Refereeing decisions played a central role in Thursday’s match as Glentoran manager Declan Devine’s decision not to send off Linfield goalkeeper David Walsh for bringing down Jordan Jenkins outside his area in the second half was met with disbelief by Glentoran manager Declan Devine and surprise by most neutral observers.
Glenn Boss describes it as: “Turning PointA game that ended 0-0 at The Oval.
Blues stopper Chris Johns was kept in reserve on the bench but the prospect of playing the last half hour of the game with just 10 men in the Boxing Day showdown could be a challenging one for the visitors.
Linfield defender Sam Roscoe was subsequently sent off for a second yellow after 10 minutes and home captain Marcus Kane saw red for two offences.
Devine’s side had the better of the game but were unable to take the chances that would have secured a fourth consecutive victory over their derby rivals this season, with Jenkins particularly culpable in front of goal.
Linfield picked up a valuable point as back-to-back champions Larne had three ‘goals’ disallowed as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Carrick Rangers, failing to make it to the clubs above them.
Larne head coach Gary Havron expressed his disappointment after the match that Cian Bolger’s header, Matt Lusty’s effort and Andy Ryan’s shot were all ruled out by referee Ian McNabb.
Learn are ninth in the table, 22 points behind leaders Linfield, but have six games in hand on Healy’s charge ahead of the big meeting between the sides at Windsor Park on Monday.
A win for the pacesetters in that encounter would put them in a vastly stronger position to reclaim the Gibson Cup.
