All the early pressure from the visitors at Mourneview Park.

Adam Glenny goes down in the box after a tangle with Thomas Lavery, but there’s not much conviction in the shouts that follow.

Referee Tony Clarke waves play on.

The first sight of goal comes from Ballymena as Kian Corbally's snap-shot takes a slight deflection on its way past the post.

From the resultant corner, Patrick McEleney heads wide when unmarked.

Crusaders get the game under way at Taylors Avenue. Will their team squad that includes five teenagers get a much-needed win today?

Liam Burt gets us under way on a perfect afternoon for a game.

Glenavon have won just once this season, but that was the last time they played in front of their own fans.

Glentoran's only defeat came away from home at Dungannon Swifts.

A glimmer of hope perhaps for the home side...

Referee Tony Clarke whistles to get the ball rolling in north Belfast.

The early afternoon sun has dropped significantly as referee Christopher Morrison starts the action at Clandeboye Park.

Philip Major
Sportsound summariser

Both teams play football through midfield and are easy on the eye.

However, both teams are finding goals hard to come by.

Matthew Tipton
BBC Sport NI summariser

Glentoran look solid and if you look at their bench, they have power all over the place.

Jordan Stewart is a big player coming back for them.

Bottom of the table Glenavon host championship chasing Glentoran, looking for just their second win of the season.

New head coach Michael O'Connor rings the changes following the shock midweek BetMcLean Cup loss at Newry City.

Paddy Burns, Luke Cartwright, Francely Lomboto, Joshua Kee and Corey Smith drop to the bench while goalkeeper Sean Hamill is not included in the squad.

In come regular keeper Mark Byrne along with Harry Murphy, Jack Malone, Davy McDaid, Paul McGovern and Niall Quinn.

Glentoran boss Declan Devine's starting XI features five changes from the side which defeated Crusaders in the cup on Tuesday night.

Goalkeeper Billy Crellin, Ciaran Coll, Johnny Russell and David Fisher are named among the replacements while Christie Pattisson is not involved.

Andrew Mills, Pat Hoban, Shane McEleney, Daniel Amos and club captain Marcus Kane all return.

Glenavon: Byrne, McMullan, Murphy, McKeown (c), Malone, McDaid, Campbell, McClelland, Bosakani, McGovern, Quinn.

Subs: Burns, Cartwright, Lomboto, Kee, O'Connor, Smith, Carlin.

Glentoran: Mills, Cooney, Kane (c), Palmer, Hoban, McEleney, Burt, Kamara, Amos, Singleton, Jenkins.

Subs: Crellin, Kelly, Thomson, Stewart, Coll, Fisher, Russell.

Image source, BBC Sport

Fresh from their league victory away to Bangor last time out, Carrick boss Stephen Baxter makes just the one change to his starting XI for the game here at Taylors Avenue.

Aidan Steele comes into the side at the expense of Kyle Cherry, who drops to the bench.

Declan Caddell's back has been against the wall for a number of weeks now with three defeats on the trot in the league as well as a defeat in midweek to Glentoran in the League Cup. Today is the day his team need to salvage some points to ease fears of being involved in a relegation dogfight.

He makes two changes to the team that lost to Dungannon last weekend in the league. In comes Josh Williamson and Ross Clarke, who makes his first league start since September.

Carrick Rangers: Gartside, Burns, Callacher, Gibson, McCullough (C), Crowe, Steele, Heatley, Snoddy, McKay, Scott.

Subs: Pengelly, Waide, Lecky, Cherry, Buchanan-Rolleston, McCawl, James.

Crusaders: Tuffey, Forsythe, Clarke, Brooks, Dunlop, Williamson, O'Rourke (C), Bryden, Od.McCart, Anderson, Barr.

Subs: Dibaga, Donnelly, Hamilton, Blaney, Nixon, Oi.McCart, Ritchie.

Image source, BBC Sport

Both managers ring the changes ahead of kick-off in north Belfast.

Reds boss Jim Magilton keeps just three from the midweek win over Strabane Athletic, restoring Thomas Lavery, Harry Wilson, Rory Hale, Ryan Curran, Odhran Casey, Eric McWoods, Keevan Hawthorne and Joe Sheridan to the starting XI.

Rodney McAree responds in kind, making several alterations following their League Cup exit to Moyola Park, with Declan Dunne, Caolan Marron, Leo Alves, Danny Wallace, Gael Bigiramana and Sean McAllister all recalled.

Cliftonville: Morrison, Lavery, Addis, Wilson, Hale, Curran, Casey, Keaney, McWoods, Hawthorne, Sheridan.

Subs: Ridd, Pepper, Falls, Leppard, Gordon, Gormley, Glynn.

Dungannon Swifts: Dunne, Scott, Marron, Dillon, Alves, Glenny, McGinty, Wallace, Bigiramana, Uzokwe, McAllister.

Subs: P. Maguire, Knowles, T. Maguire, Smith, Mitchell, Anderson, Glass.

Image source, BBC Sport

After their midweek League Cup exit, it's back to Bangor's bread-and-butter of attempting to build on their bright start on their return to Premiership life.

Manager Lee Feeney makes six changes from that loss at Larne, with first team regulars Gareth Deane, Mark Haughey, Liam Hassin, Tiarnan Mulvenna, Ben Arthurs and Harry Lynch all restored to the starting line-up.

Ballymena boss Jim Ervin resists the temptation to make wholesale changes with just two switches from their midweek League Cup win over Newington as Kym Nelson and Patrick McEleney both start.

Bangor: Deane, Lynch, Haughey, Neale, McGuinness, Garrett, Harrison, Hassin, Mulvenna, Cushnie, Arthurs.

Subs: Solis Grogan, Mathieson, Francis, Boyd, Ferguson, Morgan, Mitchell.

Ballymena United: O'Neill, Toure, Gould, O'Donnell, Nelson, Clarke, Jarvis, McEleney, Corbally, Edogun, McCurry.

Subs: Breen, Lafferty, O'Reilly, Thompson, McCallion, Taylor, Hood.

Image source, BBC Sport

Bangor boss Lee Feeney has been named October's manager of the month by the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association.

Feeney guided Bangor to the top flight from the Championship and the Seasiders have had a strong start to the season.

The Irish Premiership's new boys defeated leaders Coleraine, Glenavon and Crusaders, and they also drew with Larne.

Bangor also knocked Lisburn Distillery out of the BetMcLean Cup, before their exit at the hands of Larne on Tuesday.

It is the first time Feeney has won the award and he follows in the footsteps of his cousin, Warren.

"It's an honour to win this trophy, although in my opinion this award should be called Management Team of the Month," said Feeney.

"I would not be here if it wasn't for our staff and the players have also been superb.

"October's success was a real team effort, although as I keep telling everyone, we are not safe yet.

"Our goal this year was to avoid relegation, and that hasn't changed."

Image source, BBC Sport

Larne's Mark Randall said the Inver Reds "stuck together" after he scored twice in his side's 3-0 win over Portadown at Inver Park on Friday night.

Randall was on target with two sublime free-kicks in the space of three minutes to give Gary Haveron's side the lead just after the restart before Tiarnan O'Connor extended their advantage on 58 minutes.

The Inver Reds now sit in second position, three points behind league leaders Coleraine with two games in hand.

"We have players in there who can do special things on the pitch and we know that," Randall told BBC Sport NI.

"As a group we stuck together tonight and played the way we know we can play and got the three points."

The 36-year-old scored his first free-kick in the 52nd minute from 30 yards before netting again just three minutes later after Gary Thompson was penalised for a foul at the edge of the penalty area.

Both finishes flew into the top corner, leaving Portadown stopper Alex Moore with little chance.

"I stepped up and fortunately they went in," Randall continued when asked about his goals.

"Sometimes when games are going like that and teams are sitting in, you need a goal from a set-piece and luckily for me tonight I took two and they both went in.

"Conor McKendry wanted the second one, but I said, 'absolutely no chance' and took the ball."

Image source, Inpho

Portadown manager Niall Currie said his side made it "too easy" for Larne during their 3-0 defeat at Inver Park.

After a goalless first half, Larne netted three times during six second-half minutes to secure the three points and move up to second.

The Ports are struggling with consistency this season and are now without a victory in their last three league games.

"We were very good in the first half, really good shape and a wonderful save from Ferguson to stop us," Currie told BBC Sport NI.

"When we went in at half-time happy and talked about staying disciplined and then there were five/ six minutes of madness.

"It was too easy in the end for Larne after putting on such a valiant display in the first half."

Mark Randall fired two free-kicks in quick succession into the top corner to give the home side the lead just after the break.

Tiarnan O'Connor then added a third, with Currie adding that the third goal that his side conceded disappointed him the most.

"They are wonderful free-kicks," Currie continued.

"Both are world class and as good as you will see in Irish League football.

"We left ourselves wide open for the third goal and that is what disappoints me the most."

Image source, Inpho

Larne remained unbeaten at home in the Premiership this season as they scored three goals in six second-half minutes to defeat Portadown 3-0 at Inver Park.

Mark Randall's free-kick from 30 yards broke the deadlock on 52 minutes before the midfielder netted another free-kick into the top corner just three minutes later.

Tiarnan O'Connor added a quickfire third when he drilled home Paul O'Neill's delivery to put the home side in the driving seat in the 58th minute.

The result means that the Inver Reds leapfrog Glentoran into second place in the league table, three points behind leaders Coleraine with two games in hand.

Cliftonville's record goal scorer Joe Gormley said he was glad to "get it over the line" after scoring his 300th goal for the club.

Gormley scored the Reds' first goal in their 5-2 comeback BetMcLean Cup win over Strabane Athletic on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old scored his first goal for Cliftonville back in 2011 against Ards and became the club's record goal scorer in 2018.

In Irish League terms, he's still a way off the all-time to scorer Jimmy Jones, who scored 647 goals across his 22-year career, but with another milestone reached he's looking to the next one.

"It feels great, the last few weeks it's probably been playing on my mind a wee bit," Gormley told BBC Sport NI after the win.

"I'm just glad to get it over the line and get it done with, so I'll pack that up and go onto the next one."

Manager Jim Magilton praised Gormley's achievement as "incredible" as well as acknowledging his future with the club.

"It's a magnificent achievement for a magnificent player," he said after the win.

"The hardest thing to do in this game is put the ball in the back of the net, and to do it 300 times is just remarkable.

''Joe still has so much more to give us, and he will. Tonight he scored one and probably missed three or four, which is unlike Joe Gormley.

"It's a wonderful achievement and he deserves all the accolades.''

Image source, Pacemaker

Linfield and holders Cliftonville both overcame scares to reach the quarter-finals of the BetMcLean Cup.

Matthew Fitzpatrick scored twice as Linfield beat H&W Welders 6-3 after extra time.

The Blues looked to be cruising into the last eight with a 3-1 advantage but Seanan Devine and Brian Healy levelled the game late on.

Fitzpatrick netted a quickfire double to restore Linfield's lead and Callumn Morrison secured the win for David Healy's side.

At Solitude, Gary Merritt and Oisin Duffy put Premier Intermediate side Strabane Athletic into a shock two-goal lead before Cliftonville won 5-2.

Joe Gormley scored his 300th goal for the Reds to pull one back before Michael Glynn and Jonny Addis completed the turnaround before the break.

Joseph Sheridan and Conor Falls rounded out the win for Cliftonville, who join Linfield, Glentoran, Coleraine, Larne, Ballymena United, Newry City and Moyola Park in the last eight.

Crusaders boss Declan Caddell said his side were "poor" in their 2-1 loss against Glentoran in the BetMcLean Cup.

Jonathan Russell opened the scoring for the Glens after 44 seconds with David Fisher adding a second before half-time for last year's beaten finalists.

Kurtis Forsythe scored a late consolation for the Crues, but Caddell said that goal did not tell the story of the game as it was "never close".

"Poor," is how Caddell summed up his team's performance at the Oval to BBC Sport NI as Crusaders fell to a fourth straight defeat in all competitions.

"The plan for this competition was we want to go out there and give it everything we had and when you concede after 44 seconds, the confidence just drains out of the players and that's probably how I see the game unfold.

"We never laid a glove on Glentoran, and we didn't have a shot until we scored the goal so really disappointing.

"We lost too many individual battles and we looked lethargic. Saturday [2-0 league loss against Dungannon Swifts] was a big disappointment, tonight was even worse."

Image source, Press Eye