.
Valerie Anderson - It is with a very sad heart that I have to post this morning of the passing away of a very dear friend to both myself and the Ballymac GSC - Valerie Anderson. Those who knew Valerie well will know she had bravely battled against cancer for some years, but after recent concerns was admitted to hospital Friday afternoon, and sadly passed away last night. Valerie was part of the fabric of Glentoran Football Club, she and her husband Gerry of Dundonald GSC have been a fixture down at the Oval for as far back as I can remember. Larger than life and everybody's friend, Valerie hadn't an enemy in the world. It's a very sad day indeed to lose such a lovely person, and yet another great character from down at the Oval. My thoughts, and all of us here at the Ballymac GSC this morning are with Gerry, sons Mark & Stephen, the extended family, and all the members of Dundonald GSC. A smile for all. God bless.
7th Apr 08. Glentoran 1 Linfield 3 - Team, 10 changes from Saturday: Dougherty, Glendinning (capt), McGovern, Simpson, Ferguson, Carson, Neill, Fitzgerald, Berry, Boyce, Steele. BJ on for Neill at half time, Halliday and Fordyce for Fitzgerald and the injured Steele second half. Highlight of the night for me though was the lively combination of Boyce (scored) and Steele up front early on, but it has to be said this young and virtually Glentoran II's side seemed to run out of puff and heart after the equaliser on half an hour. BJ and Deano DID have good chances in the second, but at the end of the day we were second best, and a single point from 2 games in the Setanta Cup ... yet again. If the gamble pays off however, and we win at the swamp on Saturday ... nobody's gonna give a toss! Not even me ;-)
Halfers Draw v Linfield ... drawn by Philip Simpson who picked the very last ticket in the batch, No.10,000 and won £270 for Ballysillan Glenman Gavin Gordon. A Special draw will take place at Windsor on Saturday in aid of Paul Leeman's benefit and this will be the last time that fans and supporters of the Draw can show their appreciation to Paul as his Testimonial season nears it's completion. Watch out for us at Windsor and please show your support for a great Glenman and one of Football's Gentlemen! Tommy McKee
Setanta Cup - The second round of Group 2 Setanta Cup matches tonight, with Linfield visiting the Oval and Derry City at home to St Pats Athletic - a win for the Glens possibly seeing us top the group. The game is also incidentally going out LIVE on "Setanta Sports 2" Channel, so kick off tonight is at the unusual time of 8.05pm. Expect big changes from the Glens on the playing front though, with the big League fixture against Linfield coming up this Saturday Alan McDonald will make sweeping changes to tonight's squad. Amongst others it's likely Colin Nixon, Elliot Morris, Paul Leeman, Sean Ward, Kyle Neill and possibly Darren Boyce will all sit out tonights clash, giving the likes of Jamie McGovern, BJ McMenamin, and young Peter Steele an opportunity to show what they can do ahead of Saturday's potential League decider.
Match Betting: Glentoran 17/10, Linfield 6/4, and a draw 21/10. All odds supplied by TOALS.
6th Apr 08. Halfers Draw v Crusaders in aid of Forza TV ... was another great success, and Gary Cowan of the Ballymac GSC went home a very happy man with his £420 winnings. Gary's ticket number 6847 was drawn by one of the Eventsec girls in front of the Glentoran crowd at the Railway end. Thanks to everyone who supported the draw and Forza TV. Tommy McKee
(Ya Lucky ******* ;-)
5th Apr 08. Crusaders 0 Glentoran 2 - Two first half strikes from recalled midfielder Dean Fitzgerald enough to see off the Crues, and keep the Glens just 3 points behind leaders Linfield going into the big header next week at the swamp, while Cliftonville fall further off the pace after dropping another 2 points - 3-3 at home to Glenavon. Results & Table pages updated
4th Apr 08. Crusaders game - Not a lot to say really, yet another cup final, and with both Linfield and Cliftonville at home (to Newry and Glenavon respectively), no room whatsoever for a slip-up at Seaview. Ballymacs bus will be leaving Wilgar Street at 2.00pm if you need a lift. Match Betting: Crusaders 4/1, Glentoran 8/13, and a draw 5/2. All odds supplied by TOALS.
3rd Apr 08. Forza TV "Halfers" draw - Those of you overseas, or for whatever reason are unable to get to Saturday's game at Crusaders, can now buy into the special Forza TV "Halfers" draw online - click HERE for more
2nd Apr 08. GCT website is now updated HERE
1st Apr 08. Special 'Halfers' Draw - "Everyone is aware of the great camaraderie amongst Glenmen, and I think it's important that when the situation arises we look after our own. So on Saturday against Crusaders at Seaview there will be a Special Halfers Draw with the profits going towards the excellent Forza TV. Mark Gibson and his team have been supplying a brilliant and Free service for Glentoran supporters worldwide. Lets get this straight, it might be free to the rest of us, but maintaining the website and investing in new equipment is not free to Mark, so hopefully those who are attending Seaview on Saturday will support this Special draw at an away game, which means that it will not conflict with the draw's ethos of raising funds for the parent club. We have a chance to recognise Mark and the Forza team's great efforts. We will have sellers at each entrance so please watch out for us!! The winner will still receive half of the pot and the winning ticket will be displayed on a board at Half-time. The winner can pick up their winnings by making themselves known to me or the Forza team during the game, or we will wait at the exit for any claimer after the game. If for some reason the winner doesn't see us. We can be contacted on 07802 354696." Thanks - Tommy McKee
28th Mar 08. Latest League Betting: Linfield 1/8, Glentoran 9/2, & Cliftonville 40/1. (Win only) All odds supplied by TOALS
27th Mar 08. Paul Leeman Testimonial - Paul Testimonial season get's back into full "Swing" quite literally next Saturday night the 5th April. The Stormont Hotel Belfast will feature Irelands very own "Swingtime" 12-piece band with crooner Martin John. The £25.00 admission also includes a welcome Buffet, and 'Casino' experience throughout the evening. If you're into trombones, trumpets, and sax (that's with an 'a'), and are fond of a tickle at the old 'ivories', then why not come along and support Paul in his latest Testimonial event. More details and how to book at the 'Paul Leeman Testimonial' link above :-)
The Halfers draw v Limavady ... was won by Ian McAdam when Shane McCabe drew his no. 6233 and Ian took home a very respectable £350 for a midweek night game. Tommy McKee
26th Mar 08. Tim McCann through op ... Spoke to Tim McCann this morning and although he tells me he's pretty sore, he otherwise believes yesterday's knee operation went well. He also asked me to pass on his thanks to all those who supported his fund-raising for the op, and says he was delighted at waking up to hear the Glens were now second in the League Table!!
25th Mar 08. Glentoran 3 Limavady Utd 0 - Darren Boyce's second & third goals in 4 days and one from Shane McCabe sees the Glens move into second place and 2 points ahead of Cliftonville as the Reds are beaten 1-0 at Newry! New Table
24th Mar 08. Limavady game ... and then there were five, 3 at home, 2 away. Quite simply, 3 more points required tomorrow night and nothing less, Saturday's result at Solitude was a real bonus, but will count for nothing if we don't keep on winning. The destiny of the Irish League title is now remarkably back in our own hands, time to step up to the mark, are we good enough? Well why not, we've already beaten EVERY team in the League this season ... except Limavady. The Roesiders though are fighting for their very lives, a point adrift at the bottom of the table but with a game in hand, they will be deseperate to get something from us at the Oval. Fortunately for us they don't travel too well, 2 wins, 2 draws, and 9 defeats, let's hope that list reads 10 defeats come half 9 tomorrow night. A 7.45 kick-off means we'll already know how leaders Linfield have faired in their afternoon visit to Coleraine, while second-placed Cliftonville travel to Newry in the evening. To think we could actually be sitting top of the League tomorrow night! Somebody nip me! Daryl Fordyce is back from suspension.
Match Betting: Glentoran 1/5, Limavady 9/1, and a draw 9/2. All odds supplied by EASTWOODS.
23rd Mar 08. Rory Hamill - "That's us quits!" - Had the pleasure (or misfortune as it turns out) of Rory Hamill's company towards the end of last evenings Tim McCann do. Fairly amicable it must be said to start with, to the extent I even let him beat me at arm wrestling! Anyways, things moved on from there, and conversation as you would expect came round to Rory's thought's on the DC Irish Cup Q'Final. His thoughts? Couldn't believe it. "F**k them, that's us quits!" Pardon me Rory? "Donegal Celtic are paying me £200 a week, I play for them, and anyway, I owed you's one ever since that European thing." Err, 'European thing'? Are you referring to Lillestrom Rory, when the Glens and their loyal fans stood by you after you failed a drugs test, and you repayed our loyalty by f***ing off to Coleraine"? Thankfully somebody's missus came in at that stage before it got really interesting. Well, far as I'm concerned Hamill, your arse should never be allowed through the Oval gates again. Just thought you'd all like to know.
Halfers winner v Glenavon was ... 1923 member Robert McMurtry, number 3409 netting both Robert and Leeper £500 each.
Glentoran 3 Glenavon 0 - Great result, just 3 off the lead now as Cliftonville lose at home to Coleraine. Unfortunately last night's Hamill experience spoiled it for me :-( Sad.
21st Mar 08. GCT 'Retro' Merchandice - Anyone who has ordered any of the GCT 'Retro' Merchandice recently, either online or otherwise, and hasn't already received their order, may do so at tomorrows game v Glenavon at the Oval. GCT Board Member Ronnie Hoy is now in receipt of ALL recently ordered merchandice, and will be making it available for collection throughout Saturday before and during the match.
Glenavon game - The countdown begins in earnest tomorrow, with just 4 points separating the top three in the race for the title, and only 18 points left to play for - and few would argue the Glens must take no less than the maximum from two home games in the next 4 days, versus Glenavon and Limavady Utd. I'm sure none of you will need reminded of the last time we played Limavady Utd, but lest we forget, our 2-1 defeat of Glenavon at Mourneview Park prior to that disaster was no gimme either, and but for ... ahem .... a 'tumble' from Gary Hamilton in the box with just 10 minutes left to go in that one the Glens may be even further off the title pace than we find ourselves today. Incidentally, that was the last time Tim McCann donned a Glentoran shirt, limping off just before half-time with the knee injury that was to end his career - proceeds from a function at the Park Avenue Hotel tomorrow night funding next weeks cruciate ligament op. So, back to tomorrow. Glenavon, have turned a bit of a corner since then, especially since new manager Terry Cochrane was appointed 6 or 7 weeks ago. The Lurgan Blues still aren't setting the world alight, but at least they appear to have stopped the rot - 10 points from their last seven games lifting them 7 places clear of the relegation zone. Haven't heard of any further injuries on the Glens front yet so would assume same again as per Institute, (although one would hope with a wee bit more entertainment value)! Elsewhere leaders Cliftonville are at home to Coleraine (who lost 1-0 home to Glenavon last week), and second placed Linfield play host to Institute. Much as I'd love to be proven wrong, I don't see too many upsets in those two fixtures - 3 points at the Oval then absolutely crucial. Match Betting: Glentoran 1/2, Glenavon 8/1, and a draw 7/2. All odds supplied by TOALS.
17th Mar 08. "Cougars" in line for award - UTV documentary "The Cougars" produced by Neil Brittain last year, has just been shortlisted to the final three nominees for this years prestigeous 'Focal International Awards' in London. Nine nominations were received in the 'Best Use of Sports Archive' category and the story of Glentoran's 1967 tour of North America, as told with unseen archive and 8mm film reel taken by Jim Weatherup, has now made the final cut. The winner will be announced at the Awards ceremony in London in May.
Halfers draw v Glenavon - The profits of the "Halfers" draw this Saturday v Glenavon will be donated to Paul Leeman's Benefit season. There are not many more deserving than Leeper so hopefully our fans can show their appreciation to a loyal player and fanatical Glenman! Tommy McKee
16th Mar 08. Institute 1 Glentoran 2 - A precious 3 points yesterday at Drumahoe, with as I predicted changes at the top as Linfield are held to a 0-0 draw at Distillery. Cliftonvilles' 2-1 win at Larne means they now go top of the table, a point ahead of Linfield with ourselves a further 3 back - both teams having to face the Glens in the title run-in. So, 3 points then, but it weren't pretty I can tell you. It was 5 minutes before the break before the Glens finally broke the deadlock, David Scullion brought down in the box after jinking past the defender and Colin Nixon stroking home the resulting penalty kick. Just a brief word on Nicky if I may. Colin has came in for a fair bit of stick from some quarters this season, more than most, but far as I'm concerned Nicky is still the best right back in the country. He may have lost a bit of pace since he picked up a bad injury nearly 2 years year ago, but yesterday I thought he was as good as anyone. I missed the St Pats game last week, but by all accounts, and from what I saw on the excellent 'ForzaTV' coverage, Colin was a candidate for man of the match. I think it's worth remembering that Nicky has served Glentoran Football Club for the whole of his Irish League football career, the clubs leading appearance maker, he seems to have been around forever ... and he's not yet 30! For me Colin now looks to be playing his best football of the season, and with just 6 games remaining in the title race, including crucial ties with Cliftonville, Linfield, and Portadown, I'm delighted we are able to call on every bit of Nicky's experience and ability in the race for the Premier League Championship. Anyways, back to yesterday. Despite Institute pulling level on the hour mark Daryl Fordyce stepped up with his 10th goal of the season, a cracking effort from 20 yards, to seal the points. So, a point nearer to the leaders with 6 games remaining, and all still to play for. What price now that defeat at basement club Limavady :-(
Results and Table pages now updated.
14th Mar 08. Institute game - All the way up to Drumahoe tomorrow for the first time this season, and with just 7 games left to play and 5 points adrift anything other than 3 points for the Glens could all but spell the end for our League title chances. Institute however have their own personal battle on their hands, they currently sit just 2 points adrift of automatic relegation, and are involved in a 6-team dogfight to avoid the dreaded drop. The last time we met was way back in November 07 when the Glens ran out comfortable 4-0 winners at the Oval, but the Co Londonderry side rallied after that to lose just 3 of their next 10 games to move mid-table. Recently though their form has taken a downturn and they've lost their last 5 on the trot - albeit the last two (Cliftonville & Crusaders) to a single goal, but they will be desperate to get something from this encounter with the Glens. Elsewhere Cliftonville travel to Institutes' fellow strugglers Larne, while Linfield visit Distillery - a result either way in that one could see us close the gap at the top or finally shake off the Whites who have been breathing down our necks in fourth. An interesting day ahead, I've a feeling the table could look somewhat different come 4.45pm Saturday. Ballymacs' bus departs Wilgar Street at 1.00pm, and all visitors are once again welcome to travel. Other clubs buses at the link above.
Match Betting: Institute 5/1, Glentoran 1/2, and a draw 11/4. All odds supplied by TOALS.
12th Mar 08. St Pats Athletic 3 Glentoran 3 - Sorry for the lack of updates recently folks, been away sunnin myself for a while and access to the internet was dodgy to say the least - it would've been cheaper to fly home and post from the house!! Anyways, suffice to say mixed feelings over Monday night's showing down in Dublin, heard we were well worth the 3 points on the night and to end up with just one I expect made the bus journey home for all you loyal travelling fans strangely subdued. I suppose we'd have settled for that going down though. As for the Irish Cup exit, probably all been said before, but Rory Hamill should never have been allowed to play against the club that employs him. However highly each of us do or don't rate Hamill, and no matter how much input Michael Dougherty had or hadn't in the goals on the day, if Hamill hadn't played he couldn't have scored those 2 goals, and in all probability the Glens would still be alive in the competition. I don't care who's decision it was to allow him to play, the buck for this one stops with the Board of Directors of Glentoran Football Club and ultimately the club Chairman. The decision to allow him to play could also ultimately cost Glentoran FC that crucial place in next seasons European competition, but more importantly, given the clubs current financial plight, a minimum of £40,000- £50,000. It's a no brainer - why on earth take the chance in such a vital game? Naivety in the extreme by those tasked with the running of Glentoran Football Club, either that or total ineptitude. Either way, in my opinion completely unforgivable.
Results and Table pages now updated. Oh by the way ... just the 1,007,840 :-)
2nd Mar 08. Glens 1 Donegal Celtic 2 ... nuff said :-(
Halfers Draw v Donegal Celtic was claimed after the game by Marty "The Quiff" Charlesworth who took home £460 when Gary Hamilton drew his ticket 2427 from the box. Tommy McKee
OLDER NEWS... Feb 08 | Jan 08 | Dec 07 | Nov 07 | Oct 07 | Sep 07 | Aug 07 | July 07 | Jun 07 | Season 06/07 | 05/06 | 04/05 | 03/04 | 02/03
Site built and maintained by Jim Welsh
The "World Shop" has now closed and the Ghana Glens Academy have received their new playing kit.
Visit GCTni.com for more
Lost Flag - A flag was left at St Pats Athelic's ground on Monday night, belonging to the son of Chris Walker's brother Paul. The flag is a Red, Green & Black Union Flag and has his name 'BEN' at the top, a Glens badge in the middle and FTB at the bottom. If anyone spotted or lifted it would they please email HERE so we can reunite Paul's son Ben with his beloved flag.
16th Apr 08. THE BLANCHFLOWER CUP 2008 - This Saturday April 19th 2008 Glentoran Under 14 take on Barnsley FC Under 14 in the innaugural Glentoran Community Trust sponsored Blanchflower Cup. The cup has been commissioned to commemorate the link between Glentoran FC and Barnsley FC forged when the legendary Danny Blanchflower moved from the Glens to the Tykes in 1949. The game has been organised with the assistance of Glentoran supporter and author Roy France. Kick-off is at 11.30am at the Oval and admission is free, please come along and support the next generation of Glentoran and Barnsley stars.
A programme will also be produced for the special occasion, and the Glentoran superstore will be open for anyone wishing to pick up a bargain in the Spring Sale.
