Ciaran O'Connor joins Warrenpoint Town on loan

O'Connor has been out since the end of October with a broken foot and McDermott feels a return to Milltown for the midfielder will help him get back playing regularly again before returning to The Oval at the end of the season.

"Ciaran has been very unlucky to be out with a long-term injury," he told the club website.

"After his rehab he should return to play his part for Warrenpoint then we will look forward to having him back with us at Glentoran for next season.”

Meanwhile, O'Connor's brother Michael, who joined Glentoran during the January transfer window is in line to make his debut for the club in tomorrow's Samuel Gelston’s Whiskey Irish Cup first round tie at Dergview.

O'Connor and fellow new boy Sean Murray are both available for selection with Darren Cole still a couple of weeks away from playing.

"Of our new players, Michael and Sean will be available for Saturday.

"Darren just arrived with the group last Monday, so it will take him a couple of weeks to get up to speed in terms of training.

"Of the lads missing last week, Robbie McDaid, Joe Crowe and Ben Cushnie will be back, but we’ll access Bigi between now and Saturday. He pulled up in the warm-up last week with a tightness in his calf.

"Obviously, we don’t know as much about Dergview as we would about a Premiership opponent, but we had them watched at Dundela last weekend.

"That was a 2-2 draw, so we got a very thorough report on them. It will be a hard game and we are under no illusions.

"We got it tight a couple of years ago at Queen’s University. We won 3-2 that day and it was tight right to the end until Robbie got the winner. So we know anything can happen in a cup tie."