Matchweek four of the Boyle Sports Premiership gets underway this weekend, with plenty of intriguing fixtures across Friday and Saturday.
Larne had been due to face Ballymena United but, with Gary Haveron’s side continuing their European campaign, they are once again not in domestic action. That leaves five matches to look forward to – and plenty of teams already looking to build momentum or turn around difficult starts.
Portadown vs Coleraine (Friday)
Coleraine travel to Shamrock Park looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the season and, on current form, the Bannsiders will rightly be favourites.
Ruaidhri Higgins’ side had to show a different side to themselves at Carrick Rangers last weekend, digging in before goals from Joel Cooper and Ben Doherty secured a hard-earned 2-0 victory. They may have to do the same again here, but with the quality at their disposal, you have to fancy them to find a way.
For Portadown and David Jeffrey, however, it has been a difficult start. Three games have brought three defeats, while last week’s first-half performance against Crusaders was particularly disappointing. There is still plenty of time for a new side to gel, but they need to start showing signs of improvement quickly.
And after two red cards in their opening three matches, keeping 11 players on the pitch would certainly help.
Bangor vs Carrick Rangers
Bangor know that their home form could be crucial to their hopes of staying in the Premiership, and after a difficult opening run of fixtures, they will see this as an opportunity to get something on the board.
Carrick Rangers suffered their first defeat of the season against Coleraine last weekend and, without the influential Paul Heatley, perhaps showed they can be stopped. Bangor will be hoping the visitors are there for the taking.
Stephen Baxter’s side will know exactly what to expect, though. Carrick have made a habit of picking up results over the past year and their manager will be eyeing three points from this one.
Cliftonville vs Dungannon Swifts
This is one of the most difficult games of the weekend to call. Both sides sit on six points from their opening three matches and both will feel they can make a strong start to the campaign even better.
Cliftonville’s momentum was halted at Windsor Park last Friday, where they lost narrowly to Linfield. Jim Magilton will want more from his side in the final third, but a return to Solitude for the first time since the opening weekend could provide the perfect response.
Dungannon, meanwhile, were comfortable winners against Bangor and continue to look like a side capable of competing in the top half. Sean McAllister remains at the club for now, and his importance to Rodney McAree’s side cannot be overstated.
Both teams like to play football, so this has all the ingredients to be an entertaining one.
Glentoran vs Crusaders
Both sides will be relatively content with their starts to the season, but Glentoran in particular will know there is more to come.
Last week’s 2-0 win away to Ballymena was the perfect response to a disappointing Big Two derby defeat, and Declan Devine will expect his side to build on that at the Oval. The absence of Pat Hoban has been felt, however, and somebody will need to step up until the striker returns from injury.
Crusaders have taken six points from their opening three games, with victories over Ballymena and Portadown representing a solid return. Declan Caddell was “extremely frustrated” with aspects of their second-half performance against the Ports, but there are positive signs as they look to avoid a repeat of last season.
The Oval is never an easy place to go. If Crusaders can leave with a point, they would probably view it as a good result.
Limavady United vs Linfield
There will be some added motivation for Limavady when Linfield arrive, with memories still fresh of last season’s famous Irish Cup victory over the Blues.
The Roesiders are still searching for their first Premiership points and did not play last weekend due to Larne’s European commitments, but they have shown plenty of encouraging signs against both Glentoran and Carrick Rangers. They will believe they can make life difficult for Linfield.
David Healy’s side, meanwhile, have responded impressively to their opening-day defeat, beating Glentoran and Cliftonville in successive games. If they produce performances of a similar level, they should have enough quality to win again.
The danger, however, is complacency. It is easier to get yourself up for games against Glentoran and Cliftonville than a trip to Limavady – and Linfield will need no reminder of what happened the last time they faced the Roesiders.
