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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Sport
Gareth Fullerton

Glentoran boss Mick McDermott happy to continue Friday night experiment

Mick McDermott says Glentoran will continue experimenting with Friday night fixtures this season.

The Glens switched four games from their traditional 3pm Saturday slots last season, and hope with more fans returning they can attract bigger crowds to the Oval in 2021/22.

The new Irish Premiership campaign kicked off last Friday night with two games, including Larne's 4-2 win over Coleraine and the Mid Ulster derby stalemate between Portadown and Glenavon.

Linfield have also announced that four of their Saturday fixtures have been moved to Friday nights, including games against Cliftonville (H), Crusaders (A), Glenavon (A) and Larne (A).

McDermott is a fan of floodlit games, with Glentoran already moving next week's game against Ballymena United to Friday night.

"We moved our game against Ballymena United to next Friday night. That was our choice, if you give the league four weeks' notice," McDermott told Belfast Live's That's What I Call Football podcast.

"We will do that any game, as long as don't play on the Tuesday before it. We don't want to play Tuesday-Friday.

"When I came in two years ago people warned me about moving games to Friday night. I was told there would be smaller crowds, because history shows fans want a 3pm Saturday kick-off.

"But I said let's try it, and the first game we had here on a Friday night was against Cliftonville and the crowd was actually up. It was a brilliant atmosphere, and the Clitonville men actually filled the back end. And it was a good game.

"We did it four times last year, and we have arranged the Ballymena game for next Friday night.

"I am going to look at our calendar and fill in some more Friday nights, because I think it's brilliant.

"Everyone loves a game under the floodlights."

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