Glentoran star looking to set record straight in Irish Cup after 'little hard done by' Larne record
Glentoran star Ryan Cooney admits his side “have felt a little hard done by” not to pick up a win against Larne so far this season – but believes Friday’s Irish Cup quarter-final showdown is the perfect time to set the record straight.
The Premiership’s top-two have met three times in the league throughout the current campaign with Larne winning the first two before claiming a late point in a 2-2 draw last month after Andy Ryan slotted home a last-gasp penalty.
While the pair will be battling it out for Gibson Cup glory this term – they’re currently separated by five points and Glentoran have a game in hand – immediate focus will turn to sealing progression in Northern Ireland’s premier cup competition.
Glentoran have won their last three consecutive league matches, including Tuesday’s triumph over an in-form Carrick Rangers, and Cooney, who has been sent off twice against Larne this term, now has his sights set on getting one over on the Inver Reds.
"I think we can count ourselves a bit unfortunate not to have picked up a win against Larne so far this season," he said. "We have played them three times already this season, losing twice and drawing once, but in all three games we have felt a little hard done by.
"They scored late on to win in the first game at Inver Park back in December, and then we went down 4-1 at the Oval on a night when everything seemed to go against us.
"There was more frustration for us in the last away game down at Inver when we played really well and looked to be on course for the win only to concede a penalty right at the death.
"That was another tough one for us to take as we were so close to securing all three points. Despite that though there are plenty of positives for us to take out of all the games we have played so far this season.
"That's what we will be focusing on going into the game on Friday night and we will be looking at what we did well in the three previous encounters.
"Those games are gone now in terms of the result, but we have to look at coming out on top on Friday. It's the cup so we know there won't be any draws you either win or you lose.
"We will be determined to win the game as there's a place in the semi-final up for grabs and we want to make sure we are in the draw come the final whistle.
"There's no better time for us to get a result than this weekend and we are all fully focused on getting a result and keeping our recent good form going."