FootyChatter.com

Watch: Glentoran v Linfield BBC Sport This video can not be played FT: Glentoran 1-1 Linfield (19: 45 BST) Watch live on BBC Two NI, BBC i Player and BBC Sport website Pat Hoban slots home penalty after Kirk Millar fouled James Singleton Chris Shields fires home penalty to equalise with Marcus Kane penalised for foul on Matthew Fitzpatrick Paul Kelly Glentoran 0-0 Linfield Josh Kelly is the first player to go in referee Ben Mc Master's book for a late challenge on Dane Mc Cullough. Glentoran 0-0 Linfield It's been a bright start for the visitors. David Healy's side have been well on top in the opening 13 minutes. Glentoran 0-0 Linfield Philip Lowry Crusaders midfielder on BBC i Player Offord looks electric, every time he gets the ball it looks like something might happen. Glentoran 0-0 Linfield Kieran Offord looks lively in the opening stages as he gets another shot off after some persistent work down the left. The Linfield striker works a yard of space for himself before letting fly with his right foot, but his effort is deflected behind for a corner. The resulting corner comes to nothing and Glentoran clear their lines. Glentoran 0-0 Linfield Philip Lowry Crusaders midfielder on BBC i Player It has been a big show of faith from David Healy with Isaac Baird, he arrived late in the window but has started all three games and looks adept in there. Glentoran 0-0 Linfield Chance for Linfield within the opening 30 seconds as Kieran Offord forces Andrew Mills into an early save. The angle was tight and Mills does his job to prevent an early goal for the visitors. Glentoran 0-0 Linfield We're under way at the Oval for the first Big Two clash of the season. Which way will this one go? Thumbs up for Glentoran, thumbs down for Linfield! Glentoran v Linfield (19: 45 BST) Paul Leeman Former Glentoran captain on BBC i Player Jordan Jenkins has been a revelation. He is a young player who has had to bide his time, he had spells away from the club at Portadown and scored lots of goals whilst at Dundela. Last season he produced the most goals and took that weight on his shoulders. He has become a fan's favourite. Glentoran v Linfield (19: 45 BST) We're just hearing that kick-off is going to be delayed for a few minutes with streams of fans still trying to get into the Oval. Glentoran v Linfield (19: 45 BST) Gerard Lawlor, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Football League, says the extra funding required for the Northern Ireland Football Fund is "not insurmountable". On Thursday it was announced that 20 clubs, of 38 applicants, would progress to the next stage in a bid to secure long-awaited funding. When announcing the successful applicants, Lyons estimated the departmental cost of all 20 projects was "just over £82m", and "estimated total project costs" came to £98m. Those totals far exceed the £36. 2 million that had been ringfenced for stadia funding across Northern Ireland, and Lyons added he was pushing to secure additional funding. "We know what we need. We're speaking to the Minister and other political parties, " Lawlor told BBC Sport NI's Stephen Watson. "The Minister has assured me he's trying to get that funding and we're trying to bring the other parties on that journey. " Lawlor added that NIFL would "continue to lobby" the British government in Westminster for more funding for football in Northern Ireland. "£50 million sounds like a lot of money, but when you break it down into some of the departmental budgets or the budgets from centralised government, it's not insurmountable. "We are hopeful that £50m could be delivered, even if it was over five years. That's £10m per year, which I think is very achievable. " Read more from Lawlor here, external. Glentoran v Linfield (19: 45 BST) Glentoran owner Ali Pour said he was "delighted" after being one of two clubs, along with Cliftonville, who were successful in their bid for the top tier of funding. The Irish Premiership leaders applied for £28m towards the redevelopment of their Oval ground in east Belfast. When the funding was initially launched in 2011, the Oval was earmarked for £10m towards redevelopment. "We stated what was needed. I don't think we'll get the full amount as there's not enough funds available in this first phase, but I'm quite confident it will be enough to get things moving. "Anything we get, we'll make it work. We're grateful for anything, but once we have an idea of how much we can get then we will plan accordingly. "We have everything ready to go. The day the funds arrive, we'll start the next day. " Pour said the club was in "desperate need" of a new stadium, which was highlighted by an issue ahead of Friday's derby at home to Linfield. "Every day that goes past, things get worse and worse, " he said. "There's a big game on Friday night and I've just been told the generator isn't working for the floodlights, so we'll have to rent a new set in. "That's just one example of what isn't functioning in this place. I love the historic aspect of this stadium, but it's time for a change. "I know every club needs money and every club deserves money, and hopefully every club will get what they want. " Other clubs were less than impressed by Thursday's announcement and you can read more from them here. Glentoran v Linfield (19: 45 BST) BBC i Player You can now watch coverage of tonight's game at the Oval on BBC Two, BBC i Player and the BBC Sport website by clicking the play button at the top of this page. Glentoran v Linfield (19: 45 BST) Twenty clubs have progressed to the next stage of the long-awaited Northern Ireland Football Fund. Of the 41 clubs eligible for the stadia funding, 38 applied and 20 have now been successful for the next stage. The funding was initially announced in 2011 and, after 14 years of delays, progress was made in January when the Northern Ireland Executive announced that clubs could apply for a share of the £36. 2m set aside. Glentoran and Cliftonville are the two clubs who were successful in progressing in the third and most expensive tier, with funding applications of more than £6m. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said Thursday's announcement is not a guarantee of funding, and further assessments and "rigorous due diligence checks" will take place before money is allocated. Coleraine, Crusaders and Portadown were the three eligible Irish Premiership clubs who were not listed by Lyons. Championship sides Ards and Institute, who are hoping to build their own stadiums, and League of Ireland side Derry City were also not included in the successful applicants. Lyons estimated the departmental cost of all 20 projects was "just over £82m", and "estimated total project costs" came to £98m. Ballinamallard United, Ballymena United, Banbridge Town, Bangor, Carrick Rangers, Dergview, Dungannon Swifts, Glenavon, Larne, Lisburn Rangers, Loughgall, Newry City, Oxford Sunnyside were successful in the middle tier, which consisted of applications between £1. 5m to £6m. Armagh City, Ballymacash Rangers, Lisburn Distillery, Queens' University and Rathfriland Rangers were successful in the lowest tier, for funding applications of less than £1. 5m. Read more about the next steps of the process here. Glentoran v Linfield (19: 45 BST) Glentoran claimed four derby wins last year but still finished 24 points behind runaway Gibson Cup winners Linfield. They beat the Blues 3-1 at Windsor Park in October last year and then 1-0 at the Oval in November. The Glens knocked David Healy's side out of the Bet Mc Lean League Cup and Irish Cup too. The Boxing Day derby had two red cards but finished 0-0 whilst Linfield lifted the league title on the day they beat Glentoran 2-1 at a packed Windsor Park. Glentoran v Linfield (19: 45 GMT) Early pacesetters Glentoran welcome Linfield to the Oval in the first Big Two meeting of the season. The Glens haven't lost to their big rivals at home in the last five meetings, winning three and drawing the other two. In terms of team news, Declan Devine names an unchanged side from Saturday's 2-0 win away at Ballymena United. Blues boss David Healy on the other hand makes just the one change from last weekend's 3-0 victory against Portadown. Defender Dane Mc Cullough comes in for Tranmere loanee Sam Taylor. Glentoran: Mills, Amos, Kane (capt), Larmour, Mc Eleney, Cooney, Palmer, Kelly, Singleton, Hoban, Jenkins. Subs: Urminsky, Stewart, Burt, Ferris, Kamson-Kamara, Lindsay, Russell. Linfield: Johns, East, Shields (capt), Millar, Mc Clean, Offord, Hall, Brown, Baird, Fitzpatrick, Mc Cullough. Subs: Walsh, Roscoe, Allen, Mc Kee, Yates, Archer, Taylor. Glentoran v Linfield Glentoran v Linfield (19: 45 BST) Watch highlights as Glentoran beat Ballymena United 2-0 in the Irish Premiership on Saturday to stay top of the table. First-half strikes from Pat Hoban and Jordan Jenkins secured the win and maintained their unbeaten run. Read more: Glens win to stay top as Blues and Coleraine unbeaten This video can not be played Highlights: Ballymena United v Glentoran Glentoran v Linfield (19: 45 BST) Glentoran manager Declan Devine says his team have plenty of room for improvement as they aim to build on their promising start to the season when they host Linfield in the first 'Big Two' encounter of the season at the Oval. The unbeaten Glens sit three points clear at the top of the Premiership table, having won five and drawn one of their first six matches of the campaign. Linfield are playing catch-up in terms of fixtures but have won three out of three without conceding a goal. "We still have to continue to get better. We know we have another couple of gears, " Devine told BBC Sport NI after last weekend's 2-0 win at Ballymena United. "We're not patting ourselves on the back too much. There's certainly a lot of room for improvement. " The Glens have conceded just one goal as they prepare for a run of league games which will see them face the champions, then another as yet unbeaten side in Coleraine, followed by the visit of Larne. "We're coming into a very demanding fixture list now. "We are still missing Dylan Connolly, Christie Pattisson, Ciaran Coll and Joe Thomson, who have all still to come back and stake a claim. " Devine believes the east Belfast outfit can take confidence into the meeting with their fierce rivals. "It's nice to go into it on the back of a favourable result and we'll come up with a plan for that, " reflected the Glens boss. "It's a fantastic occasion for our fans, and for our players to play in but it's no more than three points. " Glentoran v Linfield (19: 45 BST) Northern Ireland Football League [NIFL] chairman Gerard Lawlor has suggested that technology should be "seriously considered" to assist match officials in making decisions following the controversy at Windsor Park on Saturday which saw Linfield awarded a goal when the ball appeared not to have crossed the line. An assistant referee raised his flag to signal a goal when Matthew Fitzpatrick got on the end of Kyle Mc Clean's ball and Ports goalkeeper Aaron Mc Carey looked to have kept the ball out. The goal was Linfield's second in a 3-0 win over their opponents. After the game, Portadown manager Niall Currie said he was "completely baffled" by the decision and was left "scratching his head". Responding to the incident on social media, Lawlor said there was "no doubt" that the decision was "a howler" but added that "mistakes can actually open the door for change". "Frustrating, and it shouldn't happen, but it did, " reflected the NIFL chairman. "Before jumping on those involved, let's remember they're human. They've got feelings, families, and it's easy for faceless accounts to pile in, criticise and of course be abusing. "Credit to Niall Currie too for how professional he was in his post match interviews. Honestly, I've seen more good performances from refs this season than bad ones, but yes, mistakes have happened. "We all love giving our opinions, and that's part of football, but as authorities we have a responsibility to make sure lessons are learned, improvements are made, and referees get the support they need. " Lawlor added that discussions would now take place between NIFL and the Irish FA to examine the best way forward to improve match officiating. "As a league, we'll try to sit down with the Irish FA to talk this through. "Personally, I think it's time for a fresh structure for our senior refs, proper investment, and while not always popular, maybe technology must now be seriously considered. " This video can not be played Highlights: Linfield see off Ports at Windsor Park Glentoran v Linfield (19: 45 GMT) Linfield manager David Healy says both he and his Glentoran counterparts are aware of the pressures surrounding the respective management teams as they prepare for the first 'Big Two' meeting of the season at the Oval. Premiership leaders Glentoran go into the encounter with a three-point lead at the top of the league standings, having won five and drawn one of their opening five fixtures, conceding just one goal. Linfield have played three fewer games because of their commitments in European club competition, but have won each of the three matches they have played. "They [Glentoran] are unbeaten, they've started really well and we've started ok, " Healy told BBC Sport NI. "They look as if they have an edge to their game, which is important for big clubs like Linfield and Glentoran, with the demands and expectations around them. "Myself and Declan [Devine], and I'm good friends with Paddy Mc Court and I saw Tim Mc Cann at a game a couple of weeks ago, we all understand the demands of both sets of supporters. "It's hopefully set fair for a good game. Hopefully it's won by a wee bit of quality, a wee bit of magic by somebody, and not a poor decision where everybody is going to be left discussing it at the end of the game. " Glentoran v Linfield (19: 45 BST) Hello and welcome to our coverage of tonight's Irish Premiership game at the Oval where Glentoran host rivals Linfield. The Glens, who sit top of the table after an unbeaten start to the season, are looking to continue their recent good form in 'Big Two' games with a win against champions Linfield. The Blues are playing catch-up in the league after their European exploits and will want to close the gap on their rivals and send out a statement with a win in east Belfast. The game will be broadcast live on BBC Two NI, BBC i Player and the BBC Sport website, with coverage starting at 19: 30. We will also have live text commentary and in-play clips so you won't miss any of the action. Enjoy, it should be a good one! This video can not be played Highlights: Glentroan v Linfield At a glance Pat Hoban opens the scoring for Glentoran on 21 minutes with penalty Chris Shields equalises in second half with empathic spot kick Unbeaten Glentoran stay top of Irish Premiership table Linfield have three games in hand over rivals Glentoran missed out on the chance to open up a six-point lead at the top of the Irish Premiership table after playing out an enthralling 1-1 draw with rivals Linfield at the Oval. Declan Devine's side went ahead on 21 minutes as Pat Hoban kept his cool from the penalty spot following Kirk Millar's foul on James Singleton. Linfield responded on 62 minutes, also from the spot, as Chris Shields fired home after Marcus Kane brought down Matthew Fitzpatrick. Both sides maintain their respective unbeaten starts to the season, with the Blues holding three games in hand over the Glens. Linfield made a bright start to the game and in the first minute, as Kieran Offord forced Alex Mills into a low save. Four minutes later, Fitzpatrick had his head in his hands as he swept wide after being gifted possession by a wayward back pass from Kane. The momentum of the game shifted on 20 minutes as referee Ben Mc Master awarded a penalty as he deemed Millar clipped Singleton. Hoban stepped up and sent Chris Johns the wrong way to open the scoring against the run of play. The Blues were handed a route back into the game just after the hour mark as Kane dragged down Fitzpatrick, with Mc Master pointing to the spot after consulting with the linesman. Shields stepped up and fired home to level, but it was end-to-end for the remainder of the game with both sides forced to settle for a point. That was despite Sean Brown smashing the crossbar for the Blues and Jordan Jenkins firing over for the Glens in injury-time. Hoban opened the scoring from the penalty spot for Glentoran The Glens not only had an unbeaten start to the season to preserve, but also a great home record against Linfield heading into Friday's 'Big Two' meeting. They had not lost to their rivals at home in the last five meetings, winning three and drawing the other two. Yet, for a side that had also won five of their six league games and conceded only one goal so far this campaign, it was a shaky start from the league leaders, who looked nervous and failed to get out of their own half in the first 15 minutes. They were fortunate that the Blues spurned three massive opportunities, particularly the Fitzpatrick chance, which Kane gifted to the striker with a careless pass. However, they rode the storm, grew into the game after Hoban's opener and then dug in to earn a valuable point in a chaotic second half. Hoban was a high-profile addition in the summer from Derry City, one that boss Declan Devine hoped would help ease the scoring burden on Jenkins. After injury ruled him out of the first few games of the season, he has hit the ground running with two goals in two league games, showing great composure to roll home from the spot. It is still early days, but Glentoran have certainly shown that they can be genuine title contenders with their early-season results and performances. Fitzpatrick missed a golden early chance to put Linfield ahead Linfield had to wait until the fifth and final 'Big Two' meeting of the 2024-25 season to finally claim a win against the Glens, but while they showed much more here, they lacked a clinical edge to claim a first win in east Belfast since 2022. David Healy, who previously lamented how wasteful Linfield were in their European games against Shelbourne, will have similar frustrations leaving the Oval tonight. They had three golden chances in the first eight minutes after a fast-paced start had silenced the vocal home crowd. Offord was unlucky with his two efforts and was a livewire throughout, but Fitzpatrick really should have scored after Kane's wayward back pass fell kindly for him in the box when the game was still goalless. The penalty they conceded was unfortunate, but they did well to bounce back in the second half, with Chris Shields showing composure to end Linfield's recent woes from the spot. As they proved last year when they finished 24 points clear of the Glens as they strolled to the Gibson Cup, Linfield do not necessarily have to win these sorts of games to be successful, but it will feel like one that got away given the opportunities they created, especially with Brown rattling the crossbar late on. Glentoran's next game in their tough run of fixtures sees them travel to face in-form Coleraine on Friday, 19 September. That game will be live on BBC i Player and BBC Sport website. Linfield are back in action on Tuesday, 16 September away to Ballymena United in the first of their rearranged fixtures due to their European commitments. That game will be live on BBC i Player and BBC Sport website. Last Updated 12th September 2025 at 21: 38 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Declan Devine Manager: David Healy Manager: Declan Devine Manager: David Healy To watch and listen, you need to enable Java Script in your browser. Watch: Glentoran v Linfield. BBC Sport. Video Watch: Glentoran v Linfield BBC Sport Irish Premiership All competitions All competitions All competitions Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.