After Linfield and Crusaders enjoyed winning midweeks, sending them into first and second respectively, match week five commences with three matches on Friday evening, two on Saturday afternoon and the weekend rounding off with a tantalising 5:30pm kick off between Cliftonville and Larne at Solitude.
Last Saturday’s postponed match between Glentoran and Crusaders has also been rearranged to this coming Tuesday, 29th August 2023, set to start at 7:45pm.
Friday, 25th August 2023 (all kick offs 7:45pm unless otherwise stated)
Ballymena United v Glentoran
By fate or design, these two teams have had the most time to prepare for this clash.
Ballymena were last in action here a week ago, narrowly denied a point against by Chris McKee’s late winner to extend their pointless start.
Visitors, Glentoran, meanwhile had their meeting with free-scoring Crusaders called off due to a waterlogged Oval pitch, they currently reside in midtable after winning two and losing one of their opening three games.
It is time they will look to make up against a Ballymena team, low on confidence.
Dungannon Swifts v Coleraine
Stangmore Park is the venue for this one as Swifts seek their first victory of the season.
Commendable performances against Larne, Linfield, Crusaders and Loughgall have yielded admiration but only one point for Dungannon, defending their Achilles heel at the moment having conceded two goals in every game so far.
Coleraine bounced back from their first loss by holding champions Larne to a scoreless stalemate last Saturday, a confidence-buoying performance to solidify a steady start to their NIFL campaign, one that would be boosted further by a third win this evening.
Loughgall v Glenavon
Perhaps, before a ball was kicked, this was seen as a cert six pointer. But only one of these sides is struggling and it isn’t the newly promoted Loughgall.
With six points from their opening four assignments, it has been an excellent beginning to life in the NIFL Premiership, last week’s win at Dungannon Swifts crowning new arrival, young Jay Boyd, the hero after he scored on his debut.
Glenavon though are at risk of being cut afloat at the bottom, a tough opening set of fixtures yielding four defeats and just two goals.
Despite Loughgall’s bright start, they will have circled this fixture as an ideal chance to kick their season off and running.
Saturday, 26th August 2023 (all games set for 3pm kick offs unless otherwise stated)
Linfield v Carrick Rangers
These two teams experienced contrasting emotions on Tuesday night, Linfield making it four wins from two to emerge as early season leaders after the in-form duo of Joel Cooper and Chris McKee saw off the challenge of Cliftonville.
Meanwhile at Seaview, Carrick Rangers endured a disastrous evening, a 9-0 humiliation with Kyle Cherry’s early red cad opening the floodgates as Ben Kennedy struck four by half time.
They will demand a reaction of themselves and so could prove thorny opposition for the high-flying Blues. Ultimately however, if the defending remains as generous as it was in midweek, Linfield attackers will be licking their lips at that prospect.
Newry City v Crusaders
An interesting matchup at the Newry Showgrounds as both teams look to continue recent winning ways.
Home has been an unhappy hunting ground for Newry so far, losing and firing blanks in both home matches they’ve played so far, Lorcan Forde should give the Crues backline more of an examination than they had against ten-man Carrick Rangers in midweek.
Forward Ben Kennedy struck a devastating four in twenty minutes by half time with Paul Heatley also on target and Ross Clarke influential as a second half substitute.
That squad depth can only bode well as manager Stephen Baxter looks to juggle his squad rotation with this the second of three games in a week for his men.
Cliftonville v Larne (5:30pm KO)
Under the lights at Solitude awaits a mouthwatering match as Cliftonville and defending champions, Larne go head-to-head.
The Jim Magilton managerial honeymoon hit its first bump in the road at Windsor Park in midweek, Luke Turner’s leveller not enough for the Reds to earn a draw, sentencing Magilton and Cliftonville to their first setback of the season.
Larne will also be looking to silence the critics after they dropped points in a scoreless stalemate at Coleraine last weekend.
With deadly forwards, Lee Bonis and Andy Ryan, nullified, there is a blueprint for keeping Larne out that the rest of the league may look to implement.
How both teams react from disappointments last time out may tell us much about which is more likely to be in the title shakeup come Springtime.
Tuesday, 29th August 2023
Glentoran v Crusaders (7:45pm KO)
Both sides’ game in hand after this match, originally scheduled for Saturday, 19th August 2023, was postponed in the wake of Storm Betty causing a waterlogged pitch at the Oval.
With both teams also in action on Friday and Saturday, squad selection will play a part here as both look to avoid leggedness to capitalise on the available three points that would propel both firmly in and around the top end of the table.
