New boy Aidan Wilson believes Glentoran must hit the ground running in tonight’s Premiership opener against Larne at Inver Park.
The 23-year-old moved across town from Crusaders over the summer and is relishing the prospect of helping Mick McDermott’s boys meet the expectation levels that are hovering over the club as the new season kicks off.
The two teams met in the final game last season in a winner-takes-all European play-off final. Glentoran appeared to have their passports ready to be stamped, leading 2-0 with only 15 minutes remaining.
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But Larne boss Tiernan Lynch introduced Ronan Hale after the break and he hit an astonishing four goals to help punch the Inver men’s ticket to Europe. The striker subsequently moved to Cliftonville for the new campaign.
“The pressure is on right from the first kick-off,” said Wilson.
“We’ll take one game at a time. I think it’s going to be a really close title race because so many clubs have improved their squad over the summer.
“The Irish League is getting better every season . . . boys are coming back from England and Scotland and are coming up from the south.
“The league is now attracting good quality players. It’s only going to make the league better; it’s going to make it more competitive. The gaffer (McDermott) has made good signings over the summer . . . and Larne have also beefed up their squad with a number of new faces.
“It’s important to get off to a good start – hopefully we can do that at Inver Park.”
Although Wilson was still a Crusaders player when Glentoran slumped so dramatically in that Euro play-off last May, he still detects a degree of hurt in the group.
“There is still a bit of sting among the boys,” he said. “Obviously, I wasn’t part of that game against Larne, but I watched the game on television. Glentoran were in cruise control up until 15 minutes from the end.
“Then, things went wrong. That’s the way things go sometimes. There is still a bit of hurt there, that’s for sure. We’ve have got to do everything right in training and prepare well and go up there hungry to get a result.”
The former Rangers defender is thrilled to be back in full-time training with his new club.
“I’m feeling fitter and stronger with the full-time training,” he added. “I’m still only 23, so I’m still trying to get better. I was used to the full-time football at Rangers, it was something I missed when I move to Crusaders.
“But I enjoyed my time at the Crues, which was climaxed by winning the Irish Cup, it was a nice way to finish. But I now have a new challenge . . . I know all about the club’s ambition.
“I just want to do as well as I can. I’m feeling good, buzzing for the start of the season. The players all know the main objectives, we will go about our business quietly and hopefully we can do our talking on the pitch.”
Betting odds
- Larne 5/4
- Glentoran 7/4
- Draw 12/5
Odds from McLean Bookmakers
Belfast Live Prediction
One feature in games between these sides last season was goals, with both teams scoring in four out of the five games in the league and European play-off. Three of them had over 2.5 goals and we fancy the same in this one.
Top bet: Over 2.5 goals - 4/6 (McLean Bookmakers).
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