THE two in-form teams in the Sports Direct Premiership meet tonight in a fascinating encounter at Inver Park.
Larne’s loss on penalties in the BetMcLean Cup on Tuesday night to Linfield was their first reversal in 13 games while Glenavon have been transformed under new manager Stephen McDonnell, with seven wins and a draw in their last eight outings.
Larne midfielder Joe Thomson is today unveiled as the Dream Spanish Homes Player of the Month for November after scoring the winning goals against Cliftonville and Linfield in an accomplished month for the 26-year-old.
Thomson joined Larne from Derry City in January to help Tiernan Lynch’s team win their first ever league title. That success has made the champions a target for rival clubs eager to claim their scalp, which comes with the terrain, says the Scot.
“You can definitely see that teams are trying five or 10 per cent harder against us now,” said Thomson.
“You’ve got to rise to it and have no complaints.
“It’s always harder to retain the league than win it first time, so we’re going to give it a right good go anyway and hopefully we can continue our good form. “It’s a busy month but another one where we’ll be looking to pick up points.
“We’ve got some hard games in there, starting tonight against Glenavon.
“They’ve been in great form but we’ll be looking to take our momentum into that one also.”
The award was a first for the former Celtic and Dunfermline Athletic player but he was quick to point to the collective success of the team.
“It is nice to receive an award like this for the first time,” he said. “
When you’re in a vein of form like that, it seems like every touch you take goes in.
“However, if the team doesn’t do well, then you don’t get awards like these.
“Most importantly, it was a good month for the club. We had to have a perfect month.
“We had four hard, tough games against top six opposition.
“It was a big month for us as we wanted to put ourselves back into contention at the top-of-the table and we’ve managed to do that.
“The win against Linfield wasn’t any more important than the other three victories in the month.
“We played against four good sides in four tough times, but I think we gave a good account of ourselves.”
Elsewhere tonight, Newry City take on Ballymena United in a huge bottom of the table clash at the Newry Showgrounds.
Both teams have taken just 11 points from 19 games but Ballymena held Larne and Newry drew with Crusaders last weekend in two spirited displays.
Newry were due to play Dungannon Swifts in the League Cup on Tuesday night but the tie was called off by referee Shane Andrews.
Due to an accident on the M1 the official’s arrival at Stangmore Park was delayed and he subsequently called the game off, telling the clubs he feared the pitch could freeze as temperatures dropped.
“Look, ultimately, it comes down to safety, I appreciate that, but we believe the pitch was playable,” said Newry manager Gary Boyle.