{
  "id": 5742870,
  "title": "Why Glenavon need to raise their game to earn promotion",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/why-glenavon-need-to-raise-their-game-to-earn-promotion",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-05T07:45:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-glenavon-raise-game-earn-074519920.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Glenavon found themselves relegated from the Irish Premiership at the conclusion of the previous season, marking an end to a 21-year stay in the top flight. The club's primary objective in the current Championship is to secure an immediate return to the Irish Premiership. For striker Ryan Waide, who has spent his entire career in the Irish Premiership, the move to Glenavon represented a chance to gain regular playing time. After a conversation with manager Michael O'Connor, Waide was confident that Lurgan Blues would be his next destination. Waide was named player of the month by the Northern Ireland Football Writers Association, praising the manager's faith in his abilities. Glenavon's challenge began with a 3-1 home defeat against Ards, which served as a wake-up call on the opening day of the season. Despite this setback, the team has gone on to win three of their next four matches and scored 14 goals so far this season, with Waide contributing seven of those goals. Glenavon boasts some of the best facilities in the country, and to close the gap on their title rivals, they need to improve their performance by 20-25% each week. The team's mentality, bolstered by manager O'Connor's support, has been crucial in their pursuit of immediate promotion back to the Irish Premiership. Waide emphasized that the club's achievements in the past decade, including Irish Cups and European appearances, have not allowed them to dwell on the relegation. Instead, they have focused on what needs to be done to bounce back to the top flight. Waide expressed his desire to contribute to Glenavon's immediate return to the Premiership, highlighting the club's excellent facilities and the dedication of the staff and volunteers who contribute to the club's success.",
  "summary": "When Glenavon were relegated at the end of last season it brought a 21-year stay in the Irish Premiership to a close. Now in the Championship their goal is clear - win immediate promotion back to the top flight. For striker Ryan Waide, who has spent all of his career in the Irish Premiership, that was part of the appeal of a summer move to Mourneview Park.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}