Referee Tim Marshall starts the action at Ballymena Showgrounds.

The Warden Street venue passed a pitch inspection earlier this morning.

The playing surface has cut up quite a bit during the teams' pre-match warm-up but aside from that, it's good to go.

Referee Shane Andrews gets the ball rolling at Mourneview Park.

The Seasiders ran out 3-0 winners here in October, but can Michael O’Connor’s side turn the tables this time and make it four home wins on the spin?

The visitors get us under way kicking left to right on Ben McMaster's whistle.

A quick reminder of the fixtures today, as kick-off around the grounds approaches.

Image source, BBC Sport

Here's how the table looks ahead of today's Irish Premiership games.

Image source, BBC Sport

Paddy McLaughlin
Sportsound summariser

The pitch will be quick and that will suit Coleraine down to the ground.

Carrick will make it difficult for them, but I think Coleraine will be too much.

Curtis Allen
Former Glentoran and Carrick Rangers striker on BBC Sounds

Glentoran will come in with a little bit of a spring in their step after winning that tough game [against Cliftonville midweek].

If they win today, they could be charging into the festive period.

Former Glenavon manager Paddy McLaughlin when asked about returning to management:

"It's like trying to tell kids not to eat a bar of chocolate

"There is only so long you can keep them away from it, they will get there eventually.

"I can't wait to get back.

"I have learnt a lot about myself and of what I have done right and what I have done wrong.

"There are no bad experiences in life, just learning and I will take the learning and experience on, hopefully, to my next club."

Liam Beckett
Sportsound summariser

Both teams got their tactics right and nullified the threats on both sides.

It was a good tactical performance from both managers.

Michael O'Connor makes two changes as the hosts look to build on their recent 3-1 win over Ballymena United.

Luke Cartwright and Michael O’Connor are unavailable, so Paddy Burns and Corey Smith have been drafted into the starting XI.

Meanwhile, Lee Feeney opts for three changes to the visitors' line-up following their 1-1 draw with Glentoran.

Jack O’Mahony, Michael Morgan and Stephen McGuinness are given the nod to replace the trio of Mark Haughey, Liam Hassin and Tiarnan Mulvenna.

Glenavon: Byrne, McMullan, P. Burns, Murphy, McKeown (C), Malone, Campbell, O’Kane, Smith, McGovern, Quinn.

Subs: Hamill, McClelland, Wilson, Kee, Boskani, McGerrigan, McShane.

Bangor: Solis Grogan, Neale, Harrison (C), Arthurs, Cushnie, O’Mahony, Lynch, Francis, Devlin, Morgan, McGuinness.

Subs: McMahon, Haughey, Matheison, Garrett, Boyd, L. Burns, Mitchell.

Image source, BBC Sport

These two meet for the second time this week following Glentoran's victory on penalties in Tuesday night's Bet McLean Cup quarter-final.

Declan Devine is unwell today so is not on the sideline meaning Paddy McCourt will take charge of the side. He makes just one change from midweek with Andrew Mills restored in goal in place of Billy Crelin.

Jim Magilton makes three changes with both Rory Hale and Ryan Curran missing out completely while Joe Gormley drops to the bench.

In come former Glentoran man Conor Pepper, Conor Falls and extra-time goal-scorer from Tuesday Eric McWoods.

Glentoran: Mills, Cooney, Kane (C), Thomson, Palmer, Hoban, Stewart, Burt, Kamara, Fisher, Singleton

Subs: Crelin, Pattisson, Ferris, Larmour, Jenkins, Weatherup, Douglas

Cliftonville: Morrison, Pepper, Lavery, Addis (C), Wilson, Falls, Casey, Keaney, McWoods, Hawthorne, Sheridan

Subs: Ridd, Bermingham, Leppard, Gordon, Gormley, Barr, Fapetu

Image source, BBC Sport

Ballymena's interim coaching team of Ciaran Caldwell, Sean O'Neill and Patrick McEleney make just one change from the side which knocked Larne out of the League Cup in midweek, in the Sky Blues' first game since the departure of Jim Ervin.

It's an enforced one with Matthew Clarke suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the league campaign in last week's defeat at bottom side Glenavon. He is replaced by Zach Nolan, the last player Ervin signed before his exit.

Dungannon make two changes from the side which lost to Larne last weekend as Sean McAllister returns from suspension while Andrew Mitchell starts in attack. Peter Maguire and James Knowles drop to the bench.

Ballymena United: Breen, Toure, McCallion, O'Donnell, Nolan, Lafferty, Thompson, Jarvis, Corbally, O'Connor, Edogun.

Subs: O'Neill, Gould, Gawne, O'Reilly, McGeouch, Taylor, Hood.

Dungannon Swifts: Dunne, Scott, McGinty, Wallace, Glenny, Bigirimana, Kelly, Alves, McAllister, Mitchell, Junior.

Subs: Glass, P Maguire, Knowwles, Dillon, T Maguire, Smith, McAleese.

Image source, BBC Sport

It is 10th versus 11th at Seaview this afternoon as Crusaders welcome Niall Currie's Portadown to Belfast.

Declan Caddell makes just once change for the Crues from their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Coleraine here last week. Elliot Dunlop the man who is drafted into the starting lineup.

The Ports also lost last week - 3-2 at the hands of Cliftonville - and like Caddell, manager Currie makes just the single change, with Lee Chapman promoted to the starting 11 at the expense of Divin Ismala who drops to the bench.

Both managers will be desperate to get back to winning ways today.

Crusaders: Tuffey, Forsythe, Blaney, Brooks, Easton, Forsythe, O'Rourke (c), Williamson, Bryden, Dunlop, Anderson.

Subs: Nimaga, Hamilton, Thorndike, Donnelly, Nixon, McCart, Barr.

Portadown: McCarey, Chapman, Altintop, MacKinnon, Ukek, Wylie, McCullough, Gibson, Fyfe, Teelan, Thompson (C).

Subs: Moore, Rea, Isamala, Mayse, McCartan, Annett, Quinn.

Image source, BBC Sport

Coleraine can regain top spot in the league this afternoon, should they defeat 11th placed Carrick Rangers at the Showgrounds.

The hosts come into the game on the back of a midweek Bet McLean Cup quarter-final win over Moyola Park and head coach Ruaidhri Higgins make seven changes to the side which started at Mill Meadow.

Out go goalkeeper Lewis Webb, Adam Long, Ronan Doherty and Declan McManus, who all drop to the bench, along with the injured Kodi Lyons-Foster and teenagers Alex Watson and Ollie Devlin, not involved today.

In to the starting line-up come club captain Lyndon Kane, regular goalkeeper Aidan Harris, Dylan Boyle, Levi Ives, Jamie Glackin, Charles Dunne and joint top goalscorer Matthew Shevlin, back after injury

It's much more straightforward for visiting boss Stephen Baxter who makes just one change to the team which began last Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Linfield at Windsor Park as Ryan McKay replaces Benjamin Buchanan-Rolleston, who begins his afternoon among the replacements.

Coleraine: Harris, Kane (c), Boyle, McGregor, Patching, Shevlin, Ives, Glackin, Dunne, Stewart, Okoro.

Subs: Webb, Jarvis, Long, Cooper, Doherty, McGonigle, McManus.

Carrick Rangers: Gartside, Burns, Callacher, Gibson, Becky, McCullough (c), Steele, Crowe, Cherry, Snoddy, McKay.

Subs: Pengelly, Waide, Clucas, Buchanan-Rolleston, Heatley, Glendinning, McCall.

Image source, BBC Sport

Larne midfielder Mark Randall has been named November's player of the month by the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association.

Randall, 36, scored three goals in the month as Larne won all of their league games to move to the top of the Irish Premiership table.

The former Arsenal player scored two free-kicks in one match against Portadown and also netted against Dungannon Swifts.

Randall won the award ahead of Cliftonville's Jack Keaney, who was second, and Crusaders striker Fraser Bryden.

Image source, Inpho

Glenavon striker David McDaid has announced that he is leaving the club to become Portstewart's assistant manager.

McDaid will join newly appointed manager John Gregg at the north coast side and will continue to play until, at least, the end of the season.

The 34-year-old has played a pivotal role at the Lurgan Blues since he joined last summer and netted a penalty in the 89th minute during his final game in a Glenavon shirt.

"Today was my last game for Glenavon," McDaid told BBC Radio Ulster.

"It was good to end on a high.

"When Paddy [McLaughlin] was sacked and Niall Quinn and I got to be interim [coaches], it gave me the taste of coaching and managing."

Portstewart currently sit seventh in the third-tier Premier Intermediate League and announced on Friday that former Dungannon assistant manager Gregg would replace Mo Mahon.

McDaid has had an industrious career in Northern Ireland and has played for Coleraine, Cliftonville, Larne and Ballymena before joining the Lurgan Blues.

"Portstewart is a big opportunity and a big club trying to do it the right way," McDaid continued.

"It is a really exciting project, and, at this stage of my career, I could play for another couple of years, but I am trying to kick start my managing career.

"I think it is going to be a great learning curve for me."

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Ballymena United are on the hunt for a new manager after they parted ways with Jim Ervin on Sunday.

The former Linfield, Ballymena and Carrick Rangers defender was relieved of his duties after two and a half years in charge following their recent run of poor form.

The Braidmen sit eighth in the table, having lost 3-1 to bottom side Glenavon in the league on Saturday, and were comprehensively knocked out of the County Antrim Shield 4-1 by Cliftonville on Tuesday.

As Ballymena begin the hunt for a new manager, BBC Sport NI looks at what went wrong for Ervin during his tenure as Sky Blues boss, and asks who may replace him in the job.

Read Lauren McCann's full article here.

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Ballymena United have confirmed they have parted ways with manager Jim Ervin.

Ervin took over at the Showgrounds in 2023 and in his first season, kept the club in the Premiership by way of a playoff.

Last season, they finished in the bottom half, but it was enough to see Ervin sign a new contract until 2028.

Currently, the Sky Blues sit in eighth position in the table, but on Saturday they suffered a 3-1 defeat to bottom club Glenavon.

In midweek, they were also knocked out of the County Antrim Shield, going down 4-1 at home to Cliftonville which ended a three-game unbeaten run.

"Ballymena United Football Club can confirm that the club has parted company with first team manager Jim Ervin, this morning," the club confirmed in a statement.

"The board would like to put on record their upmost thanks to Jim and his staff for their efforts and support during his two and a half years at the Showgrounds.

"Jim will always be remembered as a legendary player for the club, and as manager for successfully guiding Ballymena United through one of the most challenging periods of our recent history.

"The club will now commence the recruitment process for the next first team manager."

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Watch highlights as Glentoran beat holders Cliftonville 5-4 in a penalty shootout in the BetMcLean Cup quarter-final.

The Glens will now host Coleraine in the semi-finals of the competition.

Glentoran knocked holders Cliftonville out of the BetMcLean Cup at the quarter-final stage with a 5-4 penalty shootout victory at the Oval.

Eric McWoods' 111th minute goal looked to have sent the Reds into the semi-finals, but Jordan Jenkins equalised four minutes later to force penalties.

Shea Gordon missed the decisive spot kick for Jim Magilton's side as Glentoran scored all five of their penalties.

Declan Devine's side will now host Coleraine in the last four after the Bannsiders beat Premier Intermediate side Moyola Park 2-0 at Mill Meadow.

Managerless Ballymena United also made it through to the next round with a 2-0 home win against Larne at the Ballymena Showgrounds.

They will meet Linfield in the second semi-final after the Gibson Cup holders overcame third-tier side Newry City 3-2 at the Newry Showgrounds.

The last four ties will be played on the 27 and 28 January.

The winners of the BetMcLean Cup will automatically go into the Irish Premiership's European play-off final for the first time this season.

Read the full article here.

Image source, Pacemaker Press