BALLYMENA UNITED V GLENAVON, A LOOK AHEAD 4sa2g

On Monday 30th December 2024 Glenavon faces Ballymena United at the Showgrounds, Warden Street.The match has a 7-45 pm kick-off. 1xr1n

Unfortunately, Paddy McLaughlin will not have a full of players to select from. Midfielder Jack Malone is suspended. Isaac Baird, Gareth Deane and Calum Birney will not play. There are also concerns about the fitness of Chris Atherton, Mark Haughey, Rhys Marshall and Barney McKeown amongst others. “We have a number of players carrying injuries,” said Paddy. “Chris Atherton has several bumps and bruises. He has been so good for us. Teams are struggling to contain him and are becoming more and more physical with him. Mark Haughey is still recovering from the hamstring injury he picked up at Windsor Park. We are managing Rhys’ recovery from an ankle problem. Barney suffered a bit on Boxing Day. We are not sure at this stage about his fitness. The lads have put an awful lot into the last three matches, and it has caught up on a few of them. But we have some very talented young players. If they are needed, I have complete confidence in them,”

McLaughlin was delighted with the team’s performance in the 2-0 victory against Portadown. “There were a lot of positives,” he said. “We defended well all over the pitch. We were dogged out of possession. We worked extremely hard to close opponents down and win the ball back. When we had the ball, we ed it well and carried a threat. We got men forward, created openings and scored two goals.” Paddy was also pleased with the players’ game management. “Once we got in front, we controlled the match,” he added. “We didn’t give them too many opportunities to get shots off.”

Paddy revealed that Glenavon’s players, when in possession, have complete freedom to attack. “Some teams, even after winning the ball, try to maintain a defensive structure. When we get it, I want our lads to express themselves, put the opposition under pressure and entertain our ers. As far as I am concerned, the shackles are off. We don’t think about defending. We try to get forward in numbers and create scoring opportunities.”

McLaughlin recognises that Ballymena will be a tough opponent. “Jim [Erwin] has one of the strongest squads in the league,” he continued. “They made some top-class gs last summer and have already brought in one or two new faces ahead of the January Window. They have ten wins including victories over Larne, Glentoran and Cliftonville. We will need to be at our very best if we are to get a result.”

Ballymena has beaten Glenavon twice already this season – 3-1 at the Showgrounds in August and 1-0 at Mourneview Park in October. Ben Kennedy scored all four goals.

Glenavon v Ballymena United, Last Season
Date	Result
02/09/23	Glenavon 1 Ballymena United 0
11/11/23	Ballymena United 0 Glenavon 1
30/12/23	Glenavon 0 Ballymena United 1
16/04/24	Ballymena United 1 Glenavon 0