Referee Tim Marshall starts the action at a cold Stangmore Park.

A week on from Linfield's 6-0 drubbing of the Swifts when the teams met at Windsor Park, can Rodney McAree's side turn that situation around on their own turf tonight?

If not a 'must win' between two of the bottom three clubs, then tonight's game certainly falls within the category of 'must not lose'.

Neither has tasted league success since Boxing Day and the beaten team tonight, should there be one, will occupy the dreaded relegation play-off place on their own.

Ballymena United manager Oran Kearney makes two changes to the team which started Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Glentoran at the Oval.

Stephen O'Donnell and Joel Thompson drop to the bench and are replaced by the experienced duo of Dylan McGeouch and Shane McEleney.

The Crusaders starting line-up is significantly different from Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Bangor as Adam Brooks, Finley Thorndike, Elliot Dunlop and Josh Williamson are named among the replacements.

Kurtis Forsythe, Kieran McKechnie, Cameron Bruce and the league's top scorer, Fraser Bryden, are the men to step up for head coach Declan Caddell.

Ballymena United: Wade, Toure, Jarvis, Rutkowski, Clarke (c), McGeouch, Edogun, McEleney, McCallion, Sule, Corbally.

Subs: Breen, O'Connor, O'Donnell, Ebbe, McCurry, Thompson, Murray.

Crusaders: Nimaga, Forsythe, McKechnie, Forsythe (c), Bryden, Nixon, Bruce, Maguire, Rough, Anderson, Barr.

Subs: Tuffey, Brooks, Thorndike, Dunlop, Easton, Williamson, James.

Image source, bb

Watch highlights as Crusaders came from behind to share the spoils with Bangor after a 2-2 draw in the Irish Premiership.

Niall Currie keeps faith with the side that impressed in the 2-1 victory over Larne, naming an unchanged side as the hosts look to build momentum and narrow the gap on the top six.

Jim Magilton, by contrast, makes five alterations following the 3-2 defeat by Dungannon Swifts.

Jonny Addis misses out through injury, while Kyle McClelland, Joe Gormley, Micheal Glynn and Joe Sheridan also drop from the starting line-up.

They are replaced by Harry Wilson, back from suspension, Luke Conlan on his return from long-term injury and the recalled trio of Rory Hale, Keevan Hawthorne and Adam Carroll.

Portadown: Moore, Altintop, L. Wilson, Chapman, Ukek, McCullough (c), Fyfe, Scott, McCartan, Towe, Carson.

Subs: Isamala, MacKinnon, Tettah, Teelan, Obhakhan, Annett, Quinn.

Cliftonville: Ridd, H. Wilson, Hale (c), Leppard, Conlan, McCay, Toole, J. Kelly, Healy, Hawthorne, Carroll.

Subs: Murray, Pepper, Curran, Gormley, A. Kelly, McStravick, Fapetu.

Image source, BBC Sport

Irish Premiership leaders Larne's 18-league-game unbeaten run came to an end after Portadown were the 2-1 victors against the 10-man Inver Reds at Shamrock Park, as Coleraine drew with Carrick Rangers to close the gap at the top of the table to five points.

Jack Scott's strike had given the home side an early lead, but the returning Andy Ryan fired home a leveller for Larne.

However, Portadown went ahead again shortly after when Eamon Fyfe fired past Rohan Ferguson before things went from bad to worse for Gary Haveron's side when Cricky Gallagher was given his marching orders.

Coleraine failed to take full advantage of the Portadown victory, though, after Will Patching's goal was cancelled out by Mikey Place at Taylors Avenue.

Two goals from Aaron McEneff helped Glentoran come from behind to beat Ballymena United 2-1 at the Oval.

At Seaview, Crusaders scored twice in the second half to draw 2-2 against Bangor and Linfield the 3-0 winners against bottom of the table Glenavon at Mourneview Park.

Catch up on last Saturday's action here.

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Watch highlights as league leaders Larne are defeated by Portadown at Shamrock Park.

Both teams go into this game buoyed by victories at the weekend.

Despite their 3-2 win over Cliftonville, Swifts boss Rodney McAree has been forced into three changes with Tiernan Kelly suspended after collecting his fifth yellow card in that game, while Cahal McGinty and Corey Smith picked up knocks against the Reds and miss out tonight.

Caolan Marron, Kealan Dillon and Leo Alves are the trio who replace them.

Linfield make just one change from their weekend win at Glenavon with defender Euan East - who went off injured in that game - replaced by Sean Brown.

Dungannon Swifts: Dunne, Scott, Marron, Wallace, Glenny, Bigirimana, Doyle, Dillon, Alves, McAllister, Moore.

Subs: Henderson, Knowles, Gordon, Smith, Mitchell, Johnston, Liggett.

Linfield: Johns, McGee, Hall, Leahy, Brown, Baird, Archer, McClean, Millar, Taylor, Fitzpatrick.

Subs: Walsh, Whiteside, Gorrin, Allen, McKee, Yates, Frizzell.

Image source, BBC Sport

Adam Glenny's 89th-minute penalty helped Dungannon Swifts end a run of three league defeats in a row after they came from behind to beat Cliftonville 3-2 in an entertaining game at Stangmore Park.

Steven Scott gave the hosts a deserved lead in the 17th minute, but Joe Gormley levelled things up just before the break.

Brian Healy completed the turnaround for the Reds in the 63rd minute before Cahal McGinty equalised 10 minutes later and Glenny netted the winner with one minute of time remaining.

The win sees the Swifts close the gap to fourth-placed Linfield to six points while the Reds remain in seventh.

Read the full report from that match here.

Image source, Press Eye

Watch highlights as Dungannon Swifts fight back to beat Cliftonville 3-2 in the Irish Premiership at Stangmore Park.

Top-flight Glentoran welcome amateur league opposition in Drumaness Mills to The Oval tonight in this rescheduled Irish Cup sixth round tie.

The hosts last won the Irish Cup in 2020, with the visitors reaching the last 16 of the competition for the very first time this season.

The Glens are of course also in a title race in the Irish Premiership, with the Mills currently ninth in the Premier Division of the amateur league some three tiers below tonight's opponents.

Declan Devine makes a whopping six changes to his starting XI from the weekend. Only Cammy Palmer, Josh Daniels, MJ Kamson-Kamara, Danny Amos and Jordan Jenkins continue from the get-go.

The visitors go with the same starting line-up that defeated Armagh City 4-1 in the last round of the Irish Cup.

Glentoran: Crellin, Daniels, Kamson-Kamara, Larmour, Amos, Burt, Palmer (c), Douglas, Gallagher, Jenkins, Connolly.

Subs: Mills, Singleton, Clarke, Weatherup, Faloona, McEneff, Rogers-Duffy.

Drumaness Mills: Carberry, Domican, Holland, Garland, Murdock (c), Murray, McCleery, Douglas, Sharvin, McNeill, Doyle.

Subs: Reid, McGrattan, Looney, McGivern, Gallagher, A.Kearney, E.Kearney.

Image source, BBC Sport

The bigger they are the harder they fall. Just ask fans of sixth-tier English side Macclesfield Town, who caused one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history by beating holders Crystal Palace in the third round of this year's competition last month.

The draw for this season's Irish Cup round six has thrown up an opportunity for what would amount to an upset of similar magnitude in the context of domestic Northern Ireland football for potential giant-killers Drumaness Mills.

Forty-five places separate Drumaness from their illustrious top-flight opponents Glentoran, who are hoping that a win at the Oval on the rescheduled date of Tuesday 17 February will act as another stepping stone towards a first Irish Cup success since 2020.

Sitting 10th in the Amateur League Premier Division, the county Down side are the lowest-ranked team remaining at the last-16 stage and it is only the second time in their history that they have advanced to this point.

Read Richard Petrie's full article here.

Glentoran assistant coach Paddy McCourt hailed a "moment of magic" from Araron McEneff as his side came from behind to defeat Ballymena United at the Oval.

The Glens fell behind to Igor Rutkowski's strike, but were back on terms before the break as McEneff netted a penalty for his first goal in Glentoran colours since his arriving from Shamrock Rovers.

McEneff would complete the turnaround with a stunning strike after the break to secure a big three points for the east Belfast side, who narrowed the gap to the top following Larne's defeat at Portadown and McCourt was delighted with his side's battling qualities.

"We started well but went behind against the run of play," he told BBC Sport NI.

"The boys responded, as they have done all season and, thankfully, we got the penalty before half-time.

"Aaron slotted it away and that gave us a lift and Aaron produces a moment of magic (for the winner). The boys had to dig in the last six or seven minutes, but we did and it's a great three points."

McEneff was delighted to open his account after making the switch from the League of Ireland champions, Shamrock Rovers, in January and said the objective for all at Glentoran is to keep securing results to remain in the title fight.

"It's a big three points for us," he said.

"I thought we controlled the game really well, especially early on when the keeper pulled off some great saves.

"To go from one down to win 2-1 is a big day for us and personally, it's nice to get two goals. As soon as I got turned (for the second) there was only one thing on my mind and thankfully it went in."

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Watch highlights as Glentoran come from behind to beat Ballymena United 2-1 in the Irish Premiership at the Oval.

Irish Premiership leaders Larne will play either Glentoran or Drumaness Mills in the quarter-finals of the Irish Cup next month.

The Inver Reds have been runners-up six times in the competition without ever lifting the trophy, but advanced to the last eight thanks to a 2-0 win away to Warrenpoint Town on Saturday.

Glentoran were due to take on Drumaness Mills at the Oval in the sixth round but the game was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.

The game will now take place on 17 February with the winners hosting Larne on either Friday, 6 March or Saturday, 7 March.

Holders Dungannon Swifts, who came from behind to beat Portadown in the sixth round, will host Harland and Wolff Welders in the last eight with the east Belfast side having eased past Gary Hamilton's Ballymacash Rangers on Saturday.

Limavady United's reward for beating Premiership champions Linfield on Friday night will be a home quarter-final against Coleraine who required extra time to advance past Carrick on Saturday.

Cliftonville, Irish Cup winners in 2024, will travel to Loughgall in the last eight after Jonny Addis' sweetly struck free-kick deep into injury time saw them knock out Glenavon in the sixth round.

Loughgall came through the only all-Championship tie of the sixth round when they beat Institute 2-1.

Irish Cup quarter-final draw

Dungannon Swifts v Harland and Wolff Welders

Glentoran or Drumaness Mills v Larne

Limavady United v Coleraine

Loughgall v Cliftonville

Ties to be played Friday, 6 March or Saturday, 7 March

Image source, Inpho

Ahead of the final sixth round Irish Cup tie, here is a look at the quarter-final games ahead.

Image source, BBC Sport

Here is what the Irish Premiership table looks like ahead of tonight's action.

Image source, BBC Sport NI

A reminder of tonight's Irish Premiership fixtures.

Image source, BBC Sport

Hello and welcome to our live text commentary of tonight's action. It is a busy Tuesday evening ahead with three Irish Premiership matches and one Irish Cup sixth round tie for you to enjoy.

Dungannon will be looking to build on their victory against Cliftonville when they host Linfield, who were the 6-0 victors against the Swifts earlier in the month.

Portadown are also coming into this round of fixtures off the back of an impressive victory themselves after beating league leaders Larne at the weekend. Tonight, they welcome Cliftonville, who have won just one of their last eight league games.

At Warden Park, it is a huge game at the bottom of the Irish Premiership as tenth in the table Ballymena United welcome eleventh placed Crusaders, who have the same number of points as the Sky Blues but have an inferior goal difference.

In the Irish Cup, Amateur League Premier Division side Drumaness Mills will be aiming to pull off a huge giant-killing when they travel to the Oval to face Premiership outfit Glentoran.

We will have live text updates and in-play clips from all the games as well as a report, highlights and reaction.

Thanks for joining us, enjoy!