Whites get opening win

Lisburn Distillery welcomed Knockbreda to New Grosvenor and after a few scares in the opening 15 minutes, the Whites soon took control, securing a 2-0 win.

Kincaid said he was delighted to see his men “get off to a good start”.

In more good news for the Ballyskeagh men, the Whites have lured veteran defender Mark Glendinning out of retirement.

The former Bangor, Glenavon and Glentoran man has vast experience of the game and is a winner, having won Irish League and Irish Cup medals throughout his career.

Glendinning has been brought in to provide additional cover in case of further injuries in defence, after the Whites lost Bradley Morton to injury, whilst Niall Derry will not be available for a few weeks.

Speaking to the Star, Glendinning said: “I had retired but Tommy persuaded me to come back. If Tommy calls, I’ll help him out, and if I can pass on my knowledge and experience, if it will help the younger players, I will.

“I’ve been playing charity matches, I feel good, and I’m happy to help Tommy out.”

Tommy Kincaid commented: “I’ve known Mark a long time, I was the assistant manager with Glentoran when Mark was there. He can add a lot of experience, he’s as fit as a fiddle. People said he was fit enough to play at this level and I agree with them. It’s also an attitude point of view, his attitude is right up there and he can pass that on to the squad.”

Looking back at Saturday’s home win, Kincaid said: “We were delighted to get off to a good start.

“We could have been three down in the first 15 minutes but we soon settled and from then there was only one winner.

“It was great to get off to a good start, especially after last season, but it is only one win.

“We play Castlestar at home tomorrow (Saturday) in the Steel & Sons Cup and then we are at Loughgall in the league on Tuesday night, which will be a hard game. There are a couple of our old players there and they will want to prove a point, but they are all hard games.

“The team are gelling very well, there are a lot of good characters in there, and they are a talented bunch who can play good football.

“So far we have only one win, but hopefully we are on the right track going forward.”

Speaking about Mark Glendinning’s signing, Club Director Colin Hopkins said: “I’d like to welcome Mark to Lisburn Distillery. He obviously brings a wealth of experience to the club and will prove to be a very good role model for our younger players. Tommy felt he needed an extra man in defence after we lost one of our defenders to injury recently. Mark would be what you would call a ‘veteran defender’ but he is still remarkably fit for his age and will play a key part in the club going forward.”