Glentoran earned a hard-fought point away to league leaders Coleraine FC in a 1-1 Premiership draw on Friday. Jordan Stewart's late goal cancelled out Joel Cooper's first-half opener to give Duncan Ferguson's side their first point of the campaign.
The result lifts Glentoran to fourth in the Premiership standings, with 20 points from their opening 12 matches, a record of six wins, two draws, and four losses. They now sit 14 points behind the leaders but remain unbeaten in their last five league outings, a run of three wins and two draws. The team has scored 16 goals this season while conceding only 10, giving them a goal difference of plus six.
Coleraine took the lead midway through the first half. Ben Wylie found Joel Cooper, who finished to put the hosts ahead after 21 minutes. Glentoran responded after the break, with manager Duncan Ferguson making a series of changes to chase the game.
Substitutes J. O'Rourke, R. Clarke, P. Hoban, C. Weatherup and J. Malone were all introduced in the second half as the visitors pressed. The persistence paid off three minutes from time when Jordan Stewart found the net to secure a valuable draw. The equaliser came in the 87th minute, according to the match data.
The point consolidates Glentoran's position in the upper half of the standings. Their recent form reads three wins and two draws from their last five games, a run that includes victories over Cliftonville and Dungannon Swifts. This unbeaten sequence began with a 2-0 win over Carrick Rangers on September 26th, followed by a 2-0 victory against Dungannon Swifts, a goalless draw at Portadown, a 1-0 win over Limavady United, and this latest draw with Coleraine.
Attention now turns to that key Premiership fixture against Carrick Rangers, who sit one place below Glentoran in fifth position. The match at Taylors Avenue presents another opportunity for Duncan Ferguson's side to build on their improving form and extend their unbeaten run, having already defeated the same opponents 2-0 at home earlier this season.
