INSTITUTE: Semi-final spot up for grabs tonight

Institute manager Kevin Deery believes his team should not need any motivation for tonight’s JBE League Cup quarter-final clash.
Midfielder Aaron Harkin is starting to shine for Institute and hell have to be at his best against Warrenpoint Town tonight.Midfielder Aaron Harkin is starting to shine for Institute and hell have to be at his best against Warrenpoint Town tonight.
Midfielder Aaron Harkin is starting to shine for Institute and hell have to be at his best against Warrenpoint Town tonight.

The Waterside men face Premiership bottom side Warrenpoint Town, at Drumahoe (KO 7.45pm) and Deery is hoping to cause another cup upset.

In the last round his young side went to Premiership champions Crusaders and won in extra-time and a repeat display this evening would do nicely.

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“We have to realise that there’s an opportunity for us to reach a semi-final at either Windsor Park or the Oval or where ever, so it’s great motivation for the players,” he said.

“We put a lot of effort to get past Sporting & Leisure Swifts and obviously Crusaders in the last round and now there’s a great incentive having a home game against Warrenpoint Town in the quarter-finals.

“We can take confidence from the Ards game, they are one of the sides who will be challenging for our league, so to go there and win convincingly means all the squad is buzzing.”

Deery is also hoping there will be a big crowd supporting his side this evening.

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“We had fantastic support at Ards on Saturday and it would great to have an even bigger crowd tonight,” he added.

“We are trying to make the connection with the fans and we are trying to do things right in terms of playing the right way, so it would be great to get a bit of a crowd tonight.

“I want to make the game somewhat of an occasions and I will be doing my upmost to try and get most of my family and friends to come to the game.

“There’s no Champions League or English Premier League football live on TV this evening, so it would be great if the public came out to support us tonight.”

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Only a couple of weeks ago Deery and his assistant Paddy McLaughlin both travelled to Ferney Park to see Barry Gray’s side lose at Ballinamallard United.

“To be honest they were good in the first half and probably deserved to be in front at Ballinmallard, but then in the second half Ballinamallard scored a couple of quick goals and they pushed on, but in saying that Warrenpoint have a bit about them,” he said.

“Then only a few weeks ago they narrowly lost to Cliftonville and partially it was pretty much 50/50.

“Look it’s going to be a tough game for us, because at the end of the day they are the Premiership side and rightfully are the favourites, but it’s an opportunity because we are at home and we have done well at Drumahoe, so hopefully we can take advantage of that.”

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Striker Robbie Hume returns to the squad, but frontman Garbhan Friel and defender Stephen O’Donnell are suspended, while centre-back Darryl McDermott is likely to be out for a number of months after suffering a broken jaw in Saturday’s win at Ards.