Smirnoff Irish Premier League 1996

Final Score Glentoran 3 Linfield 0

Classy Show at the Oval

Man of the Match Glen Little

There are exciting times ahead for Glentoran Football Club, declared boss Tommy Cassidy prior to his sides comprehensive 3-0 victory over Linfield at the Oval. And on the back of this performance no one will be in any doubt that he means what he says.

It was a measure of the Glens dominance over the 90 minutes that the supporters may have been just slightly disappointed that their side did not win by more as all the goals came in a pulsating first half. The Glens were dominant from the start creating some wonderful chances. On 14 minutes Justin McBride powered down the right and fired in a shot which Crawford only just managed to palm away before Little again tested the keeper a minute later.

Even Centre Half Chris Walker got in on the forward action, his 30 yard drive was just kicked out of the air by increasingly nervous and definitely busy Linfield keeper.

It was only a matter of time before the Glens got a goal and it was the Fans hero Glen Little who climbed highest to nod home a McBride cross from the right after he had been released by a wonderful crossfield pass from Liam Coyle.

Three minutes later the Glens scored a second. This time Little was the provider crossing from the left into a mass of bodies in the box, the ball dropped kindly for rightback Smyth who curled it low into the net past the unsighted Crawford.

And the home team were far from finished. With 34 minutes played Smyth crossed a corner the ball came to Pete Batey who turned and hit low into the back of the net. The game was delayed for a couple of minutes towards the end of the half as police and stewards moved to remove two Linfield fans from the pitch. They may have thought that they could have done a better job than the players.

Even when the Blues showed some steel up front they knew it never was going to be their day and that was illustrated when Campbell's angled shot five minutes from time flew past the post.

Teams

Glentoran- Armstrong, Nixon, Smyth, Walker, Devine, Parker, Coyle, Little, Cooke, Batey, McBride, Subs- Quigley, Finlay, Mathieson

Linfield- Crawford, Hill, McShane, McCoosh, Spiers, McGee, Campbell, Gorman, Millar, Fenlon, Bailie, Subs- Ewing, Byrne, Erskine

Referee Davy Magill