Irish Cup can pave Glentoran's way into lucrative European spot, says coach Mark Ferguson

Glentoran booked Irish Cup progress with victory over Ballyclare Comrades

Glentoran are primed for a big finale to the season, insists coach Mark Ferguson.

The east Belfast boys may be well out of the contention for the Sports Direct Premiership title, but the Irish Cup now tops their agenda.

They booked their ticket to a Semi-Final showdown against cross-town rivals Linfield later this month following their weekend win over Ballyclare Comrades.

The Glens are now potentially only two games away from writing another glorious chapter in the club’s illustrious history — and claiming a financially lucrative second qualifying round slot in the Uefa Conference League.

After a campaign that promised so much, but has so far delivered little, Warren Feeney’s troops are plotting and end-of-season ambush.

“An Irish Cup success would mean the world to this football club,” said Ferguson. “Yes, we want to finish as high as we can in the League, but the Irish Cup is potentially five games and you could be in Europe.

“Our focus is on the Irish Cup to open the door to European football. We are three games in, we’ve potentially two more to go. It’s a tough ask, but we’ll be well prepared and we are looking forward to it.

“We produced a professional job against Ballyclare. We were expected to win, we were on a hiding to nothing. The atmosphere was edgy, the crowd was a bit flat. We had to create our own atmosphere and the only way to do that is scoring goals.

“The Semi-Finals have brought together the top four teams in the League table, it couldn’t be any tougher; they are all good teams. It shows how strong this League is, but it’s a challenge we will embrace. We are going to drive at it and give it our best shot. We need to get a bit of