Ballymena United is set to face Rangers in the Tunnock's Caramel Wafer Cup this evening. The match kicks off at 7.45pm at Ballymena Showgrounds.

What is at stake?

Graeme Murty, the Development Head Coach, hopes his side can stand up to the atmosphere and noise. He said: “I’m looking forward to the atmosphere, I’m looking forward to the challenge of going over there and watching our young men deal with the atmosphere and the noise, alongside the physical and technical challenge of going and playing the game.

The challenge ahead

Ballymena United currently sits 10th in the Northern Ireland Premiership, with 34 points from 33 games, and a recent form of LLDWD. Their last result was a 3-2 loss to Crusaders FC on 2026-04-25.

The opposition

Rangers booked their place in the third round of the competition after wins over Berwick Rangers and Stranraer. Murty is expecting a different challenge this time around against the Northern Irish Premiership side.

The game plan

Murty added: “There are different challenges being posed and different styles of play that we have to go and accommodate but our players have practiced against mature athletes and they have practiced against men’s first-teams all the way through pre-season so we are really really excited for the challenge. The footage is available, the information is available, you just have to be diligent and make sure you go and do your homework and present the information to the players in the right way. I am confident they can deal with the technical level and I am confident they can deal with the tactical level. It’s the physical and psychological side that we want challenged in and we want tested in and I think this game is going to be the perfect opportunity to go and show once again that they can stand up to these challenges and if they do that then we will be proud of them. I’m hoping for a massive crowd but not for anything other than the psychological stress of playing in front of one for the players. We have been crying out for it for a long time, these players are in my opinion are a really good generation of footballers. If we have thousands of people making an atmosphere instead of hundreds making an atmosphere then their growth and development from that would be fantastic.” | Stat | Value | | --- | --- | | League standing | 10th | | Points | 34 | | Recent form | LLDWD | | Last result | Crusaders FC 3-2 Ballymena United |