Glentoran boss Mick McDermott says he has been ‘heartened’ by how the Irish League has rallied around Jay and Rory Donnelly following the tragic death of their mother.
The bereaved Oval strikers are set to return to action on Saturday after missing last Friday’s 2-1 win at Crusaders and Tuesday night's three points against Coleraine.
It has been a tough time for the siblings, who lost their mother last Thursday, but McDermott says he has been lifted by the messages of sympathy and support from across the league.
A round of applause was also conducted in the ninth and tenth minutes - denoting Jay and Rory’s shirt numbers at the Glens - at last week’s game with the Crues.
“How the club and our supporters, as well as fans from other clubs, have rallied around Jay and Rory and sent messages, it has been really impressive,” said McDermott.
“Even at Seaview the other night when there was applause from minute nine to 10; I looked around and there were substantial numbers clapping in the main stand.
“I couldn’t tell if they were Crusaders fans or Glentoran people, but there was a substantial section of the main stand applauding which was nice to see.
“Sometimes rivalries go out the window when something like this happens and we’ve seen that over the years in the Irish League.
“The same happened when the young Carrick Rangers player (Jerry Thompson) died in tragic circumstances a couple of years ago.
“There are some things bigger than football and I think it’s heartening when you see the Irish League rallying around at certain times.”
After sitting out Glentoran’s last two league games, McDermott has confirmed that the Donnellys will return for Saturday’s home clash with Warrenpoint Town.
“They restarted training on Wednesday,” he said. “The other players were actually off but I brought them in by themselves and they then trained with the team on Thursday.
“They will definitely be available for Saturday.”
The Glens lie second in table, just a point below Big Two rivals Linfield who face Coleraine at the Ballycastle Road Showgrounds.
