Played in cold and blustery conditions, the contest presented a stern challenge for Carrick against a Glentoran side who arrived in strong form, sitting third in the Premiership and enjoying a three-match winning streak. The home side were further hampered by the absence of regular goalkeeper Nathan Gartside, who was sidelined through injury, resulting in Scott Pengelly starting between the posts.
Glentoran opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Hoban converted from close range following good work by Ryan Cooney. The striker doubled his tally five minutes later, reacting quickest to a free-kick delivered into the penalty area. Carrick’s task became significantly more difficult in the 29th minute when Reece Glendinning was shown a red card, leaving the hosts to contest the remainder of the match with ten men. Glentoran capitalised on their numerical advantage, with Hoban completing a first-half hat-trick before adding a fourth goal shortly before the interval.
The visitors continued their dominance after the restart. Hoban struck twice in quick succession in the 50th and 52nd minutes to take his personal tally to six goals, underlining a ruthless attacking display. Liam Burt added further gloss to the scoreline on the hour mark, producing an excellent long-range effort that found the top-left corner beyond the reach of Pengelly.
The result leaves Carrick Rangers in 11th position in the Premiership table, seven points clear of bottom-placed Glenavon. Speaking after the match, manager Stephen Baxter expressed disappointment with the sending off, while acknowledging the difficulty of the challenge posed by the 'Gers growing injury list.
Carrick Rangers return to action on 10 January when they host Queen’s University at Taylors Avenue in the Clearer Water Irish Cup, with kick-off scheduled for 15:00 GMT, before facing Linfield in their next Premiership fixture on 13 January.
