Our latest guest ground hopping blogger is 'The Grey Haired Ground Hopper'
Since the end of the Covid lockdown Brian, AKA The Grey Haired Ground Hopper, decided to embark on his own Ground hopping adventures, having been inspired by many others who do this pastime, with the aim is to visit as many previously unvisited football grounds as possible from all tiers of the Scottish domestic game and blog about each one.
He has kindly shared with us from his excellent website his latest ground hop blogging adventure which is his first one outside of Scotland!
Please make sure to check out all of The Grey Haired Ground Hopper's other social media links at the end of the article.
Today is the day that I’ve had marked in my calendar for a while. Just a little over two years since my first Groundhopping outing was a short trip along the A82 to Dumbarton I’m getting on a plane and taking my blog across the sea!
Ok, so some may point out it’s only across the Irish Sea, it’s still part of the United Kingdom etc and it’s true you can probably fly from Glasgow to Belfast quicker than a morning commute in Glasgow across the Kingston Bridge but in my 35 years of existence I’ve never stepped foot in Northern Ireland despite it being so close!
More to the point when it comes to football stadiums, Belfast has five clubs in the Northern Ireland Premiership alone not to mention many others in the lower divisions too so I really was spoiled for choice when it came to match selection!
However there’s one stadium that many past visitors have referred to online as a must see and the opportunity to visit Glentoran’s The Oval could not be ignored, so it’s an NIFL Premiership fixture against Carrick Rangers going under the microscope today with an added layer of hospitality thrown in for good measure!
The club: One half of Belfast’s “Big Two”, 137 trophies since formation in 1882 is an impressive haul although the last of their 23 league titles was back in season 2008/09 as their fans have had to watch fellow Belfast sides Linfield, Cliftonville and Crusaders have multiple successes since. Glentoran are also famous (or infamous) for rejecting a certain George Best as a youngster because he was “too small and light” and in more recent times, July 2023 to be precise, Glentoran were the unlucky losers in a record-breaking European game against Gzira United from Malta. The tie went all the way to extra time and penalties, with Gzira winning 14-13 on penalties. This is the highest scoring penalty shoot-out ever in European competition.
Distance from home: 151 miles
Bet McLean Oval Capacity: 26,556 (6,050 safe capacity)
Attendance: around 2,000
Admission: £48 (hospitality)
The stadium: There’s a few famous sports grounds around the world called The Oval but none can match this gem. This stadium was severely damaged during the Belfast Blitz in 1941 by the Germans due to its close proximity to the docks and it wasn’t finished being rebuilt until 1949. The impressive main grandstand was built in 1953 and the other seated stand for the away fans on the side wasn't added until 2000. The ground requires consistent maintenance to fulfill health and safety requirements and its total capacity is currently restricted to 6,050, a far cry from its record crowd of 55,000 in a European match against Rangers back in season 66/67. Plans to completely redevelop this ground were submitted in 2021 but the collapse of Stormont in 2022 meant funding is yet to be secured but with the Northern Ireland politicians back being friendly again for the time being, could it finally happen? One thing is for certain, It’s truly a must see ground in its current condition. 5/5
The form: To prepare for my first foray into Northern Irish football I utilised live footage of both teams on the BBC I player in the run up to the game. I had observed both teams in home games against the same opponents, title contenders Cliftonville, and noticed both sides concede stoppage time goals. The Glens had thrown a way a 2-0 lead to draw and Carrick Rangers lost 1-0 in terrible weather conditions. In between those matches I had seen Glentoran get an impressive 6-1 win away to lower league opponents in the Irish Cup so I expected goals to flow today.
The match: It was a slowish start to the game with the visitors happy to let Glentoran have most of the ball but the first incident of note was with a quarter of an hour gone as O’Connor was played in on goal on the right and appeared to bundled over as he was about to shoot but the ref must have seen something different and the game continued. A penalty and a red card for the visitors was somehow avoided.
However they didn’t need to wait long for the opening goal as 20 minutes has gone when Bobby Burns struck with a low shot from the edge of the box for the opening goal. This was the fourth game in a row he had scored.
Glentoran remained comfortable throughout the half so it was no shock when David Fisher made it 2-0 as he turned on the edge of the area and fired into the bottom corner with just under 10 minutes to go to half time.
There was a chance of note for both sides before half time as McCullogh but in a great last ditch block on a rare Carrick attack and a goalmouth scramble at the other end almost brought a third goal which wouldn’t have been underserved at this point for the home side.
Half time: Glentoran 2-0 Carrick Rangers
Early in the second half Carrick almost scored an own goal as O’Connor drove in to penalty and his low cross was just put behind by the Carrick defender.
Junior was then played through but a tame effort was saved by foot of Carrick keeper Glendenning as he seemed to hesitate slightly before taking the shot.
Then just after the hour mark Carrick pulled one back out of nowhere with a wonder strike from Mitchell from outside the area. All of sudden it was game on!
Glentoran had the ball in the net shortly after but O’Connor was offside from a rebound from a spilled free kick. Not entitled sure the match officials made the right call here either!
Inevitably, Glentoran would pay for these controversial decisions and missed chances as with just over five minutes remaining former Glens forward Curtis Allen finished from close range to spark wild celebrations in the away end.
They was a lot of desperation as stoppage time seemed to last forever as Glentoran tried their best to turn this game back in their favour late on but as the full time whistle went and Carrick celebrated an unlikely comeback there were some boos from the home fans who were understandably frustrated at another lead being blown.
Full time: Glentoran 2-2 Carrick Rangers
Overall: A game in which Glentoran had gone from total control to total meltdown by the end. The visitors were completely out of the game until they got their first one back and from there possibly could have taken all three points away with them. Glentoran must be fuming as that’s twice in a row two certain victories have ended in draws and questions have to be asked about the manner in which they are finishing games off. With three of the four goals today being very good strikes my first experience of Northern Ireland league football certainly didn’t disappoint. 9/10
Man of the match: Fisher was the best player on the park for me, not just his goal was class but his overall link up play with his team mates was great. He’s just renewed his contract for another year here and it’s easy to see why Glentoran would be delighted he’s staying.
The grub: At £48 the hospitality option was worth every penny. You watch from a portacabin beside the old Main stand which is a little strange at first as you don’t hear the full crowd noise from inside it! Now in Scotland, hospitality for this price would maybe mean a limit to the number of drinks available or even a pay bar but not here! A cool box of various canned alcoholic beverages was kept topped up throughout the entire time we were there and there was plenty of sandwiches provided and a good chicken curry meal at half time to soak up the booze. If your going to travel a distance to visit here I’d recommend this option! Leanne was a brilliant host and a special thanks for letting me access the pitch before the game to shoot a video from the centre circle too. 5/5
Final thoughts: Loved every second of my time in Belfast and the football was no exception. The standard of play is probably not that far off a lower half Scottish Premiership match but it’s much more value for money and there’s no VAR to steal the show! If you can, don’t take my word for it and come watch a game here for yourself. Now I’m off to experience the delights of Belfast Town Centre on a Saturday night and if it’s as entertaining as the game was then the good times will roll! I can say for sure though, with so may more teams in Belfast to check out, I’ll be back!
The Grey Haired Ground Hopper
Once again, a big thank you to the Grey Haired Ground Hopper for sharing his wonderful blog with us.
You can follow The Grey Haired Ground Hopper on all his social media platforms by clicking on all the following links Facebook - Twitter - Instagram - TikTok and YouTube and you can find all his excellent previous and future adventures on his website
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