Glentoran welcomed Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock to The Oval on Wednesday for a pre-season friendly designed to sharpen the squad ahead of their European campaign.
Head coach Declan Devine arranged the fixture against top-tier opposition to replicate the intensity of continental competition before next week's UEFA Conference League first qualifying round.
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The Belfast side has already played warm-up matches against Caernarfon Town, The New Saints, and East Belfast, with another friendly scheduled against Dundela on Saturday.
Test Against Scottish Opposition
Kilmarnock, who finished tenth in the Scottish Premiership last season, brought a strong squad to Northern Ireland for their training camp.
Manager Neil McCann selected his first starting lineup of the 2026 pre-season for the match, using the trip to prepare for their Premier Sports Cup campaign starting July 14.
Glentoran defender Daniel Larmour highlighted the importance of facing a high-quality opponent at this stage of pre-season.
“They have been competitive games for us so far, but I think the Kilmarnock one will be a real test for us,” Larmour said.
“Kilmarnock obviously play at the highest level in Scotland and have plenty of good players throughout the squad so we know they will be a tough test for us.”
The defender noted that the coaching staff organized the fixture specifically to replicate the physical demands of European tournament football.
“But that’s key as we need to be pushed hard and get the most out of these games with that competitive game against RFS looming large,” he added.
