Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Sport
Steven Crawford

Niall McGinn swaps The Oval for Anfield all for a very special cause

Glentoran may have been out of action this weekend due to the international fixtures, but one of their players still got a run out for a very special cause.

Niall McGinn was part of the Celtic Legends which travelled to Anfield to take on their Liverpool counterparts in a charity game with all proceeds raised being donated to the LFC Foundation and other charities..

The Glentoran man started the game for Paul Lambert's side alongside the likes of Artur Boruc, Emilio Izaguirre, Robbie Keane and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Read more: Michael O'Neill bats away 'emotion' questions ahead of Windsor return

However, it was another man with Old Firm links who made the difference in the first half as former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard put the hosts in front from the penalty spot.

Gerrard, who won a league title with the Gers, took great delight in celebrating in front of the 4,000-strong travelling support.

The joke before the game was Gerrard would have 55 on his back - a nod to the title number he delivered as Rangers boss.

But the Anfield icon kept it classic with his traditional No.8 and the captain's armband in situ.

After a raft of changes at the break it was the Reds who scored again as Mark Gonzalez bagged the second to seal the win for Sir Kenny Dalglish's side.

McGinn was one of the only players still playing having notched eight goals since joining the Glens in January.

He played played 56 minutes of the keenly contested charity encounter on Saturday before heading back to The Oval as preparations begin for next Saturday's league game with Portadown.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.