Referee Louise Thompson blows her whistle and away we go at Taylors Avenue.

Dungannon's Tiernan Kelly gets the ball rolling on a beautiful spring-like afternoon in the heart of the Red Hand County.

The visitors have won the two previous meetings this season, both at the Coleraine Showgrounds.

Can they complete the hat-trick this afternoon - or will their hosts record a first home league win over the Bannsiders in just over five years?

We're off and running in east Belfast.

Stephen Lowry
Sportsound summariser

Personally, bad is my first impression of it.

I am all for the right decisions and making sure the big decisions are correct, but I don't think the league is ready for it and we are in that position at the minute.

David Jeffrey
Former Linfield & Ballymena manager on BBC Radio Ulster

The base line for me is to make sure this is going to be for the good of the game.

This is when I put my trust in Gerard [Lawlor] and what he is trying to do for the local game, how he is trying to progress it and make it fair.

More from Gerard Lawlor live on Radio Ulster's Sportsound talking about VAR: "We never want to lose the local game, the history and the tradition.

"However, unfortunately in some cases, I face this every day, the good old days have gone and we have to move forward or we will be left behind.

"It is my job to make sure we are not left behind."

Paul Leeman
Former Glentoran captain on BBC Radio Ulster

I am not a big fan of VAR.

We watch a lot of football in the Premier League, at the highest level, and they still make mistakes. I am all for anything that can help referees. I am for trying to help them out.

The big thing with VAR is it needs to be used correctly and better.

Gerard Lawlor live on Radio Ulster's Sportsound talking about VAR: "The reaction in my opinion has been over the top. There has been abuse, threats and anonymous twitter accounts set up by people and calling for my resignation.

"This is a game of football and if there was a major mistake in the final and people knew we had the ability to bring VAR in for free and without a charge to the league, those people would be criticising me for not doing it.

"There is no financial cost to NIFL or the two clubs. They are happy and completely back the decision to bring this in."

Dungannon Swifts head coach Rodney McAree makes just the one change to the team which lost 1-0 at Portadown a week ago.

Leo Alves comes back in which means Kobei Moore reverts to the bench.

The Coleraine starting XI shows three changes to that which started the derby win over Ballymena United eight days ago.

Influential midfielder Will Patching is suspended, Jamie Glackin is not included in the squad while James Akintunde starts among the replacements.

In their place come midfielder Dylan Boyle, Zane Okoro and striker Matthew Shevlin - who has scored six goals in his last six visits to Stangmore Park!

Dungannon Swifts: Dunne, Scott, Kelly, Alves, Glenny, Gordon, McGinty, Doyle, Wallace, Bigirimana (c), McAllister.

Subs: Henderson, Maguire, Knowles, Dillon, Mitchell, Moore, Smith.

Coleraine: Schofield, Boyle, Shevlin, Cooper, Ives (c), Dunne, Stewart, Wylie, Okoro, Coyle, Connolly.

Subs: Webb, Jarvis, McGonigle, McDonald, Akintunde, Watson, Devine.

Image source, BBC Sport

Watch highlights as Dungannon lose to Portadown by 1-0 at Shamrock Park.

The sun is shining here at Taylors Avenue and that is reflective of the fine form the hosts are in at present.

After last Friday's superb 3-2 win over Larne, Carrick manager Stephen Baxter is forced into two changes for this game.

Reece Glendinning and Adam Lecky return to the starting line-up in place of the injured Joe Crowe and Matthew Olusunde as they hunt out another three points today against an out-of-sorts Seasiders.

Bangor are on a poor run of form summed up by last week's 3-1 defeat at home by basement side Glenavon and it is no surprise that manager Lee Feeney opts for three changes today to change their fortunes.

Captain Lewis Harrison returns alongside Michael Morgan and Stephen McGuiness.

Carrick Rangers: Gartside; Place, Burns, Gibson, Lecky, McCullough (C), Steele, Buchanan-Rolleston, Heatley, Glendinning, Snoddy.

Subs: Donnelly, Waide, Cherry, McCawl, Hawthorne, Jeffers, Moore.

Bangor: Duggan; Neale, Harrison (C), Hassin, Mulvenna, Arthurs, Lynch, Francis, Morgan, McGuiness, Hughes.

Subs: McMahon; O'Mahony, Fallon, Garrett, Boyd, Halliday, Mitchell.

Image source, BBC Sport

Bangor centre-back Bangor Mark Haughey and January signing Iestyn Hughes have both now been discharged from hospital.

Play was stopped in the 38th minute of Bangor's match against Glenavon on Saturday when Haughey dropped to his knees off the ball and was treated by medics.

Bangor manager Lee Feeney said Haughey, 35, was able to walk to the ambulance after being treated on the pitch for an issue with his heart.

Earlier in the game, Hughes sustained a facial injury following a tackle in the opening 10 minutes.

There were two lengthy delays while both players received treatment which resulted in eight minutes of additional time in the first half.

"Mark Haughey has now been discharged from hospital and is back home," a statement on Bangor's social media channels read on Tuesday.

"Following further checks, doctors are satisfied there are no underlying concerns at this stage and everything is progressing positively.

"Mark would like to pass on his sincere thanks to the medical teams at Bangor FC and Glenavon FC, as well as staff at the Ulster Hospital, for their care and support.

"He also greatly appreciates all the messages of encouragement and well wishes received over the past few days."

Speaking immediately after the match, Bangor manager Feeney had provided a short update on both players.

"Hughes had a nail in his eye so his eye could be cut. Mark's was very, very concerning," said Feeney.

"He [Haughey] had to get a lot of work done for his heart. Hopefully this doesn't sound too dramatic, but he walked into the ambulance so that is a positive and I just pray to God he is OK."

Defender Haughey signed for the Seasiders at the start of the season and has played 21 matches for the side in the Premiership this season.

The 35-year-old has also featured for Glenavon and Linfield during his illustrious top-flight career.

"Haughey has been super for us and we missed him there when he went off," Feeney continued.

"You don't like seeing that."

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Heading into today's Mid-Ulster Derby, neither manager opts to make wholesale changes to their starting line-ups.

Glenavon start today with the same squad which started in a 2-2 draw against Ballymena United in midweek.

Niall Currie makes one change to the starting squad which achieved a 1-0 victory against Dungannon Swifts last weekend.

Josh Ukek drops out through injury, with James Teelan coming in.

Glenavon: Carney, Burns, Murphy, McKeown (C), Campbell, Ferris, Carlin, Falls, McGovern, Mountney, McGerrigan

Subs: McMullan, Cartwright, Mallon, Lowe, Gilmore, Lindsay, Quinn

Portadown: Moore, Altintop, MacKinnon, Wilson, Chapman, McCullough (C), Fyfe, Teelan, Scott, McCartan, Towe

Subs: Francey, Isamala, Tetteh, Obhakhan, Annett, Quinn, Carson

Image source, BBC Sport

Glenavon manager Michael O'Connor said he was "delighted" with his side's performance in their win over Bangor on Saturday, as Conor Falls scored twice and Barney McKeown also netted.

The result is the first time the Lurgan Blues, who are bottom of the table, have picked up points on the road this season, while eleventh placed Crusaders slipped to a 5-2 defeat in the north Belfast derby at Cliftonville.

O'Connor said he aimed to avoid relegation when he took the job at Mourneview Park and that that ambition hasn't changed with his side now seven points behind the Crues.

"We were 11 points behind at that point [when O'Connor took charge] and Crusaders had two or three games in hand," he said on BBC Radio Ulster.

"We're slowly but surely getting there. The next nine games are nine cup finals for us. You have to give everything you have, you can't have any regrets.

"It's only three points at the end of the day."

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Watch highlights as Ballymena United and Glenavon play out a 2-2 draw at the Showgrounds.

Declan Devine makes one change to the side that swept Cliftonville aside 4-0 on Tuesday evening.

Jordan Stewart is rewarded for his two-goal cameo at Solitude by coming into the starting XI in place of Danny Amos, who misses out this afternoon.

Declan Caddell meanwhile makes three alterations following the 5-2 defeat by the Reds.

Kurtis Forsythe, Stewart Nixon and Cameron Bruce come into the line-up, replacing Adam Brooks, Elliot Dunlop and Josh Williamson.

Glentoran: Mills, Cooney, Kane (c), Kamson-Kamara, O’Rourke, Singleton, McEneff, Palmer, Clarke, Stewart, Hoban.

Subs: Crellin, Douglas, Daniels, Gallagher, Burt, Jenkins, Connolly.

Crusaders: Dibaga, K. Forsythe, Thorndike, Easton, J. Forsythe (c), Bryden, Nixon, Bruce, Maguire, Rough, Anderson.

Subs: Tuffey, Blaney, McKechnie, Brooks, Dunlop, McCart, James.

Image source, BBC Sport

Former Portadown title winner Philip Major said the lack of leadership was a worry for Crusaders, who lost Jarlath O'Rourke and Ross Clarke to Glentoran in January, and when asked if he feared for the Seaview side he said, "I do".

Crusaders last won a game of football on 3 January with the side losing five and drawing one match since in the Premiership.

The Lurgan Blues victory on Saturday means that they are now seven points behind Declan Caddell's side.

"I'm concerned for them regarding the leadership on the pitch. That is something that has given them some trouble this season," Major said on Sportsound.

"They have lost a lot of leaders in their dressing room and they need to create much more resilience as a squad. So far it hasn't really happened and I'd guess it is because there are so many young players.

"Maybe they'll grow into that role, but whether they will grow quickly enough to get themselves out of that play-off position, I'd have reservations.

Crucially, the bottom two sides still have to face each other two more times this season - and both will be crucial.

First of all, on 14 March the Lurgan Blues will travel to Seaview and they will play again at Mourneview Park in the post-split fixtures.

"If Glenavon continue with their upward trajectory then you could see them looking at Crusaders and thinking they have something to play for."

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Watch highlights as Glentoran thrash Cliftonville at Solitude.

Oran Kearney makes three changes to the team who drew 2-2 with bottom side Glenavon on Tuesday night.

Igor Rutkowski, Dylan McGeough and Shane McEleney all drop to the bench while Stephen O'Donnell, Dean Ebbe and Joel Thompson all return and prepare to face a strong Larne side this afternoon.

Gary Haveron also makes three changes to his team from the side that drew 1-1 with Linfield on Tuesday.

Ronan Doherty, Andy Ryan and James Simpson are introduced to the starting line-up. Leroy Millar and Sean Graham are both missing from the matchday squad, while Tiernan O'Connor drops to the bench.

Ballymena United: Wade, Toure, Jarvis, O'Donnell, Clarke, Ebbe, Thompson, Edogun, McCallion, Sule, Corbally.

subs: Breen, Lafferty, Rutkowski, O'Reilly, McCurry, McGeouch, McEleney.

Larne: Ferguson, Ridley, Donnelly, Gallagher, Doherty, McEneff, Cosgrove, Bent, Ryan, Lusty, Simpson.

subs: Graham, McKendry, O'Neill, O'Connor, Magee, Nolan, Wallace.

Image source, BBC Sport NI

Larne manager Gary Haveron felt referee Christopher Morrison "couldn't wait" to produce the red card for Leroy Millar in his side's 1-1 draw against Linfield.

Millar, who had given the Inver Park side a first-half lead, was shown red in the 78th-minute for lunging into Ethan McGee which saw his net come to a premature end.

Haveron felt the midfielder had looked back to his best prior to his sending off and will review the incident.

"Leroy would be the first to say he hasn't been at his best in recent weeks but he got about his work tonight and it was a very good performance," Haveron told BBC Sport NI.

"He's gone in for a block tackle and the referee has sprinted over to send him off, couldn't wait to get over there.

"It's disappointing because it impacts on the game and because his individual performance was excellent. We'll have to look back at it and go through a process."

The draw saw Larne move three clear at the top of the table from Coleraine, with Linfield a further two points behind in third.

Following disappointing defeats by Portadown and Carrick Rangers, the Larne boss was happy his side found a response against the Blues despite now going four league games without a win.

"We know our last couple of performances haven't been good enough and I have to take full responsibility," he added.

"We had to bounce back from that and show our fans what it means to play for the football club and I thought we did that."

Image source, Pacemaker Press