Profiled: TNS’s UEFA Europa Conference League opponents Glentoran

Glentoran meet The New Saints in the UEFA Europa Conference League and with the first leg upon us, we look at TNS opponents.

Glentoran are based in Northern Ireland’s capital Belfast. The ground is situated near to the Titanic Quarter of the City where the famous cruise ship was built. George Best used to watch Glentoran with his Grandfather but was rejected by the club for being “too small and light”.

The Glens, as they are known have a long rich history in Irish football.

History

Founded in 1882 Glentoran tasted European succus as early as 1914 when they won The Vienna Cup. Organized by the Vienna Football club and played in Vienna Austria the competition was never played again due to the outbreak of World War One.

The club have played top-flight football since 1890 the most seasons along with Cliftonville and Linfield. They have won the IFA Premiership 23 times and Irish Cup 23 times.

During the 1960s the club had another memorable European adventure when they faced Benfica in the European Cup. An early Glentoran penalty was wiped out by Eusebio, with the match ending in a draw at The Oval. The part-time Glentoran were able to hold out the Portuguese Giants in the second leg, earning a 0-0 draw. Benfica would go through on away goals.

In 1995 the club was an answer for BBC’s A Question of Sports “What happened next” round. On a boxing day fixture vs Linfield on a pitch covered by snow, the orange ball was damaged during the first half. The teams had to finish the match using a standard white ball.

Glentoran’s last league title came in 2009 and prior to last season, the club had not been involved in Europe for four years. Last season saw them beat HB Torshavn in the Europa League first qualifying round 1-0, before losing in the next to Motherwell 5-1.

Stadium

The Oval has been Glentoran’s home since 1892. The stadium is old-style with stands on either side and large terracing behind both goals.

Due to its location close to the Belfast docks, The Oval was severely damaged during the blitz in World War Two. The damage happening in 1941 making the stadium unusable until 1949. In 1995 the ground had an advertising board with “Jesus” erected which remained until 2010. The sign was removed to allow for advertising boards as it did not generate any income for the club.

The Oval requires constant temporary repairs to allow the club to play there and the capacity is limited to 6050 in normal times.

Manager

Manager Mick McDermott played most of his career in the USA after winning a soccer scholarship at the University of Rhode Island. He would go on to play for Connecticut Wolves, Raleigh Capital Express, and Long Island Rough Riders. he ended playing in 2001.

McDermott began coaching in the USA working as an assistant at Connecticut Wolves. he would then go on to work at Quinnipiac Bobcats and Oregon State Beavers.

In 2006 he went to Al-Ain in UAE as a fitness coach until 2010. He would then join the Iran national team again as a fitness coach. Leaving in 2012 he would take more coaching roles in Asia before in 2018 becoming an assistant for Iran.

He joined Glentoran in March 2019 taking over interim manager Gary Smyth who did not hold the required UEFA coaching badges.

The players to watch

Dale Gorman – Midfield

A player with Football league experience having broke through at Stevenage making 62 appearances and scoring three goals. After three years at Stevenage, he signed for Leyton Orient making 35 appearances before a loan move to Newport County in 2020. He signed for Glentoran in 2020 and made 24 appearances netting one goal last term. He has also represented Northern Ireland at Under 17,19 and 21 levels.

Luke McCullough – Defender

Making his IFA debut at the age of 15 McCullough signed for Manchester United in 2010. He would captain the academy side during 2011-12 before signing for Doncaster Rovers in 2013. He went on to make 99 appearances for Doncaster over a six-year spell. Much if the final year he spent on loan at Tranmere. In August 2020 he returned to Northern Ireland joining Glentoran.

Gael Bigirimana – Midfield

Making 29 appearances last season for Glentoran after signing in August 2020. Bigirimana was born in Burundi he was given a trial by Coventry City after asking at the training ground. Having come to the Uk as a refugee in 2004 he made his way through the Sky Blues youth set up to make 26 Championship appearances.

He would move to Newcastle where he made 13 Premier League appearances and scored once. He spent time at Rangers and Coventry on loan before rejoining Coventry. He has 13 caps for Burundi and has also spent time at Motherwell and Hibernian.

Road To Europe

Glentoran made sure of their place in Europe with a third-place finish in the NIFL Premiership. They were seven points ahead of fourth-placed Larne and seven behind champions Linfield. This will be the club’s second straight season in Europe after a four-year absence.

European Preparation

The league finished on the 29th of May with Glentoran beating Crusaders by 2-0. Since returning they have played two friendlies both against Northern Irish opposition. Both games played at home with a 1-0 and 3-0 win over Coleraine and Dundela.

(Featured Image: Lasagneman)