Ballymena United defender Stephen O’Donnell will experience a sense of deja vu today, one he hopes produces a happy outcome.
The Sky Blues take on Glentoran for the second time this week at The Showgrounds in the Sports Direct Premiership.
Glentoran knocked Ballymena out of the Bet McLean Cup on Tuesday night thanks to goals from Jordan Jenkins and David Fisher.
The Glens are in top form having won four and drawn one of their last five games.
By contrast, Jim Ervin’s team has won just one of their last seven games, including Tuesday night’s defeat and a shock loss to Ards in the Irish Cup.
O’Donnell acknowledges his team’s shaky form but says he has no issues playing Glentoran back to back.
“It’s a weird one but I think if I’m being honest, we are used to it now in this league”, said the experienced centre-half.
“We play each other so much in the league that if you draw them in the cups, then you could play the same team five or six times.
“It won’t be too unfamiliar in that sense. We saw enough about them and vice-versa on Tuesday night.
“The good thing for us is that we maybe saw one or two things on Tuesday night that we can definitely improve on.
“We think if we can bridge that gap of 5-10% to improve, particularly with the ball, we will have enough to get a result today.
“It’s getting back to putting in performance levels that staff and the club deserve.
“We make no bones about it, last Saturday in the Irish Cup wasn’t good enough and the performance on Tuesday against Glentoran was an improvement, but it wasn’t the right result.
“Obviously cup football is all about the right result, so for us, it’s about returning to what we’re good at and shifting that momentum.
“Momentum is massive in football and it can help you when it’s in your favour and it can be a hindrance when you’re not picking up results.
“We’re a couple of decent results away from getting back on track and where we want to be.”
Meanwhile, Glentoran manager Declan Devine has railed against fixture congestion and has appealed to authorities to review the calendar.
The Oval side have eight games this month, including the Co Antrim Shield Final and a League Cup semi-final, and the former goalkeeper feels this is too much for players and supporters alike.
“It’s a wee bit too much for players, I think strategically we have to look at it”, said Devine.
“Three times this season we’ve played three games in six days. That’s a big ask.
“We also have to understand that it’s a big ask for fans, eight games in January after Christmas?
“Traveling away from home, tickets, food, we just have to be careful that we don’t burn out the money from our supporters.
“Everybody knows December and January are going to be ridiculous in regards to the weather, so can we not get them in slightly earlier in the season, or slightly later in the season?”.