Declan Devine hoping for Bangor success but only after Irish Cup clash with Glentoran

1 month ago 738

Glentoran head to Clandeboye Park this evening to take on Bangor in an intriguing Irish Cup quarter-fina l with Declan Devine hoping it signals the start of some regular meetings between the two sides.

The Seasiders are riding high at the top of the Championship and look set for a return to the top flight for the first time since 2009.

Their journey back to the Premiership has not been without its struggles but under Lee Feeney they have become a real force once more with Devine delighted to see their rise up the leagues.

"Lee has done a fantastic job there," said the Glentoran boss. "They look as though they will be heading back to the Premiership and I would love to see that as they've had a tough ride as a club over recent years.

"I'm delighted for Lee, he's one of the good guys, and I think he has a wonderful future ahead of him as a manager.

"He comes from a very experienced footballing family and he's been involved in the game for a long, long time. He looks to be enjoying it, which is a key thing and his team look to be enjoying him."

Devine undertook a scouting mission last Saturday to watch Bangor roll over Armagh City and he knows tonight's game has all the makings of a cup upset.

"I took advantage of a rare Saturday and went and watched their game," he said. "I saw a good Armagh City team 3-0 down at half-time and it could have been five or six to be honest.

"They have a lot of quality high up the pitch. Ben Arthurs is flying and they were able to bring people like Matthew Ferguson on in the second half.

"Ben Cushnie played really well on Saturday. He's a player I know really well having come through the system at Glentoran.

"They play with a lot of confidence and belief and have a good mix of youth and experience. They are really well drilled and organised, and they are extremely hard to play against.

"We have relayed back to our players after the weekend. We are under no illusions what will be waiting for us on Friday night. Tough surface, dark floodlights, small changing room...all the ingredients are there for an upset so we have to make sure we remain focused.

"It's live with the TV cameras there too but we certainly don't want a giant killing act with where we are at this moment in time.

"There's a lot of appetite for Bangor on Friday night, we know that, so we have to make sure we're right at the top of our game."

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Source: www.belfastlive.co.uk
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