Richard Vauls' Moyola Park warning for Irish Cup clash with Belfast Celtic

The original clash on January 4 fell victim to the cold weather, with the winners knowing they will have home advantage against Ards in the next round.

After receiving a bye in the first round, Ballymena and Provincial Football League Intermediate side Belfast Celtic then beat Saintfield at the next hurdle.

However, their next two results have been eye-catching as they ousted two Premier Intermediate sides in succession as Oxford Sunnyside and Portstewart were put to the sword.

"We know the game is a good opportunity for us," said ex-Coleraine, Crusaders and Ballymena United man Vauls. "We will be looking to win this one and we know we are more than capable of giving Ards a game.

"However, we realise we can't under-estimate them as they've already had some brilliant results in the Irish Cup. We play against Portstewart regularly, so to go there and beat them is a big statement.

"We will give them the respect that they deserve but it's a game we feel we can win."

Moyola – who were beaten in the final of the Craig Memorial Cup by Newtowne on Boxing Day – picked up all three points in the Premier Intermediate last Saturday as Adam Gray’s late goal was enough to beat Portstewart.

The win moved Kenny Shiels’ men up to fifth in the standings, having only played eight games to date.

Reflecting on the victory on the north coast, Vauls commented: “It was a good result for us as Portstewart is a difficult place to go.

“To be honest, we probably should have been ahead before the late winner from Adam. We held on in the end even though Lee McLaughlin missed a late penalty, so it was the perfect way to respond after two defeats in a row.

"We want to finish as high as we can but the main goal is to be challenging near the top.

"There are plenty of games still to play and we’ll be taking it one fixture at a time.

"The ability is definitely in the squad but we know Warrenpoint Town and Dollingstown are going to be the teams to beat.”