AMATEUR LEAGUE: Weekend preview

One casualty is Mossley’s Intermediate Cup tie away to Sport and Leisure Swifts, as the Championship 2 side instead will be at Dergview for an Irish Cup tie put back on Saturday.

Mossley’s match is now scheduled for January 2, giving them five free Saturdays in a row, including the Christmas break. However, as manager Garry Campbell reflected: “The consolation is we’re not going straight into a league game after a break like that – the league is our priority!”

Meanwhile, Barn United will have a ‘take two’ on their Intermediate clash against 1st Bangor at Haslett Park. As Barn boss Jim Pherson explained: “On Friday afternoon, the game was on, but it started raining around 6am on Saturday morning and just didn’t stop. The water wasn’t going away anywhere. Look at the trouble Carrick Rangers are having next door!

Larne Tech hope to welcome back Kele McAuley for this weekend's Clarence Cup match against Dromore Amateurs.

“We’re hopeful for this Saturday. First Bangor beat us at home in the league in August but they were happy to settle for a point until breaking away for a last-minute winner! We’re doing rightly in the cups, but it won’t be easy.”

Elsewhere, in the Clarence Cup, Larne Tech travel to 1C strugglers Dromore Amateurs, welcoming back Chris Keenan and Matt Devine, ruled out of Saturday’s Intermediate defeat at Newry as they were signed outside the transfer window. Also back in contention are Kele McAuley and Lee Campbell.

Manager Johnny Hastings said: “I’m looking for a reaction and a chance to give some players, coming back from injury, some game time; the ones that need a rest will get it!”

Nortel will be hoping to keep their recent run going with a home tie against Ford, while there is an all 1B clash at Distillery where UUJ meet Sirocco.