The County Antrim Shield showpiece in 2024 has now been rubber-stamped and, from both sides, it is a match that carries noteworthy significance.
In the green corner, Glentoran, who booked their spot at Seaview a few weeks prior to their Final adversaries Larne, are on the hunt for the first trophy of Warren Feeney’s tenure and are bidding to end a long drought in this competition.
Not for over 13 years have the east Belfast juggernauts laid claim to the ‘Bin Lid’, last lifting this such silverware in November 2010 when they conquered Linfield in the showpiece.
But having emphatically overcome what looked like a potential banana skin against Carrick Rangers – expert finishes from Shay McCartan, Junior, Paddy McClean and Rory Donnelly saw them ultimately ease past Stuart King’s Amber Army 4-0 in late November – the Glens have since learned that another hailing from east Antrim will meet them in the decider.
4-0 was also the final score in the clash between Larne and Ballymacash Rangers, with the three-peat holders keeping their retention hopes alive after defeating the Lisburn-based competition debutants from the Premier Intermediate League on Tuesday night.
Tiernan Lynch’s Inver Reds have reigned supreme in the Shield lately – and they have their sights firmly set on their fourth successive victory.
On only one prior occasion in the tournament’s history dating back to its inception in 188 has a manager achieved that feat, dating back to when Roy Coyle guided Linfield to four in a row between 1981 and 1984.
For Glentoran, who were a Mick McDermott-led outfit when eked out on penalties following a goalless draw for the first of Larne’s successes in 2020, their objective is to put pains to the reigning Irish League champions’ ambitions while themselves gaining what would be just their fourth major honour since their last Shield victory.
Indeed, they were the last team to defeat the Inver Park establishment in this setting, sealing a 3-2 success after extra-time at The BetMcLean Oval. Navid Nasseri, Elvio van Overbeek and Darren Murray had hit the mark all the way back in October 2019, with Martin Donnelly and David McDaid on target for the then-newly-promoted visitors.
Feeney has struggled to win over the Glens support since assuming the reins in the off-season, but another victory over Larne and a piece of silverware to accompany it may turn the scales back in the former Northern Ireland striker’s favour.
The formbook has taken an upturn, too. Since that resounding success over Carrick at the Loughview Leisure Arena, they spectacularly blew away archrivals Linfield 4-0 in a one-sided Belfast derby, earned a creditable 2-2 draw away to Cliftonville and squeezed out a 1-0 win over Newry City despite a sending-off for Aidan Wilson forcing them to play over an hour with 10 men.
Larne, meanwhile, have their sights on making history.
Should they keep up what has in recent years become a monopolisation of the Shield in January – and they’ll fancy their chances, having notched up 2-1 league wins home and away over Glentoran in 2023/24 already – it’ll mark a full quadrupling of their senior honours won from two to eight since Kenny Bruce’s takeover in 2017.
They are also firmly in the title hunt once again and will be all too keen to double up on their first-ever Gibson Cup, and a trophy in this context could serve as a welcome momentum-booster in that pursuit.
Either way, there is importance attached to the Final’s outcome, and perhaps more so than in recent years. It should in turn make for a captivating joust in north Belfast.
Featured image from Pacemaker/Glentoran FC Website.
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