Glenavon must take emotion out of derby duel with Portadown, says Stephen McDonnell

Stephen McDonnell’s side have home advantage against Portadown

A place in the BetMcLean Cup Final is up for grabs on Tuesday night and one of the last-four clashes is a rare Mid-Ulster derby.

There will be an electric atmosphere at Mourneview Park when Glenavon and Portadown resume hostilities.

The Ports are fighting to get out of the Championship and warmed up for the derby with a 2-1 win at Harland & Wolff Welders; Ciaran Dobbin bagging both goals at the Blanchflower Stadium.

Awaiting in the Final will be either Dungannon Swifts or Linfield, who will clash in the other semi at Stangmore Park.

It’s a first Mid-Ulster derby for Lurgan Blues boss Stephen McDonnell but he’s determined to keep a cool head and he wants his players to follow his lead.

“We will treat it like any other game, it’s a derby and brilliant for the fans with a bid of edge in the dressing room in terms of focus,” said McDonnell after his side won 2-0 at Carrick Rangers.

“You can’t let your emotions take over.

“We need to perform like we did on Saturday and keep to our principles. We ask the players to conduct themselves in a certain way and we need to stay true to ourselves. We want and prepare to win every game, there’s no difference there.

“The message to the players is to prepare properly and I won’t need to say much but that is not my style, I’m not a ranter or raver.

“We are very happy with our training and hope to reach those levels in games. Results will follow performances.”

The Mid-Ulster derby means a huge amount to the supporters and the players’ discipline and temperament will be tested throughout.

“It’s something to look forward to, derby matches look after themselves and it will be a great occasion,” added McDonnell.

“It will be great to