BetMcClean League Cup semi-final: Coleraine v Warrenpoint Town (tonight, Coleraine Showgrounds, 7.45pm)
WARRENPOINT Town may be rooted to the bottom of the Irish Premiership with just two league wins this season – but boss Barry Gray’s glass will always be half full.
Following their gutsy 1-1 draw away to champions Linfield on Saturday, the Co Down men travel to Coleraine for tonight’s League Cup semi-final.
Gray doesn’t rule the prospect of Warrenpoint being out of the bottom two after St Stephen’s Day and is warming to the possibility of playing in a League Cup final in the new year.
The former Cliftonville manager doesn’t feel the pressure of being bottom of the table and is already looking forward to improving their fortunes over the next week-and-a-half with 'six-pointers' coming up against Portadown and Dungannon Swifts (twice).
“As I’ve said to everyone, the gap is that tight at the bottom (two points between Warrenpoint and Portadown) we’re not at a stage where our games are must-win,” said Gray.
“These games are opportunities. We’ve a League Cup semi-final on Tuesday and we’ve Portadown in the league on Saturday, so it’s a big week for us, and Saturday is good chance to close that gap and go above Portadown.
“Our three league games over Christmas are Portdown (h), Dungannon (a) and Dungannon (h). We could get to the day after Boxing Day and be outside the bottom two and in the final of the League Cup. It would be a fantastic feeling if we had a cup final to look forward to in the new year.”
Warrenpoint’s performances to date undoubtedly merit more than a meagre seven points - and Gray hopes Saturday’s draw at Windsor Park can propel them forward over the next couple of weeks.
“To be to honest, we have a squad that dictates to us.
“If we have the 11 or 12 fit and on the pitch every week, we’ve a chance. Our problem this year has been out of form and having a few players missing. We can’t afford to be missing one or two whereas some of the bigger teams can.”
With more of the top clubs embracing full-time football, Warrenpoint’s challenge of maintaining their position in senior football will get tougher over the coming seasons.
“Country clubs or regional clubs, or whatever you want to call them, it’s always been a challenge. I don’t know if the full-time, part-time thing is a big factor at the minute because Cliftonville are sitting top and they’re not full-time. The amount of training that the full-time teams are doing? I don’t think it’s a massive difference.
“But if a player has an offer on the table from one full-time club and one part-time club, they’ll pick the full-time club because it’s probably a better fit for them, and we’ll probably see that happening more over the next couple of years.
“And when those players go into full-time football, they won't want to drop back into part-time football again.”
Meanwhile, Ballymena United have accounted for Linfield and Crusaders in reaching the League Cup semi-finals where they travel to Cliftonville this evening. The Braidmen recorded a 1-0 league win over the Reds back in October and will be buoyed by last Friday night’s 2-1 win over Larne.
The Reds have managed three draws out of their last four league games but are still at the summit heading into tonight’s League Cup semi-final.
