WARRENPOINT TOWN are staging a remarkable bid to hold onto their Premiership status and travel to Dungannon on Monday seeking their fifth win on the bounce.
During that winning spree, they have netted 12 goals and conceded none and, if they can overcome the Swifts on Monday night, they will move into at least 10th place in the table. Those in charge at Milltown deserve a lot of credit for bringing in Martin Murray and Jonathan McMurray on loan from Cliftonville, as well as signing Tiarnan Mulvenna. All three signings have had an instant impact, as well as clearly galvanising the players around them.
Such is the red-hot form of Barry Gray’s men, they can be fancied on Monday evening, although Rodney McAree’s side will be no pushovers. When the sides last met at Stangmore Park in late November, the Tyrone side were 5-1 winners.
Glenavon and Glentoran lock horns at Mourneview Park and the Belfast side will be seeking revenge for their recent 4-1 Irish Cup defeat at the hands of the Lurgan Blues. Gary Hamilton’s side will be without striker Eoin Bradley, who was sent-off in the 1-1 draw with table-toppers Crusaders last Friday night.
The mid-Ulster club have lost only once in the last 10 league outings and are enjoying another very decent campaign. Last season, they finished a respectable third in the table and, with 12 games remaining, are well in the mix to at least match that.
They are a very difficult side to beat at present and Alan Kernaghan’s Glens will do well to get something from the game. They are in indifferent form and, in addition to not being prolific scorers, are also leaking them quite badly, with 11 conceded in their last three games.
Meanwhile, in the other league clash on Monday, Portadown travel to Fermanagh to take on Ballinamallard United. The Ports will be without defender Ken Oman after his dismissal in the 2-1 defeat of Linfield last time out. However, manager Ronnie McFall should be able to call on the available again Garry Breen and Sean Mackle.
That win over Linfield arrested a damaging run of six straight defeats for Portadown and they can nick a win against the struggling Mallards, who were beaten 3-0 by Warrenpoint Town on Friday night.
In Monday night’s rearranged Irish Cup sixth round tie, Carrick Rangers play Amateur League side Crumlin Star at Seaview. The winners will enjoy home advantage against Crusaders in the last eight.
MONDAY'S FIXTURES -
(7.45pm unless stated)
Danske Bank Premiership
Ballinamallard Utd v Portadown (8pm); Glenavon v Glentoran; Dungannon Swifts v Warrenpoint Town
Tennent's Irish Cup sixth round
Carrick Rangers v Crumlin Star (Seaview)
