Glens to Crues to victory

Armagh City v Loughgall
Last week I remarked on Linfield's consistency, this week the kiss of death descends upon Loughgall; six straight defeats and not a single win this season. The Eagles are coming off three wins on the bounce; this is one for the accumulators.

4/7 Armagh
12/5 Draw
9/2 Loughall


Ballymena United v Donegal Celtic
After going 7 matches without a win the Sky Blues finally broke that run with victory at Larne last week. They face a Donegal Celtic side which hasn't won a game since the opening day of the season; but curiously has tasted defeat only once on the road. So no walkover for Tommy Wright's side here.

4/5 Ballymena
9/4 Draw
3/1 Donegal Celtic


Cliftonville v Glenavon
The Reds won many new admirers with their footballing performance in last week's CIS Cup final; but that was all they won. Eddie Patterson's team were a dejected lot after that defeat and will need to lift themselves for the task ahead. Glenavon were hard done by last week when they ran Crusaders close at Mourneview Park, again, a fine performance was undermined by their striking dearth.

4/6 Cliftonville
12/5 Draw
7/2 Glenavon


Crusaders v Glentoran
Lovely! This is what football is all about. Top spot is on the table at Seaview and never mind what Steven Baxter says publicly, he'll want that spot as badly as any manager worth his salt would. The Glens came out fighting in midweek as they reacted to criticisms of their perceived CIS non performance, and struck 3 without reply past Limavady. Crues have yet to drop a point at home, Glens have yet to drop a point away; something's gotta give. My personal feeling is that Crues are at the top of the table through a fortunate run of fixtures as much as anything else. When they start facing the top sides I think they'll crack. I confidently fancy Glentoran here.

3/1 Crusaders
9/4 Draw
4/5 Glentoran


Dungannon Swifts v Larne
It has been a frustrating season thus far for Swifts fans, with their favourites failing to achieve the degree of consistency needed to copperfasten a top four finish. That said, they should still have too much to offer against Larne, who failed under new boss Paul Curran to end their miserable run of ten games without a win when going down to Ballymena United at Inver Park. 3 goals in their last 6 outings offers evidence of the source of Harry Fay's headaches, the Swifts need a better striking return if they are to push on this term. Dungannon 1-0 looks likely.

4/7 Dungannon
12/5 Draw
9/2 Larne


Limavady United v Lisburn Distillery
The Roesiders have yet to win in front of their own supporters this season, and they are conceding goals at the rate of two per game. Paul Kirk's underachievers have managed to put back to back wins together for the first time in this term's crusade. Is this the beginnings of a run from the Whites? They should be able to take the points on offer here.

9/4 Limavady
9/4 Draw
EVS Lisburn


Linfield v Newry City
It is rare for David Jeffrey's charges to drop points in consecutive games, but Newry City are no pushover. Roy Coyle has infected his men with a stubborn resilience; and this coupled with the goalscoring achievements of Karl Bermingham gives the Newrymen a foothold against any side in the league. They rested last week, and were desperately unfortunate not to take a point from their previous outing, at Seaview. DJ won't tolerate anything less than 3 points though! The Blues to return to winning ways.

4/11 Linfield
11/4 Draw
15/2 Newry City


Portadown v Coleraine
Only Linfield and Crusaders have beaten the Reds this season, and Ronnie McFall's men are playing with all the confidence of a team who have collected 7 wins and a draw in their last 8 outings. Did we witness Coleraine awakening from their slumber last week; it's always easy to gee yourself up for a pop at the Champions, but can Marty Quinn's side build on last week's performance after a run of 4 successive defeats?

4/9 Portadown
13/5 Draw
6/1 Coleraine