GLENTORAN secured the 'Big Two' bragging rights with this Boxing Day victory over rivals Linfield at The Oval.

The Glens might have opened the scoring in a largely uneventful first half on 22 minutes courtesy of a
David Howland header just over from a Stephen Carson left-wing cross.

At the other end Robert Garrett saw an effort from ten yards blocked by Elliott Morris.

The deadlock was almost broken on 48 minutes after an impulse Ciaran Martyn drive from 25-yards just failed to find the target.

And Linfield came close themselves just a couple of minutes after that following a Peter Thompson header which first Morris and then Jimmy Callacher succeeded in clearing off the line.

However, Glentoran found a way through on 77 minutes when the former Coleraine duo of Carson and Darren Boyce combined for the former to send over a cross which Boyce headed from close range into the top corner.

Glentoran: Morris, Nixon, O'Kane, Clarke, Martyn, Ward, Howland, Boyce, Carson, Gibson, Callacher subs Taylor (not used), Hill (not used), McGovern (not used), Beggs (replaced Boyce 88), Burrows (replaced Gibson 70)

Linfield: Addis, Gault, Murphy, Thompson, Carvill, B.J. Burns, Fordyce, Garrett, Ervin, Mulgrew, Watson subs Curran (not used), Lowry (not used), Browne (not used), Patterson (replaced Fordyce 78), Casement (not used)

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• Darren Boyce is mobbed by his team-mates after grabbing the winner (Picture: Russell Pritchard/PressEye.com)