Glentoran are relishing Crusaders encounter

The Glens have been in great form of late with four wins from their last five games.

The only blot on their copybook coming against Linfield with Kirk Millar’s late goal condemning them to defeat.

McDermott will behoping for better luck this time out against another of the league’s perennial trophy winners.

But he knows it will be a tough test against Stephen Baxter’s talented squad.

“I’m really looking forward to the game,” said McDermott.

“I’ve been to watch a few of their games down there and there’s a great atmosphere in the ground.

“They are a team with a lot of energy and quality, Stephen has put together a big squad down there, they’ve been able to rotate their players, which shows the strength and depth of their squad.

“We’re going there to give it a good show from Glentoran.

“We look at every match the same, it’s another opponent and another three points to play for.

“The same preparation goes into every game.

“We have quality and we know we can play at a high tempo and rhythm.

“We have a talented squad and we know whateve eleven we put out we are going to get a performance out of them.”

McDermott was delighted with the qualities shown by his team last week as they kept battling to the bitter end to pick up all three points against Warrenpoint town, thanks to Patrick McClean’s late goal.

“We had an excellent first half and could have went in three or four up at half time,” he said.

“We created nine or ten clear cut chances, but failed to hit the target on multiple occasions and went in at the break 1-0 up thanks to another wonder goal from Hrvoje.

“It was a great performance in the first with some fantastic attacking play in the final third, but it was one of those games were if you don’t put it away in the first half it can come back on you.

“It was one of those game were you think the winner is coming, and even when it gets into those last few minutes you still have to believe.

“Paddy has been outstanding since he’s come in and I was delighted for him to get that goal in front of the Glentoran fans.”

One player the Crues will have to keep an eye on is Elvio van Overbeek. The Dutch winger has been in sparkling form for The Oval outfit in recent weeks much to McDermott’s delight.

He said: “Elvio is a star. He’s a great person, great man and a great player.

“He’s been excellent since he has come here. He’s a model professional who has come through the ranks at PSV and played at a high level in Holland, and it shows.

“The way he plays, the way he trains, and the way he carries himself, it all shows on the park on a Saturday.”

Baxter’s men will be hoping to bounce back after suffering their first defeat of the season at Coleraine last Saturday.

The Crues boss will be hoping to get back to winning ways again as they battle it out for the Gibson Cup, but he knows it is a long, hard season.

“You’ve got 38 games to try and win the title and every point is valuable. You’ve got to fight for every single point you get,”said Baxter.

“It’s a long campaign ahead - we’re just getting started and there are lots of very, very good teams. I don’t underestimate any of them.

“As well as at least six teams who could win the league, the remainder are very capable of beating you on their day.”

Baxter is delighted to see the Glens ‘back in the mix’ again. He said: “The status of Glentoran FC is phenomenal and they have a huge support. When they are going well they bring such a flavour to our game locally.

“It’s good to see them rejuvenated and getting back in the mix. They have been in the shadows for far too long.”