GLENAVON TAKES A DESERVED POINT IN OVAL THRILLER

GLENAVON TAKES A DESERVED POINT IN OVAL THRILLER 1s115k

Glentoran 3 Glenavon 3 171o19

Sports Direct Irish Premiership 452l4e

The BetMcLean Oval, Belfast

Wednesday 12th March 2025

Glenavon played some of its best football of the season to draw 3-3 with Glentoran at the Oval.

Michael O’Connor (12 mins) and Harry Lynch (29 mins) gave Paddy McLaughlin’s side a deserved 2-0 half time lead.

Although Joe Thomson (52 mins) and Jordan Jenkins (68, 71 mins) turned the match around for the home side, substitute Paul McGovern (74 mins) rescued a point for the visitors.

In the opening minutes Mark Byrne was forced to dive to his left to save Daniel Amos’s shot from distance.

Nonetheless, it was Glenavon which dominated the opening exchanges.

When Campbell nodded the ball into his path, Jack Malone let fly forcing Daniel Gyollai to move sharply to his left to make the save. The left winger’s cross from the resultant corner-kick fell to the unmarked Michael O’Connor at the far post but he mis-kicked and the chance was gone.

O’Connor, once a Glentoran player, redeemed himself minutes later when he arrived in the six yard box on cue to blast Campbell’s low cross from the left past Gyollai. Sean Carlin had started the move with a brilliant 40 yard .

Campbell was also involved in Glenavon’s second goal. After Marcus Kane fouled O’Connor on the right, the winger took the free kick and floated a delightful cross to the far post for Harry Lynch to head into the net.

Glentoran, totally outplayed in the opening 30 minutes, showed signs of making a recovery when Joe Thomson shot narrowly over the crossbar from 20 yards.

Malone and Atherton combined well to release David Toure on the right. He surged into the penalty area but fired past the far post as Gyollai flailed at the ball.

When Thomson shot from 25 yards, Harry Lynch managed to deflect the ball over the crossbar.

In the final seconds of the first half, Marcus Kane’s weak header from Thomson’s free kick was saved easily by Byrne.

Glenavon threatened to extend its lead early in the second half. When David Toure won a corner kick on the right, Peter Campbell’s cross was headed across goal by Harry Lynch only for substitute Jordan Jenkins to nod it away.

At the other end Aaron Wightman’s cross was only partially cleared and Jenkins shot over the cross bar from 22 yards.

Peter Campbell rode a heavy challenge in midfield but kept running to the edge of the penalty area. Gyollai had to dive full length to fingertip the ball away.

From the resultant corner kick, Jack Malone let fly from 20 yards, but his shot was a couple of yards off target.

Glentoran pulled a goal back in the 52nd minute. Christie Pattisson crossed from the right, Joe Thomson got his head to it and a defender made a partial clearance. Afterthe ball dropped to Jordan Jenkins, he headed it goalward, and Byrne dived to save but Thomson fired the rebound into the roof of the net from a couple of yards.

When Jenkins crossed from the right, Pattisson glanced a header well wide.

The home side equalised midway through the half. Len O’Sullivan lost possession on the touchline, Thomson played the ball into the path of Jordan Jenkins and the striker turned past Niall Quinn before blasting an unstoppable right foot drive high into the net.

Glentoran scored its third three minutes later. O’Sullivan misdirected a and, as a result, conceded a free kick. Thomson crossed from the right, Marcus Kane headed against the inside of a post and the unmarked Jenkins tapped the ball into the net.

Glenavon equalised when Peter Campbell carried the ball from deep and picked out Michael O’Connor on the edge of the penalty area. The Dundalk man let fly with his right foot, but the ball hit a defender before cannoning back to him. He moved it sideways for Paul McGovern to drill it low into the net off the base of a post.

When Peter Campbell took a corner kick on the left, his cross found substitute Davy McDaid whose header flew across the face of goal.

Toure, Malone and McDaid worked the ball cleverly on the right side of the penalty area before McGovern shot against a defender from eight yards.

David Toure beat Wightman on the left but instead of ing to the unmarked McDaid elected to shoot and the ball went high and wide.

McDaid made a lung-bursting run from deep in his own half, exchanged es with Campbell and laid the ball into the path of Michael O’Connor. However, with only Gyollai to beat, the centre forward fired over the crossbar.

At the other end Joe Thomson shot from 16 yards but his attempt hit a defender and went wide.

An excellent display by an understrength Glenavon sideyielded a well merited point.

GLENTORAN: Gyollai, Lyons-Foster, Kane, Sule, Pattisson, Lindsay, Amos, Wightman, Ferris, Fisher, Thomson, SUBS: Mills (not used), Hvid for Kane (86 mins), Coll for Amos (17 mins), Jenkins for Ferris (half time), Douglas (not used), Johnson (not used), Thorndike for Pattisson (86 mins).

Yellow Cards: None.

GLENAVON: Byrne, Toure, O’Sullivan, Lynch, Quinn, Snoddy, Malone, Atherton, O’Connor, Carlin, Campbell, SUBS: Ryan (not used), Marshall for Quinn (90+5 mins), McDaid for Snoddy (72 mins), Prendergast (not used), A. Heaney (not used), McGovern for Atherton (63 mins), Wilson (not used).