Glenavon F.C.

Glenavon
Full name Glenavon Football Club
Nickname(s) Lurgan Blues, The Mourneview Aces
Founded November 1889 (1889-11)
Ground Mourneview Park, Lurgan
County Armagh
Capacity 4,160 (3,200 seated)[1]
Chairman Adrian Teer
Manager Gary Hamilton (player-manager)
League NIFL Premiership
2017–18 3rd
Website Club website

Glenavon Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1889, hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park. Club colours are blue and white. Gary Hamilton has been player-manager of the Lurgan Blues since December 2011 following the resignation of Marty Quinn. Glenavon's bitter rivals are Portadown, with their matches known as the 'Mid-Ulster Derby'.

Domestic history


Glenavon was the first provincial club to win the Irish League title (1951–52) and also the first provincial club to do the league and cup double (1956–57). The latter triumph also made them the first Northern Irish team to enter the European Cup. Glenavon has had a number of talented and famous players, none more so than Wilbur Cush and Jimmy Jones, who were to the fore in "the glory years" of the Fifties. The success of the 1950s is still the benchmark at the club – the closest the club have come to achieving a league success since came in the 1993–94 season, when but for two late goals in the final match Glenavon would have been crowned champions.

Glenavon enjoyed a good run throughout the 1990s, consistently achieving good placings in the league and winning several cup competitions, including Irish Cup wins in 1991–92 and 1996–97, and were runners-up against Glentoran in the 1995–96 and 1997–98 editions of the cup. The club then suffered a relatively poor spell during the early 2000s, which culminated in relegation to the second tier in the 2003–04 Irish League season. Although they were promoted the following season, Glenavon continued to struggle towards the bottom of the league throughout the remainder of the decade, going through several managers such as Terry Cochrane, Stephen McBride & Marty Quinn. McBride was a Northern Ireland international and a popular Glenavon player in the 1990s, but his reign lasted just seven months before he was relieved of his managerial duties with Glenavon at the bottom of the IFA Premiership.[2][3]

Former Portadown & Glentoran forward Gary Hamilton was appointed player-manager in December 2011, managing to steer the club from relegation in the remainder of the 2011–12 Irish League season. This was followed up by a 9th-place finish in the 2012–13 season. The 2013–14 season was welcomed by many as a successful season, the Lurgan club securing a top-six league finish and a return to winning major silverware with the 2013–14 Irish Cup, in which Glenavon triumphed 2–1 over Ballymena United in the final.

Following on from this cup triumph was a successful 2014–15 season. Though Glenavon did not fare as well in the Irish Cup, exiting at the 6th round to Championship 1 side Harland & Wolff Welders, an excellent late run of 7 consecutive wins saw the Lurgan Blues pip their Mid-Ulster rivals Portadown to a third-placed league finish, therefore sealing European football for the 2015–16 season.

The 2015–16 season would be another good season for the Lurgan Blues, once again securing Europe on the penultimate matchday by finishing third, on a points total of 69 – the highest achieved by the club since a win became three points in the 1986–87 season. Even more success was to follow, as the club claimed a second Irish Cup win in three years, defeating David Healy's Linfield 2–0 in the final.

Glenavon did not enjoy similar success in the 2016–17 season. Despite having signed former Celtic and Northern Ireland winger Paddy McCourt, the club struggled for form and could only achieve a disappointing 6th-placed finish in the league. Although the club reached the semi-finals of the Mid-Ulster Cup, League Cup and Irish Cup, they were defeated in all by Warrenpoint Town, Carrick Rangers and Coleraine respectively. Glenavon also suffered agonising defeat to Ballymena United in the Europa League playoff final, therefore missing out on a fourth successive year of European qualification.

European record

Glenavon was the first Northern Irish team to enter the European Cup. In their first tie they drew AGF of Denmark, drawing 0–0 at home and losing 0–3 away.

Glenavon achieved some more notable results in Europe in the 1990s. In the 1992–93 season, they drew both legs of their Cup Winners Cup tie with Royal Antwerp and lost on penalties. In 1995–96 they reached the first round proper of the UEFA Cup (the last Irish League club to do so), and were beaten by Werder Bremen.

SeasonCompetitionRoundOpponents1st leg2nd legAggregate
1957–58 European Cup PR Denmark AGF 0–3 0–0 0–3
1960–61 European Cup PR Germany Wismut Karl Marx Stadt w/o N/A
1961–62 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup PR England Leicester City 1–4 1–3 2–7
1977–78 UEFA Cup 1R Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 2–6 0–5 2–11
1979–80 UEFA Cup 1R Belgium Standard Liège 0–1 0–1 0–2
1988–89 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1R Denmark AGF 1–4 1–3 2–7
1990–91 UEFA Cup 1R France Bordeaux 0–0 0–2 0–2
1991–92 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1R Finland Ilves 3–2 1–2 4–4(a)
1992–93 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1R Belgium Royal Antwerp 1–1 1–1 2–2(1–3p)
1995–96 UEFA Cup PR Iceland FH 0–0 1–0 1–0
1R Germany Werder Bremen 0–2 0–5 0–7
1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup QR Poland Legia Warsaw 1–1 0–4 1–5
2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1R Croatia Slaven Belupo 1–1 0–3 1–4
2001–02 UEFA Cup QR Scotland Kilmarnock 0–1 0–1 0–2
2014–15 UEFA Europa League 1QR Iceland FH 0–3 2–3 2–6
2015–16 UEFA Europa League 1QR Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk 1–2 0–3 1–5
2016–17 UEFA Europa League 1QR Iceland KR Reykjavik 1–2 0–6 1–8
2018–19 UEFA Europa League 1QR Norway Molde 2−1 1–5 3–6

Stadium

Mourneview Park is now considered to be one of the best grounds in the Irish League. Along the side of the pitch runs the Geddis Stand (holds roughly 1700), and on the other side the Glenfield Road Stand (holds roughly 2000), which houses away supporters. Behind one of the goals, the ground has the Crescent End (400 seats, and standing area), and at the other end the Hospital End remains undeveloped.

In addition to Glenavon's home matches, the stadium is also a regular host for Northern Ireland under-21 matches, and was the venue for several group stage games in the UEFA Women's Under-19 Euro 2017 finals. Due to the ongoing renovation of Windsor Park, Mourneview Park was chosen as the venue for Linfield's home ties in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League. The stadium has occasionally been used as a neutral ground for Irish Cup semi-finals, most recently in the 2014–15 and 2016–17 editions of the competition.

Honours

Senior honours

† Won by Glenavon Reserves

Intermediate honours

† Won by Glenavon Reserves

Junior honours

  • Irish Junior Cup: 1
    • 1897–98

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Northern Ireland GK Jonny Tuffey
3 Northern Ireland DF Dylan King
4 Northern Ireland DF Caolan Marron
5 Northern Ireland DF Andrew Doyle
6 Northern Ireland MF Niall Grace
7 Republic of Ireland MF Joshua Daniels
8 Northern Ireland DF Rhys Marshall
9 Northern Ireland FW Andrew Mitchell
10 Northern Ireland MF Mark Sykes
11 Northern Ireland MF Andy Hall
12 Republic of Ireland FW Stephen Donnelly
14 Northern Ireland MF Patrick Burns
No. Position Player
15 Northern Ireland MF Aaron Harmon
16 Northern Ireland MF Sammy Clingan
18 Northern Ireland GK James Taylor
20 Northern Ireland MF Conor McCloskey
22 Northern Ireland MF Robbie Norton
23 Scotland DF Gary Muir
24 Northern Ireland FW Stephen Murray
27 Northern Ireland DF James Singleton
30 Northern Ireland FW Jordan Jenkins
31 Northern Ireland GK Jack Hazard
80 Northern Ireland FW Gary Hamilton (Player-manager)
TBA Northern Ireland MF Ben Doherty (on loan from Derry City)

Managers

Glenavon FC Academy

Glenavon FC's Academy consists of teams at Under 7, Under 8, Under 9, Under 10, Under 11, Under 12, Under 13, Under 14, Under 15 and Under 16. There is also an Under 19 team which comes under the auspices of the Senior Club and plays as Glenavon IIIs. The Academy was formed in 2007 as a result of the Irish league licensing requirements and then first team manager Colin Malone appointed Gordon Wylie as academy co-ordinator who joined the club from Lower Maze Youth. Gordon's first task was to bring ex Glenavon legend Stephen McBride back to the club as the Academy head coach. The Glenavon FC Academy is now headed by Ryan Prentice. The Academy currently has three UEFA A Licence and two UEFA B Licence coaches.

In recent times the Club has introduced various coaching programmes and training camps aimed at increasing the numbers within the Academy. These have included the Glenavon FC Academy Club Affiliation Programme, Schools Programme, Aces, Girls Football and annual Football Camps at Easter, Summer and Halloween.

Notes

  1. ↑ The 1961–62 North-South Cup could not be finished in time. The first round and part of the second round were played in this season, with the rest completed in the 1962–63 season. The Cup started in February 1962 and was completed in May 1963.

References

  1. ↑ www.worldstadiums.com
  2. ↑ "Club Statement". Glenavon F.C. 2009-01-28. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
  3. ↑ "Glenavon sack McBride and Fraser". BBC Sport. 2009-01-28. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
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