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Game of the Week - Glentoran vs. Linfield
72 titles between them and a bitter rivalry that lasts as long as the Northern Irish League itself would be enough to make this a huge fixture, but the fact that the two most famous clubs in the country, Glentoran and Linfield, currently occupy the top two spots in the Carling Premiership means this is even bigger than it would otherwise be.
Glentoran have been something of a surprise package this season, with a run of results that has belied the pre-season changes to their personnel. The offloading of several players by Scott Young was the cue for many raised eyebrows in East Belfast, the most notable being the decision to loan striker Gary Hamilton out to fellow Premiership side Glenavon. A prolific scorer back in his days Portadown, the man capped five times for his country while still playing semi-professional football would normally be seen as a man worth his weight in gold at this level. As it is, Young's contentious judgement call has been borne out by results, from a first day 6-1 mauling of Distillery which catalysed six wins and a draw from the first seven. Last time out, their disappointing 1-2 loss at home to Ballymena was the first time that the presence of a one-man goal machine could clearly be missed. A goal down against a side reduced to 10 men for half the game, they contrived to concede a second and the subsequent Alamo on the away goal could only produce a consolation strike late on. Ahead of such an important task against a formidable foe, the killer question may be whether or not the Glens have peaked early only for the bubble to burst.
Their opponents have been a different entity entirely, with Blues scoring only 6 goals in their opening 7 league games. That this has been enough to yield 14 points tells you a lot about the organisation of Dave Jeffery's side, best illustrated by the creditable 0-0 draw they achieved at home to Rosenborg in the Champions League qualifiers. The presence of Alan Blayney, a current international in goal, has been a large part of this, and a potential dual between the ex-Southampton glove man and Daryl Fordyce, formerly of Portsmouth, may well be pivotal to the game's outcome. With the Glens' front man looking to add to an already impressive tally of 12 strikes for the season, and Blayney having been beaten only three times in the same period, one feels that something has to give on Monday night. Noel Baillie, who made his Blues debut while Jason Donovan warned of the world's many broken hearts, is less of a certain starter than he was as he pushes 40. However, his experience and leadership in a pressure-cooker atmosphere may well be key also. Linfield will look to the returning Peter Thompson for the goals which have trickled rather than flooded thus far. After an indifferent spell playing in the English League for Stockport County, another man who has tasted international football will not just be hoping for a goalscoring run - one will indeed be expected of him by the Windsor Park faithful.
As these games often are, this is an incredibly tough contest to call. One cannot help, however, but feel that the first goal on this occasion is of absolutely critical significance. After Glens' poor result in their last outing, going behind in this game may well trigger the doubts that have made them prone to inconsistency in the past. Glens may be the more exciting team here, but Linfield are the more seasoned and durable, and thus better cut out in the opinion of this writer for the long season ahead. A win by a single goal tonight would no doubt underline this.
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