Holders Crusaders still fighting on all fronts ahead of Glentoran test

Crusaders will attempt to recapture the magic of the cup a fortnight on from final knockout misery.
Crusaders boss Stephen Baxter. Pic by INPHO.Crusaders boss Stephen Baxter. Pic by INPHO.
Crusaders boss Stephen Baxter. Pic by INPHO.

The current holders of the Irish Cup return in search of a one-off reward this weekend with a quarter-final clash against Glentoran at the Oval having recently lost out in the League Cup showpiece.

Having also suffered league defeats either side of that Windsor Park woe to Coleraine, Crues boss Stephen Baxter is aware of the high stakes in the high-profile clash.

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“It’s a huge game of football,” said Baxter. “It was always going to be big.

Glentoran head coach Mick McDermott. Pic by Pacemaker.Glentoran head coach Mick McDermott. Pic by Pacemaker.
Glentoran head coach Mick McDermott. Pic by Pacemaker.

“We played a lot of big teams in the cup last year and managed to be successful.

“There’s big emphasis on it because Linfield have gone a bit ahead of us (in the league), it is going to be mighty difficult for us to reel that back in but there is European football and you have to charge yourself up for second place as it is there to be fought for.

“We clawed our way back into this league championship race and everybody still has to play each other a lot in the next few weeks, so it is not the end of the world by any stretch, we will still be in there fighting every single week.

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“There is much to play for, we have no divine right to win any game and you have to earn the right to win any football match.

“Last season the only route into Europe was the Irish Cup and we were beset by injuries.

“We patched Jordan Owens and Paul Heatley up in all of those games from Christmas onwards to try and be fit to play in those games.

“The squad is bigger this season and more people are fit and raring to go so we will still have an eye on qualifying for Europe through second place I’m sure and I’m not ruling out the possibility of Linfield going on a bad run and ourselves going on a brilliant run.”

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The Glens also go into the tie searching for a return to form following a difficult start to 2020 off the back of a sparkling sequence to close out last year.

“While I was disappointed at the result against Glenavon last week (a 2-2 draw), I thought we were very much the better team and played some very good football,” said Glentoran head coach Mick McDermott on the club’s official website. “We dominated and created enough chances to win the game relatively comfortably.

“This is a big one on Saturday, Crusaders are coming here on the back of a poor run of results.

“They’re 11 points behind Linfield so they might see the cup as their only route into Europe.

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“So they will be totally up for this and we’ll need to be even more so.

“Crusaders have been successful in recent years and they know how to win things.

“I thought we were good enough to win our last home match against Crusaders in December...certainly we had the majority of the play and I’m confident we’ll produce an equally good performance on Saturday and hopefully get the result we need.

“It’s always a case of fine margins in cup ties so a big support, loudly behind us, could just be the difference.”