The Danske Bank Women’s Premiership continues on Wednesday night with a full round of matches.
The undoubted game of the night sees champions and league leaders Glentoran Women travel to Cliftonville Ladies, who are just one point behind but have games in hand.
There is a big game in the race for a top three spot at Melvin, as Sion Swifts Ladies play host to Crusaders Strikers - with Jonathan Tuffey now the Crues head coach for the remainder of the campaign.
After last season’s shortened campaign due to the pandemic, this season sees a full restoration with each of the sides in the top-flight playing each other four times.
Elsewhere, basement side Derry City Women will be looking to build on their three points to date this campaign as they host Linfield Ladies.
Cliftonville Ladies v Glentoran Women
This keenly anticipated match pits the top two together and may go a long way to deciding the destination of this season’s Danske Bank Women’s Premiership title.
The Glens took a two-goal early lead at Solitude in the opening weeks of the season but a remarkable turnaround from the Reds saw them run out 4-2 winners, but the Glens got their revenge last month with a 4-1 triumph in East Belfast.
The Reds need to win this game to go top, while a victory for the visitors would take them four points clear - albeit having played two games more.
This fixture usually guarantees goals: 26 have flown in across the past five meetings between the sides.
Derry City Women v Linfield Ladies
Linfield have won all 13 previous meetings against the Candystripes, scoring 82 goals in the process and conceding just twice.
They were given a major scare by Kevin McLaughlin’s side earlier in the season when Derry opened the scoring in the second half at New Midgely Park, but the Blues did recover to win 3-1.
The Candystripes also opened the scoring in their meeting in the North West earlier this season, but were ousted 4-1.
The Blues have lost nine of their last 10 games in all competitions, with Derry’s only points of the campaign so far coming at home to Sion Swifts.
Sion Swifts Ladies v Crusaders Strikers
Sion Swifts will draw level with Crusaders in third place if they win this tie, albeit Ryan McConville’s side have played a game more.
This will be the Crues first game under Jonathan Tuffey, who replaced Spike Hill in the hotseat earlier this week.
Ironically, the reverse fixture at Seaview recently was the first game of McConville in the dugout for Sion - which the Strikers won late on in a 2-1 victory.
Games between these two sides are usually tight - the Strikers took four points from the two meetings last season but Sion had won five on the bounce before that, with five of the last 12 clashes ending in stalemates - including a 2-2 draw at Melvin earlier this season, when Sion twice came from behind.
