Young players to get their chance in Mid-Ulster Cup

Laurelvale play in Intermediate B of the Mid Ulster Football league, alongside Lurgan Town and the recently reformed Newry City AFC.

Glenavon manager Gary Hamilton says he’ll be using the game to blood his young players.

He said: “It’ll be a good test for the boys. It’ll be good for them to play against older, more experienced players. It’ll be a good learning curve.

“They’ll have to move the ball quickly and deal with the physicality of the game.

“Playing against a Mid-Ulster team can be a step up from Reserve team level because of that aspect of it.

“As we’ve said since we came to the club, the Mid-Ulster Cup will be used to get a look at the younger players and also for the guys who are coming back from injury. People criticised that in the defeat last season but it’s a competition that we can look at players without any pressure on them. If we can get to the final like we did a couple of seasons ago, it’s a great evening for those guys.”