Len O'Sullivan orchestrates the first real threat on goal as the defender threads a needle-perfect pass to Jack Malone in the box.

Malone curls a shot goalwards, but David Odumosu stands firm, clutching the ball to his chest.

First chance of the game falls to Patrick McClean of Glentoran. The defender rises highest at the back post to meet a corner but can't keep his header down and it's over the crossbar.

James Doona stands up Luke Conlan before delivering a tantalising low cross into the box.

The home crowd holds its breath, but the ball rolls harmlessly through as no one is there to apply the finish.

What a start that would have been as Danny Gibson attempts one of his trademark 50-yard strikes that has Nathan Gartside back-pedalling, but he holds on.

Sean Ward
BBC Sport NI pundit

Looking at the Mourneview pitch it's much smaller than it normally has been, but it looks absolutely magnificent.

Referee Ross Dunlop blows his whistle and we're underway at Windsor Park.

The hosts get us underway at an overcast Lakeview Park.

Shay McCartan of Portadown gets the ball rolling at Shamrock Park, with both sides looking for their first points of the season.

Off we go at Mourneview Park.

Philip Major
BBC Sport NI summariser

Both managers could do with a win obviously coming off the back of opening day defeats.

I think the problem for both was neither team scored in their first fixture and to be brutal, neither team created many chances either.

Both Gary Haveron and Philip Major have been speaking on BBC Sportsound about the decision to postpone Larne's upcoming games.

Haveron: "I think it was unfair that Linfield were put in that position [playing league games during their European run], the league maybe didn't do enough to help and support them at the time.

"I think it was unfair that Linfield were put in that position, the league maybe didn't do enough to help and support them at the time.

"They really could have supported Linfield as, as I said before, it's good for the league to have teams in the group stages.

"If Linfield had of had that at the time, the chances are they probably would have held out and won that game. So, I think the league now sees the benefit to it."

Major: "Ultimately whatever NIFL can do to support Larne, I would be all for it.

"I don't think clubs would be against it, I think they now realise that the investment and rewards from this sort of competition would be fantastic for the league."

After their week delay, Loughgall make their 2024/25 bow as Dean Smith hands a debut to former Cliftonville and Derry City goalkeeper Nathan Gartside and it's a second Villagers debut for Conor Kerr on his return from Glenavon.

Big news is that Benji Magee is on the bench which will undoubtedly get the rumour mill going.

Stuart King names an unchanged side from last week's 2-0 win over Glenavon which means Paul Heatley will have to wait another week for his first start in his second spell at the club.

Loughgall: Gartside, Rea, Murdock (C), Kelly, Andrade, Waide, Ferris, Hoey, McAleer, Gibson, Kerr.

Subs: Turker, McDermott, Balde, Magee, Boyd, Harvey, McCloskey.

Carrick Rangers: Glendinning, Forsythe, Stewart, Watson (C), Allen, Maciulaitis, McCullough, Buchanan-Rolleston, Clucas, Crowe, Gibson.

Subs: McCauley, Surgenor, Gordon, McGuckin, Kalla, Cherry, Heatley.

Image source, BBC Sport

Larne manager Tiernan Lynch hailed his players in "flying the flag" for the entire Irish League as they moved to the brink of a historic qualification for the group stages of the Uefa Conference League.

On a dramatic night at Inver Park, Larne beat Kosovan champions Ballkani in a penalty shootout to set up a play-off tie with Gibraltar club Lincoln Red Imps, with the first leg taking place in Faro next week.

Thursday's triumph means Larne are already guaranteed in the region of £850,000 but they would most likely triple that if they become the first Irish League club to reach the group stage of a European club competition.

"This league is better than some people give it credit for," said Lynch following his side's shootout win, after Ballkani's 1-0 win on the night had ensured extra-time and then penalties.

"To go into extra-time and then penalties in such a high tempo game was an incredible feat for them."

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Portadown make their Premiership home debut today in the 24/25 season and manager Niall Currie makes two changes to the starting line-up that fell to a 1-0 defeat away to Cliftonville in last week's league opener. Josh Ukek and Ahu Obhakhan come in.

Glentoran boss Declan Devine will also be hoping for his maiden win of the season after going down to Crusaders last week, and he is the more ruthless of the two managers, making four changes, with Fuad Sule - back from suspension - Cameron Palmer, Charlie Lindsay and Jordan Jenkins all coming in.

Glentoran: Gyollai, Hvid, McClean, Sule (c), Connolly, Palmer, Donnelly, Kelly, Lindsay, Singleton, Jenkins.

Subs: Mills, Kane, McGinn, Fisher, O'Neill, Farley, Douglas.

Portadown: McCarey, D.Wilson, MacKinnnon, Chapman, McCullough, Fyfe, Ukek, Obhakhan, Mullan, McCartan, Thompson (c).

Subs: Ray, L.Wilson, Mayse, Henderson, Traynor, Duncan, Friel.

Image source, BBC Sport

Larne's Irish Premiership game against Crusaders on Sunday has been postponed as part of fixture amendments to their next four Irish Premiership matches because of their Uefa Conference League play-off.

The Inver Park outfit will travel to Faro in Portugal for next Thursday's Conference League play-off first leg against the Lincoln Red Imps with the home leg taking place a week later.

Read more here

Image source, BBC Sport

Stephen McDonnell has made three changes to his line-up as the home side aims to recover from their 2-0 defeat to Carrick Rangers on the opening day.

Keith Ward, David Toure, and Matthew Snoddy have been relegated to the bench, making way for Jack Malone, Michael O'Connor, and James Carroll.

Notably, O'Connor and Carroll will be making their first competitive starts for their new club, having previously come off the bench at Taylor's Avenue.

Jim Magilton has opted for two changes to his side following the Reds' 1-0 victory over Portadown.

Rory Donnelly is absent from today's lineup, while summer signing Shaun Leppard finds himself among the substitutes, joined by new recruit Destiny Ojo.

The experienced Joe Gormley and Jonny Addis have been drafted in from the start.

Glenavon: Deane, O'Sullivan Marshall, Haughey, Malone, McDaid, Campbell, Quinn, Doona, Carroll, O'Connor.

Subs: Byrne, Toure, Snoddy, Atherton, McKeown, Ward, Doran.

Cliftonville: Odumosu, Pepper, Stewart, Newberry, Kearney, Curran, Addis, Conlan, Gordon, Doherty, Gormley.

Subs: Breen, Ojo, Leppard, Lowe, Piesold, McGuiness, Corrigan.

Image source, BBC Sport

Ballymena United boss Jim Ervin wants to see a response from his players after derby disappointment at the hands of Coleraine on Friday night.

The Sky Blues twice responded to going a goal down, efforts from Johnny McMurray and Ben Kennedy cancelling out strikes from Jack Scott and Jamie Glackin.

But after the latter was sent off, for an off-the-ball incident that preceded Kennedy's successful spot kick, Ervin's side struggled against ten men with goals from Rhyss Campbell and Matthew Shevlin giving the Bannsiders the 4-2 victory.

"I'll self-evaluate my performance. We've lost a game so my performance hasn't been up to scratch," Ervin said.

"I'm first to admit that and big enough to take that. I'll go back and look through every decision I made, whether it was right or whether it was wrong. I hope the players will go back and do that themselves.

"We'll be showing them where we could have improved, what we could have done better.

"I'd like to think the players will be hurting, I would like to think that."

Image source, Press Eye

Dungannon Swifts travel to south Belfast this afternoon full of confidence having beaten Linfield at Windsor Park last season for the first time in the club's history.

With that being said the Blues will be looking to make it back-to-back league wins to begin the campaign. With that in mind, David Healy opts for the same starting XI that were victorious last weekend against Ballymena United.

Dungannon boss Rodney McAree makes two changes to his line-up following their 1-1 stalemate with Coleraine on the opening day.

In come James Knowles and Bobby-Jack McAleese, with Thomas Maguire dropping to the bench and John McGovern absent following a knock last weekend.

Linfield: Johns, Roscoe, East, Whiteside, Shields, Millar, McClean, Cooper, McKee, McGee, Fitzpatrick.

Subs: Walsh, Allen, McBrien, Ballantyne, Archer, Annett, McKay.

Dungannon Swifts: Dunne, S.Scott, Curry, Knowles, Dillon, Alves, Glenny, McGinty, McAleese, Mitchell, Bigirimana.

Subs: Grogan, J.Scott, King, Owen, Maguire, Hutchinson, Hegarty.

Image source, BBC Sport

After picking up his first three points as Coleraine manager against Ballymena United on Friday night, Dean Shiels praised the character of his side when reduced to 10 men.

The Bannsiders edged an exciting derby game 4-2, despite Jamie Glacken being shown a red card before the hour mark.

With the off-the-ball incident also seeing the midfielder concede a penalty that allowed Ballymena to equalise for a second time in the game, Shiels was thrilled by his side's approach when playing more than a third of the game a man down.

The hosts were the better side after Ben Kennedy's spot kick had made it 2-2, with Rhyss Campbell and Matthew Shevlin scoring to give them a deserved victory.

"What I was really proud of, with ten men we showed really good desire to get on the ball, we didn't just kick it back to Ballymena," said Shiels, who did not see the incident that saw Glackin dismissed.

"We tried to put passes together and keep it away from Ballymena.

"We got up the pitch and we scored two goals with ten men which was really pleasing."

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Week two of the season brings another incomplete slate of Irish Premiership fixtures with Larne's continued involvement in Europe meaning their defence of the Gibson Cup remains on hold. Still, there are five games to get our teeth into and the Inver Park outfit's first team coach Gary Haveron gives us his predictions for another big weekend of football.

Spoiler Alert!

Gary got Friday's Coleraine v Ballymena United derby prediction slightly wrong.

Read Gary's full list of predictions here

Image source, BBC Sport