Derg boss attempting to plot massive cup upset

WHILE on one hand Saturday’s Samuel Gelston Whiskey Irish Cup tie is a fantastic occasion for all concerned with Dergview Football Club, it’s manager Tommy Canning’s job to somehow or other mastermind what would be one of the greatest shocks in the competition’s illustrious history.

It is true that there is only one level between the sides however in recent times Glentoran have embraced a full-time football model and their latest signings have reflected that.

Last season the Glens signed Conor McMenamin from Cliftonville in a high-profile move, during the summer the Oval outfit paid an Irish League record of £100, 000 to bring in Shay McCartan from Ballymena United and, ahead of their visit to the Derg, manager Mick McDermott has added Michael O’Connor (Shelbourne), Sean Murray (Dundalk) and former Rangers defender Darren Cole to his star-studded squad

Glentoran have lost just one of their last 15 Premiership games and given they have recently bolstered their squad many are tipping the East Belfast men to dethrone Big Two rivals Linfield by winning the Gibson Cup.

For Canning and his players Saturday will be a mammoth task but the Derg supremo is relishing the eagerly-anticipated David-versus-Goliath clash.

“It’s going to be incredibly difficult for my team when I think about the array of talent that Glentoran have at their disposal,” said the Strabane man.

“You talk about gaps between teams. There is an absolute gulf between what Glentoran have to select from and what we have to select from. That’s not being disrespectful to our players.

“Shay McCartan is the most expensive transfer in the Irish League and they have just brought in Sean Murray from Dundalk. They already have Jay Donnelly, Ruaidhri Donnelly, Bobby Burns, Luke McCullough, Paddy McClean, Rhys Marshall, Robbie McDaid, Conor McMenamin, they are an incredible force and they won’t be daunted about coming down to Darragh Park, that’s for sure.

“There are two sides to this game. It’s a glamour tie, it’s brilliant for the club.

“It can do a lot for the club in the short term and that is brilliant. We have to embrace that, maximise it and showcase ourselves as a club in the best light that we can.

“On the pitch it’s going to be incredibly difficult. When you try and solve one problem that we might have and you look at another part of the pitch and they have X, Y and Z in there.

“It’s a huge, huge challenge but one that we have to try and meet if we can and give as good account of ourselves and try and prepare for it.

“Hopefully Glentoran take their eye off the ball a wee bit, we over achieve and we close the gap to make a game of it.

“What we don’t want is to be heavily embarrassed and I have no doubt that the players will do all that they can to avoid that.

“We do have to be realistic though, we are going up against a full-time outfit that is littered with talented players.”

While it’s hard to make a case for Dergview pulling off a shock result, Canning insists his team is certainly not without hope.

He believes within his squad he has one or two players capable of stepping up to the next level while for others it may well be the biggest game of their football career.

Canning says his players won’t be short of motivation but he insists it’s important that they focus on the collective and the execution of the game plan while expressing themselves individually.

“I believe we have one or two players who could step up another level and this could be an opportunity for them to profile themselves,” he continued.

“Of course that will only work if those players fulfil their role within the team and do what they can for the collective effort.

“For other players they might never play against a full-time outfit again and therefore it’s to be enjoyed. That’s not to say that we will go into the tie with fear but reality. We won’t be afraid of what could potentially happen.

“ At the end of the day it’s a game of football and we all know strange things can happen in football.”