Sean Ward
BBC Sport NI pundit

I would like to see Glenavon go a bit more direct and get the ball forward as quickly as possible.

You can't rule them out. Everyone is expecting Coleraine to win the game, but Glenavon do have a lot of talent on the pitch.

Glenavon's Davy McDaid gets us under way on a bright November afternoon on the north coast.

Coleraine, with just the one defeat at home, start overwhelming favourites against opponents who have yet to pick up a point on their travels this season.

The visitors did, however, win on their last visit to Ballycastle Road, so hope springs eternal for the Lurgan side.

We're under way at Stangmore Park.

Can Dungannon Swifts continue their good run of form, or will Crusaders get back on track following two defeats in a row?

Mark Stafford
Ballinamallard manager on BBC Radio Ulster

Declan Caddell has major injury problems, and we have seen that.

It is a changed Crusaders team. They are lining up 4-2-3-1 and I am really excited to see Bryden, Brooks and Dunlop, they have a lot of pace.

Sean Ward
BBC Sport NI pundit

Higgins identified the problems he needed to change [on Tuesday night] and brought on Lyndon Kane, a player that is tried and tested and he has been at Coleraine for a long time.

The second half performance changed the fortune and that is a good a result as Coleraine.

The NI Football League has confirmed a number of rescheduled fixtures on Friday following recent postponements and an abandonment.

Carrick Rangers' match with Bangor was abandoned on Saturday, 13 September after a serious head injury to Paul Heatley.

The 38-year-old sustained a concussion and a head wound as a result of his collision into the perimeter wall in the match and has since returned to playing for the Taylors Avenue side.

Rescheduled fixtures (all kick-offs 19:45 GMT)

Linfield v Crusaders - Tuesday, 25 November 2025

Coleraine v Larne - Tuesday, 25 November 2025

Crusaders v Cliftonville - Tuesday, 9 December 2025

Ballymena United v Cliftonville - Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Carrick Rangers v Linfield- Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Glentoran v Larne - Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Carrick Rangers v Bangor - Tuesday, 3 February 2026

Larne v Linfield - Tuesday, 24 February 2026

Cliftonville v Glentoran - Tuesday, 24 February 2026

Image source, Inpho

Colin Coates on BBC Radio Ulster talking about his departure at Glenavon:

"It was probably more of a relief at the end to be honest.

"We started the season with so much hope, lots of new players, it probably took them time to settle.

"You were nearly glad of it at the end, disappointed obviously, but the writing was on the wall, and it was probably time for someone else to have a go."

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Rodney McAree makes one change to his starting XI which defeated Glenavon last weekend with James Knowles coming in for Bobby Jack McAleese.

Attacker Leo Alves returns to the squad following injury and is named on the bench.

Declan Caddell also makes one alteration to his line-up, who were defeated by Glentoran.

Brendan Jack Hamilton makes his fourth start of the campaign and replaces Josh Williamson, who is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season last weekend.

Dungannon Swifts: Dunne, Scott, Marron, Kelly, Knowles, Dillon, Glenny, Wallace, Bigirimana (C), Junior, McAllister

Subs: Henderson, P. Maguire, Alves, McGinty, T. Maguire, Smith, Mitchell

Crusaders: Tuffey, Forsythe, Hamilton, Brooks, Dunlop, Easton, O'Rourke (C), Bryden, McCart, Anderson, Barr

Subs: Dibaga, Donnelly, Quinn, C. Beattie, M. Beattie, Harrison, Karrabecaj

Referee: Christopher Morrison

Image source, BBC Sport

It's top against bottom as two teams with very different ambitions meet at the Showgrounds.

Coleraine, who top the table on goal difference from Glentoran, look to return to winning ways following the midweek draw with Linfield.

Bannsiders boss Ruaidhri Higgins makes two changes to the starting line-up from Tuesday night as captain Lyndon Kane and Lewis McGregor return at the expense of Cameron Stewart and Zane Okoro, who drop to the bench.

Glenavon manager Michael O'Connor goes one better, with three changes from the team which began last week's defeat to Dungannon - all enforced.

Oran O'Kane and Michael O'Connor are both suspended while on loan Corey Smith is ineligible to play against his parent club.

Niall Quinn, Bridel Bosakani and one-time Coleraine striker Davy McDaid start.

Coleraine: Harris, Kane (c), Jarvis, Boyle, McGregor, Patching, Shevlin, Cooper, Ives, Glackin, Dunne.

Subs: Webb, Long, Lyons-Foster, Stewart, McDonald, Okoro, McManus.

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

Subs: Hamill, Cartwright, Campbell, McClelland, Lomboto, Kee, McGerrigan.

Referee: Tim Marshall.

Image source, BBC Sport

Carrick Rangers manager Stephen Baxter says his side "thoroughly deserved" their late 1-0 over Bangor in the Irish Premiership.

Danny Gibson scored in the 93rd minute as Carrick capitalised on Oisin Devlin's red card with just over 10 minutes remaining.

The win ends Carrick's run of four away matches without a victory and Baxter said Carrick were "worthy winners".

"It's a great time to score a goal, always, in any football match," he told BBC Sport NI.

"Two minutes into added time, a team has no time to come back at you. But I think we thoroughly deserved it overall in our play."

After an initial strong start to the season, Carrick had lost seven of their eight matches in all competitions.

However, Baxter was not concerned with that form and said his side had been "ultra-competitive" despite the results.

"Even in the games we've lost, we've stayed competitive, and that's all you can really ask.

"If your team is in the game, you're happy. If you come away beaten four or five-nil and you've been brutal, then you've got problems.

"But we've been in every contest, and that's encouraging.

"Us and Bangor have shocked people. Everybody thought we'd be the two whipping teams this year, but we've held our own so far."

Image source, Inpho

Watch as Danny Gibson's stoppage time winner seals the three points for Stephen Baxter's side at Clandeboye Park.

The home side were reduced to 10-men after Oisin Devlin was sent off for a late tackle on eventual match winner Gibson.

Portadown manager Niall Currie said that he is "disappointed with the goals" that his side conceded during their 2-1 defeat against Glentoran at the Oval.

Eamon Fyfe's strike on 61 minutes cancelled out Pat Hoban's penalty in the first half.

However, Hoban would net just nine minutes after the Portadown leveller to seal the three points for the east Belfast side.

"We made two mistakes tonight and that is the difference. We came tonight and gave a fantastic account of ourselves," Currie told BBC Sport NI.

"I have told them I am hugely disappointed with the manor of the goals, but the performance was superb tonight to a man.

"It is small margins. We have some big hitters missing, but the players who played tonight were absolutely brilliant."

Portadown sit ninth in the table and have won two of their last five games.

Despite winning being the 2-0 victors against defending champions Linfield earlier in the month, Currie admitted that the recent run of fixtures has been "difficult" for his side.

"I think when you get Linfield, Coleraine, Glentoran and Larne, it is difficult.

"I don't think the players confidence will be impacted by this result, particularly not from me."

Image source, Press Eye

Glentoran manager Declan Devine said striker Pat Hoban is "the ultimate professional" after his double sealed a 2-1 win over Portadown at the Oval.

Hoban's penalty had given the home side the lead in the first half, but Eamon Fyfe levelled the game just after the hour mark.

The former Premier Division forward then scored again in the 70th minute to keep Glentoran's unbeaten start to the season at home intact.

"Hoban's levels which he brings on a daily basis, he doesn't just turn up and perform like that, he is the ultimate professional," Devine told BBC Sport NI.

"Every young player in our changing room should be looking at him and seeing what it takes to be a successful professional player.

"We are very fortunate to have him, and I think there is more to come."

Glentoran are also the only team to have scored in all of their league fixtures so far with Hoban's double meaning he has scored five goals this season.

The Glens had to survive a spell of pressure at the end of the match with manager Devine pleased with his side's all-round performance.

"We showed another side to us which is important," Devine continued.

"We had to fight, scrap and do the ugly stuff well and when you have players at the top of the pitch like Hoban, you always have a chance.

"I am really delighted with the application of the players."

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Watch highlights as Pat Hoban scores twice to seal the three points for Glentoran against Portadown.

The Glens are now level on points with top of the table Coleraine.

Coleraine manager Ruaidhri Higgins hailed his side's "resilience" as they battled back from two down at half-time to salvage a 2-2 draw at home to Linfield on Tuesday.

First half goals from Matthew Fitzpatrick and Sam Roscoe put the Blues in an advantageous position at the break, but Coleraine battled back as Matthew Shevlin netted his 100th goal for the club before Charles Dunne struck with eight minutes to go.

The Bannsiders' boss said he "felt we deserved to possibly win the game in the end" but was happy with his team's fighting qualities to secure the draw.

"The fact that we were 2-0 down at half-time and came back to 2-2, hopefully we've sent people home reasonably pleased," Higgins told BBC Sport NI.

"We were a wee bit timid in the first half in terms of defending long balls and defending set plays, timid defending long throw-ins.

"They physically dominated us for periods in the first half but we showed real resilience and great reaction. I actually felt we deserved to possibly win the game in the end.

"We've been better than what we were tonight, there's no doubt about that, but we showed a certain amount of resilience that you need, especially against teams like Linfield, in the second half. We take our point and we move on."

Higgins admitted that he "possibly got it wrong in relation to how we went about it in the first half", but switches at the break helped turn things around.

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Watch highlights as Coleraine come from behind to draw 2-2 with Linfield at the Showgrounds in the Irish Premiership.

Northern Ireland U-17 international Chris Atherton has signed his first professional contract with Chelsea.

The 17-year-old made headlines in 2022 when he became the youngest senior footballer in the United Kingdom aged 13 years and 329 days.

He came on as a second-half substitute in Irish Premiership side Glenavon's 6-0 win over Dollingstown in the League Cup.

Atherton was courted by Premier League clubs after his breakthrough in Northern Ireland before signing for Chelsea's academy in July, where he has been a regular in the side's U18 and U17 teams.

Watch highlights as Junior's first-half goal is enough for Dungannon Swifts to defeat 10-man Glenavon.

Crusaders manager Declan Caddell said his side "crumbled" in the final five minutes of their match against Glentoran at Seaview.

Jordan Jenkins found the back of the net in the first half before Fraser Bryden and Elliot Dunlop fired the home side ahead, but Ryan Cooney's 88th minute goal and David Fisher's stoppage time strike sealed the three points in a dramatic fashion for the Glens.

The Crues have now registered just one win in their last five league games and sit 10th in the Premiership table.

"I am speechless and gutted with the way the game panned out," Caddell told BBC Sport NI.

"I think as a team we were robbed today if I am being honest.

"I thought the first half was scrappy from both teams and the difference was that we fell asleep for a set play, an unmarked man in the box cost us.

"The second half we were by far the better side and thoroughly deserved the two goals, could have been more, and then we crumbled and fell asleep in the last five minutes, and it has cost us."

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Watch highlights as Glentoran score two late goals to beat Crusaders 3-2 at Seaview.