Ballymena United's rearranged trip to face Duncan Ferguson's Glentoran will bring a major boost to the Irish Premiership's profile, according to Coleraine manager Ruaidhri Higgins. The match, postponed from Saturday due to Storm Boelo, will now be played at Ballycastle Road on Friday night with a 19:45 GMT kick-off, broadcast live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
Higgins, whose side have already beaten Glentoran this season, described the former Everton striker as a significant addition to the league. "A huge character," Higgins said. "I know people who know him personally and say he is a fantastic fellow." He added that Ferguson's status as a household name would draw extra attention. "He'll add a lot to the league I'm sure, a big personality." Higgins suggested the focus would be firmly on Ferguson and his new team, making Ballymena United a "bit of a sideshow" for the occasion.
For Ballymena United, the fixture represents a tough test in a busy period. Their recent form has been strong, with four wins from their last five matches, including a 3-1 victory over Newington Youth in the Irish Cup last time out. That win on Tuesday 20 October saw goals from I. Rutkowski, C. McConnell and S. Edogun. This sequence is part of a two-game winning run, following a 2-1 league victory over Crusaders FC on Saturday 17 October where J. Archer and K. Lyons-Foster found the net. The only defeat in that five-match spell was a 3-2 loss to Limavady United on Saturday 10 October. They face a Glentoran side eager to impress under a new manager, adding an extra layer of difficulty to an already challenging away game. The team has scored 17 goals this campaign while conceding 15, giving them a plus two goal difference.
Ballymena will then turn their attention to a home league match against Bangor on Saturday, 31 October. The squad will be looking to maintain their positive momentum against a Bangor side currently 12th in the standings. Despite their strong recent run, the Sky Blues find themselves 19 points behind league leaders Coleraine FC in the title race.
This story first appeared at bbc.co.uk
