Irish League Football

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Crusaders manager Declan Caddell says "confidence is low" after his side were defeated 4-0 by Linfield at Windsor Park.

A Lewis Barr own goal gave the home side the lead after just five minutes before Matthew Fitzpatrick netted later in the first half.

Callumn Morrison then scored twice in the second half to give Linfield more breathing space and inflict a second 4-0 defeat on Crusaders of the week.

Caddell's side sit in 11th position, but eight points ahead of Glenavon at the bottom of the table.

"There were patches in the game when I thought we were really good, but conceding after five minutes puts the game plan out the window," Caddell told BBC Sport NI.

"It was difficult. Confidence is low at the minute, and you are coming into this game hoping that everything falls into place.

"We go back to basics and decision making. It's [the first goal] a ball whipped in and it is an own goal from two yards out at the back post. It doesn't happen in school football and it should never happen at this level and it's happening far too often."

Crusaders are now without a win in five games and have failed to score in their last four matches.

Despite being busy during the summer transfer market, Caddell added that he has "big decisions" to make in the January window.

"It is a good month in terms of windows opening," Caddell continued.

"We have given boys opportunities, and some boys have really taken those opportunities but, ultimately, I need to make big decisions on the squad going forward.

"I have played my whole career and mistakes happen, but they can't happen every single week and that is why we are in the situation we are in."

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Glentoran manager Declan Devine lamented his side's lack of a clinical edge in their 1-0 loss to Larne in Friday's Irish Premiership game at Inver Park.

Benji Magee drilled home a low shot with eight minutes remaining of the encounter, leaving the Glens without a win from their past five top division matches.

Devine's side, who have collected just two points from those five outings, lie 11 points adrift of Larne and Coleraine, who sit top of the league table on goal difference.

"We have to look at ourselves in terms of not taking opportunities. We've dominated the game against a good side away from home at a difficult venue," bemoaned the Glens boss.

"We've given up one opportunity in the game and we've got punished, yet we've created four or five good chances and not taken them.

"It's a very difficult time for us at the moment because our performances haven't been bad in recent games but our points tally has been poor. There's no shying away from that.

"You can have all the domination that you want but at the end of the day it comes down to having three points in the bag. You've got to put that ball in the back of the net."

With meetings against Coleraine and Linfield to come in their next two games, things don't get any easier for the Glens.

"I know we're really close to being a really good side, I think we'll still be in the mix, and we don't fear anyone in the league, but we've got to tidy up and make sure we are more ruthless, have more cohesion about us in terms of digging out a clean sheet.

"We can't fall further behind [the leaders].

"We've gone behind in each of the last five games so when you give away that first goal it's extremely hard to come away with three points.

"We wanted to send our supporters home happy [against Larne] as they were magnificent for us. The players are distraught because it was a game we didn't deserve to lose."

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Larne manager Gary Haveron has praised the match-winning contribution of forward Benji Magee, who came off the bench to score a brilliant goal eight minutes from time to secure a 1-0 victory over Glentoran at Inver Park on Friday night.

The moment of individual brilliance from the former Loughgall front man saw him drift away from Cameron Palmer and rifle a low drive past Andrew Mills from just outside the penalty area.

The victory has the Invermen level on points with Coleraine at the top of the table, trailing only on goal difference, but with two games in hand over the leaders.

"It needed something to kick-start the game. It never really caught fire but Benji came up with that moment and that's what he's capable of," said Haveron.

"We know that, we see Benji do that on a regular basis. When you see some of the things he does in training it's no surprise when he pops up and produces that bit of brilliance in the game.

"That was the bit of quality the game was probably lacking. We've had a really tough run of games but 10 points out of 12 from fixtures against Coleraine, Dungannon Swifts, Linfield and Glentoran is a super return by the boys.

"It was always going to be small margins in a game like this so delighted to get three points and we move on."

Haveron was satisfied with the way his side combatted the threat posed by their opponents in the first meeting between the sides this season.

"It's hard to play against the Glens, they're so long and direct and they stretch the game. They press up behind the long ball. That's a style that really works for them as they've got a great striker in Pat Hoban who can hold the ball up and they can get players up around him.

"They've got that very direct style that you've got to combat.

"It's more difficult for us because we're trying to play the ball out from the back, move the ball quickly across the back and play up through the thirds but we lacked that little bit of connection between midfield and attack.

"We got in behind them a couple of times in the first half but we never did the same in the second. We never had that threat. But they asked a lot of questions and we had the answers."

Larne remain unbeaten at home this season in the league, their last hone defat on their own patch coming against Dungannon back in February.

"Keeping this place tight is really key for us. I hate conceding goals with an absolute passion and we're a hard team to break down. We stick at it."

DD: "We have to look at ourselves in terms of not taking opportunities. We've dominated the game against a good side away from home at a difficult venue.

"We've given up one opportunity in the game and we've got punished, yet we've created four or five good chances and not taken them.

"It's a very difficult time for us at the moment because our performances haven't been bad in recent games but our points tally has been poor. There's no shying away from that.

"You can have all the domination that you want but at the end of the day it comes down to having three points in the bag. You've got to put that ball in the back of the net.

"I know we're really close to being a really good side, I think we'll still be in the mix, and we don't fear anyone in the league but we've got to tidy up and make sure we are more ruthless, have more cohesion about us in terms of digging out a clean sheet.

"We can't fall further behind."

"We've gone behind in the last five games so when you give away that first goal it's extremely hard to come away with three points.

"We wanted to send our supporters home happy as they were magnificent for us. The players are distraught because it was a game we didn't deserve to lose."

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Coleraine manager Ruaidhri Higgins says he would "have liked us to put the game to bed" despite the 2-0 win against Bangor at the Showgrounds.

Joel Cooper and Matthew Shevlin found the net within the first 15 minutes as the Bannsiders made a flying start which ultimately decided the destination of the points, but Higgins felt his team could have made their night a little more comfortable.

Bangor had their chances to pull one back towards the end of the first half and in the second, but failed to capitalise, while Coleraine also had further opportunities with Shevlin denied by the offside flag prior to his goal.

Still, it was a successful evening for the league leaders who remain top on goal difference.

"In the first half hour, we were brilliant," Higgins told BBC Sport NI.

"We got ourselves two in front; I'd liked us to have smelt blood and got a third because when you get a third it's dead and buried whereas at 2-0 it's precarious.

"They had some opportunities to make it 2-1 but Ryan [Schofield] has made a brilliant save. We've a clean sheet, won 2-0 and created a lot of opportunities, so we've got to be happy, but I'd have liked us to put the game to bed."

Schofield was making his first competitive appearance for the club after an injury in picked up in pre-season had kept him sidelined.

Higgins was delighted to have the Englishman available with Aidan Harris absent.

"Ryan had a serious shoulder injury and the timing of his return is good because Aidan picked up an injury," Higgins continued.

"Jamie Glackin was unavailable tonight as his partner's had a baby - congratulations to them.

"We've had quite a few players unavailable for us tonight, so it was great to get Ryan on the pitch. He's a top goalkeeper and that's why we've brought him here."

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Bangor manager Lee Feeney says his is "pleased by the reaction" of his players despite their 2-0 defeat at Coleraine on Friday.

It was a nightmare start for the Seasiders as Joel Cooper and Matthew Shevlin had the league leaders two goals ahead after the first quarter of an hour.

However, Bangor rallied and carved out opportunities to get back into the game, but failed to pull a goal back which would have given them fresh impetus.

"The first 20, 25 minutes we were a bit shell-shocked," Feeney told BBC Sport NI.

"After that, we fixed a few things - the players fixed it - and we perhaps shaded it. The first half we finished really strong and didn't want half-time to come and then in the second half we felt if we could get the next goal it would change things.

"We had chances and didn't get it, but I'm really pleased by the reaction after the first 20 minutes. We have to be clinical and when you play teams like Coleraine, you have to take those chances."

Next up for Bangor is a home fixture against Cliftonville - whom they beat on opening weekend - and while Feeney acknowledges it will be a tough test, feels his side can"take a bit of heart" from their performance in Coleraine.

"They are in a false position in my eyes but are getting a bit of rhythm now," he said if the Reds.

"It's another footballing side with their rotation and movement. We usually deal with that well, but [tonight] Cooper showed his class there for the first goal and Patrick [Solis-Grogan] took responsibility for the second, saying he should have collected it.

"After that, I never felt they cut us open and with the rotation, I felt they ran out of ideas. We'll take a bit of heart from it. We never like losing, but if we are going to lose games you want to go down fighting and we did that."

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The Irish Cup fifth-round game between Coleraine and Crusaders will be shown live on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

In one of three all-Premiership ties, Ruaidhri Higgins' side will welcome the Crues to the Coleraine Showgrounds on Friday, 9 January at 19:45 GMT.

Coleraine last won the Irish Cup in 2018, beating Cliftonville 3-1 in the final.

Crusaders won back-to-back Irish Cups in 2022 and 2023, defeating Ballymena United in both finals.

The Bannsiders lead the Irish Premiership table, while Declan Caddell's side languish in 10th after a difficult start to the season.

Coleraine have won both the league meetings between the two sides at Seaview this season.

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Larne boss Gary Haveron expects Glentoran will "come and have a go" when the sides meet at Inver Park on Friday (19:45 GMT) in a game that will be streamed live on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website.

The Inver Park side are second in the table on goal difference and are unbeaten in their previous eight league games.

Glentoran are eight points behind in fourth after an inconsistent run, but Haveron is wary of the attacking talent the Glens possess as the two teams prepare to meet for the first time this season.

"They're a massive threat and they'll come here and have a go, you have to when you're a team like Glentoran," Haveron told BBC Sport NI.

"They'll not sit off us, they'll come here and try win the game and that's what we want, two teams to come out and have a go, it sets up a really interesting game."

Larne enjoyed victories over leaders Coleraine and fellow top-half side Dungannon Swifts during their winning run in November, and they began December with a 0-0 home draw against champions Linfield.

Haveron is hopeful for another positive result against the Glens to help Larne keep pace at the top of the table despite their difficult run of fixtures.

"We've had a big month; we had Coleraine, then Dungannon, then coming into the Blues and the Glens off the back of each other, it's four tough games against the top four teams in the league," he added.

"They're all going to be nip and tuck, there isn't going to be much in it. Right now, we're seven [points] from nine, if you told me that at the start of the run I would have taken it."

Glentoran assistant Paddy McCourt wants his side to build on their dominant second-half display against Cliftonville last weekend, where they fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at the Oval.

"Larne away is a big game, always a tough game," he said.

"We're going into it off the back of a really good second-half performance and hopefully that will give us confidence going into the game."

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Tuesday's north Belfast derby between Crusaders and Cliftonville at Seaview has been postponed due to Storm Bram.

An amber weather warning was put in place due to high winds in County Antrim from 14:00 GMT until 19:00 GMT - 45 minutes before the scheduled kick-off at Seaview.

A yellow warning for wind remains in place for Belfast until 22:00 GMT on Tuesday.

The Northern Ireland Football League said the game was called off "due to the impact of Storm Bram, following agreement by both clubs".

Crusaders have struggled this season and sit 10th in the table with 11 defeats in 18 league matches, and manager Declan Caddell called Saturday's 4-0 home defeat by Portadown an "embarrassment" and a "disgrace".

Jim Magilton's Reds, who threw away a two-goal lead in Saturday's draw with Glentoran, are sixth - eight points ahead of their rivals.

Tuesday's game was set to be the first north Belfast derby in the Irish Premiership this season but Cliftonville beat Crusaders 2-0 in the County Antrim Shield in September.

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Irish Premiership leaders Coleraine will host Crusaders in the fifth round of the Irish Cup.

It is one of three all-Irish Premiership ties as the 12 top-flight sides and 12 Championship teams entered the draw.

Larne, looking to win the competition for the first time, will travel to Ballymena United while record 44-time winners Linfield will host Bangor.

Holders Dungannon Swifts will start their defence against Championship outfit Ards while Cliftonville, last year's beaten finalists, will also host second-tier opposition in Dundela.

Annagh United will make the short trip to Portadown after the Championship side stunned the Ports in last year's fifth round.

Glenavon, who are bottom of the Irish Premiership got a home draw against Newington, while Glentoran will head west to face Premier Intermediate side Strabane Athletic.

Carrick Rangers, who will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their famous 1976 Irish Cup win next year, host Queen's University.

Comber Rec will travel to Ballymacash Rangers, H&W Welders travel to Moyola Park, Limavady United host Lisburn Rangers and Armagh City take on Drumaness Mills.

Lisburn Distillery host Warrenpoint Town, Ballinamallard United take on fellow Championship side Institute and Knockbreda will take on Loughgall.

Irish Cup fifth round draw

Lisburn Distillery v Warrenpoint Town

Coleraine v Crusaders

Portadown v Annagh United

Ballymacash Rangers v Comber Rec

Ballinamallard United v Institute

Glenavon v Newington

Dungannon Swifts v Ards

Carrick Rangers v Queen's University

Limavady United v Lisburn Rangers

Ballymena United v Larne

Armagh City v Drumaness Mills

Knockbreda v Loughgall

Moyola Park v H&W Welders

Linfield v Bangor

Cliftonville v Dundela

Strabane Athletic v Glentoran

Ties to be played on 9-10 January.

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Larne boss Gary Haveron is the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association manager of the month for November.

November was a superb month for Larne, who enjoyed a 100% record in the Irish Premiership with wins over Ballymena United, Portadown, Glenavon, Coleraine and Dungannon Swifts.

It is the second time Haveron has won the monthly award this year, after claiming the prize in September when he initially stood in after Nathan Rooney's departure from the club.

"It's always an honour to win this award. I would like to thank the Football Writers' Association for picking me once again. However, our recent good form is a team effort," Haveron said.

"I must thank my coaching staff and the players.

"Although we've had a couple of disappointing results in the cup competitions, we performed well in the league. Long may that continue."

Haveron's award completed a November for Larne after midfielder Mark Randall was named player of the month.

After winning the award, Larne drew with title rivals Linfield at Inver Park on Friday and are second on the table behind Coleraine on goal difference.

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Glenavon manager Michael O'Connor believes Bangor should not have been awarded a penalty which helped them to a 2-1 win over the bottom side.

Jack Malone gave the Mourneview Park hosts an early lead before referee Shane Andrews pointed to the spot after keeper Mark Byrne collided with Bangor's Michael Morgan.

Ben Arthurs converted the penalty and then headed in to earn the Seasiders victory.

"For the penalty, I know Mark's (Byrne) got the ball first - I've watched it back on video about five times," said O'Connor.

"He's punched the ball out for a throw-in, and the referee's given a penalty. That's his decision, and we have to respect it. I think he's wrong, that's my opinion."

O'Connor was frustrated that his team conceded again so soon after the penalty.

"We seemed to drop off for five or 10 minutes, and they scored again four or five minutes later - not good enough, not acceptable.

"When something goes against us - reset, get back into shape in the next five minutes, stay compact, and get back into the game.

"But it went 2-1 and suddenly they're holding onto the lead. It's frustrating for us."

The defeat leaves Glenavon seven points adrift at the bottom.