'Dream come true' for Ballymacash Rangers boss - and lifelong Glentoran fan - Lee Forsythe as Irish Cup last-16 draw pits pair together

Forsythe, who still lives in east Belfast, followed Glentoran as an avid supporter both home and away alongside his grandfather and only for his transition into management, it’s almost a certainty that he’d be still be doing the same to this day.

With Ballymacash’s sixth round status secured after a 3-2 extra-time victory over Oxford Sunnyside on Saturday afternoon, Forsythe’s phone starting buzzing frantically with messages just before 6pm with the news and the ex-Knockbreda chief admits the reality of the situation is still sinking in.

"I'm a massive Glentoran fan so for me this is a dream come true,” he said. “I grew up beside The Oval and from I was no age I followed the Glens home and away and Roy Coyle was my childhood hero.

"Glentoran is my love and I still very much feel like a supporter. I'm still a star-struck fan so personally it will be unbelievable for me.

"I'm really pleased for our club...it's a real testament to guys behind the scenes and all the hard work and development that has went on at the Bluebell from when it was once just a grass pitch in the middle of the estate to now hosting one of the biggest clubs on the island of Ireland.

"It's a team I don't need to do any homework on at all because I know the Glentoran team, everything about every player and the way Warren wants to play.

"This is the romance of the Irish Cup with wee Ballymacash from an estate in Lisburn hosting Glentoran - it's the stuff of dreams."

It’ll be an occasion for not just Lee, but the whole Forsythe family (he still isn’t sure which team’s scarves they’ll be wearing) and after coaching against most of the country’s powerhouses, the 40-year-old is delighted to finally be ticking off the most important one.

“I wish my granda was still alive to see it,” he added. "He was the one that gave me my love for Glentoran and I'm sure he will be looking down on me.

"It'll be a proud day for the whole family. My dad was over the moon and my brother would still go to most Glentoran games home and away.

"I've managed against Crusaders, Cliftonville, Ballymena, Larne, Portadown - we've played all these teams but never Glentoran. To get them now it'll be worth the wait and hopefully we can put on a good spectacle.

"It's important we don't freeze, put a good show on and it will suit us more being at the Bluebell. It still hasn't sunk in to be honest."

Forsythe doesn’t need any reminding about cup upsets involving Glentoran over the years, including when they lost to Amateur League side Newington in 2012 or the 2016 exit to Annagh United, who they defeated on Saturday thanks to Junior’s 91st minute winner.

Ballymacash have already created history with this their deepest-ever Irish Cup run and Forsythe insists his men won’t be turning up in February to make up the numbers.

"At the end of the day it's 11 men versus 11 men and we'll certainly not go into the game looking for autographs,” he said. “We know we'll need to have the game of our lives and Glentoran will need to underperform on the day.

"We're not going to make it easy and an upset would be the dream. You've got the chance for an Irish Cup quarter-final and this might be the furthest some people ever get – it's the furthest I've ever reached in my career.

"It's amazing and I'm genuinely looking forward to it. I'll probably not sleep for the next month thinking about it.”