TITLE RACE FAR FROM OVER AFTER GLENS GET PLUM BIG TWO WIN

IRISH LEAGUE NEWS: PAGE 42

TWO foreign stars had Glentoran fans in domestic dreamland as Mick Mcdermott’s men blew the title race wide open at The Oval.

Dutch forward Elvio van Overbeek pounced for an early opener before classy Croatian Hrvoje Plum added a late double in the Boxing Day derby.

No wonder Glens fans, starved of league success in recent years, were dancing in the aisles to a Big Two version of ‘Jingle Bells’ at full-time in East Belfast.

Linfield, licking their wounds after a fifth league loss of the season, drop to second in the table, a point behind new leaders Cliftonville with a game in hand.

The Glens meanwhile, unbeaten in their last 11 league outings, are up to fourth and lie just three points off the summit heading into the New Year.

Are the Mersey Street men in the title race? It’s only December and still the embryonic stage of the Mcdermott project, but after this result, only a fool would rule them out.

Glens boss Mcdermott (left) said: “A derby win is always nice and it means a lot when you’re playing your rivals, but it’s only three points.”

The Ovalmen took an early lead when former Dutch U21 winger Van Overbeek produced a moment of ingenuity to register his fourth goal of the season.

Only seven minutes were on the clock when Patrick Mclean’s throw-in wasn’t cleared and Navid Nasseri pulled his shot across the six yard box where the lively Van Overbeek caught everyone by surprise with a backheel into the bottom corner.

Linfield will wonder how they weren’t level at the break after Andy Waterworth and Mark Haughey went close and Jimmy Callacher saw a header cleared off the line.

Blues winger Jordan Stewart also brushed the outside of the post at the start of the second period, before Waterworth had a picture book header ruled out for offside.

The same striker was denied by Antolovic soon over before Plum made it 2-0 14 minutes from time.

Gifted time and space, the Croatian ran forward and gave Rohan Ferguson no chance with a drilled shot low into the corner.

And it was party time in the 83rd minute when Plum bagged his second of the day from the penalty spot after he was fouled by Linfield’s Josh Robinson.

Blues boss David Healy said: “I’m hugely disappointed but I can’t be too harsh on the players because I actually thought we were the better side.”

OPENER Elvio Van Overbeek sends Glentoran on their way to a 3-0 win over Linfield

romped to a 5-0 win over 10-man DUNGANNON SWIFTS Elvio van Overbeek backheels in first goal and, below, with fellow goalscorer Hrvoje Plum NOTHING BETTER Players joined fans in a round of applause in the third minute of yesterday’s derby for Glens captain Marcus Kane following the recent death of his baby son Harrie Marcus