Pour 'disappointed' Glens missed out on Gibson Cup

Glentoran owner Ali Pour said that he was "quite disappointed" that the club missed out on the Irish Premiership title but was "relieved" they made it into Europe.

The Glens finished third in the table, six points behind champions Larne, but made it through to the first round of Uefa Conference League qualifying by virtue of league runners-up Coleraine winning the Irish Cup.

It marks a return to the European stage for the first time since 2024 for the club, but Pour is still frustrated that they were unable to add to the two trophies won during his seven-year tenure to date in the 2025-26 season.

"We started really well, we had a good transfer window in the summer which was reflected in our performance," he said.

"There was a slight dip towards the end of last year, then another strong transfer window in January. We strengthened to win the Gibson Cup.

"I was confident we were going to win it, so I was quite disappointed with the final result despite the fact it the best performance we have had since 2009. To finish six points off the top was disappointing, but it shows progress.

"I'm relieved we made it into Europe, but really, a club of our size, Europe should be a given. We should be in Europe every year so I wasn't really celebrating.

"The investment we've made and the squad we have, we should be progressing in European competitions. While I'm relieved we made it, it was a minimum requirement as far as I'm concerned."

'I've never met a football club owner who is happy'

Since Pour acquired the club in 2019, Glentoran have won the Irish Cup in 2020 and the County Antrim Shield in 2025.

Pour felt that it was an opportunity missed for Glentoran to end their 17-year wait for a league title this season after they strengthened significantly across two transfer windows and admitted he expected them to have more silverware in the cabinet since he took over.

"It takes a few years to build up and Covid didn't help, but I think we should have won more than we have trophy wise," he added.

"Having said that, it was really fine margins this year. As a whole, the club is in a really strong place, so I thought this was our chance to make it and we just missed out."

With the introduction of more stringent financial fair play rules, Pour does not anticipate that Glentoran will be big spenders in the summer, but said they will add to the squad to ensure they can compete on multiple fronts.