Sports Direct Premiership
Glentoran 0 Crusaders 1
CRUSADERS struck first blood in this season’s Sports Direct Premiership with a gritty 1-0 victory over Glentoran at the Oval this evening.
With both managers out to make an early-season impact, it was new signing Kieran Offord who got the winner in the first half of what was, at times, a scrappy affair.
There were a number of debutants on show for both sides so it may not have been a surprise to supporters that the opening exchanges were rather tepid with mistakes aplenty. One of those, in the heart of the Glens defence on 21 minutes, saw the opening goal of the game.
A sloppy backpass allowed Offord to charge down goalkeeper Daniel Gyollai’s attempted clearance. The ball took a wicked spin off the turf and seemed to confuse Glens defender Harry Murphy, which allowed Offord to slide in and hook the ball into an empty night to leave the home players and fans stunned.
Both sides settled from there, with each pressing hard from set-pieces, and it was from a corner that Glentoran’s best chance of the half came. Philip Lowry cleared Wassim Aouachria’s header from a Niall McGinn in-swinging corner off the line to keep the Crues ahead as the first half came to a close.
As Declan Devine’s side pushed for a second-half equaliser they came close through Jordan Jenkins after the hour mark.
Making almost an immediate impact, Jenkins got on the end of another McGinn cross to the front post but his goal-bound effort was ushered away by the impressive Robbie Weir.
Despite pushing hard for a crucial goal to force a point, Glentoran ultimately fell short on quality and there will be questions as to the absence of Fuad Sule in midfield that may have applied greater pressure on the likes of Philip Lowry for the Crues.
For Declan Caddell, though, it’s a fantastic start to his tenure at Seaview.
Glentoran Gyollai, Hvid, McClean, Connolly, Donnelly, Aouachria, McGinn, Murphy, Fisher, Kelly, Singleton (C)
Subs Mills, Palmer, Boyd, Lindsay, Jenkins, Farley, Douglas
Crusaders Tuffey, Weir, Lowry (C), Stewart, Blaney, Forsythe, O’Rourke, Offord, Larmour, Franklin, Barr
Subs: Mashal, Jewitt-White, Owens, Vance, Donnelly, Nixon, James
