Debate and question marks over the seeded nature of the BetMcLean Cup First Round draw are not new, but the argument emerged again in 2023 after the fixture catalogue resulted in merely one unseeded team advancing to the last-16.
With all 12 Premiership clubs booking their ticket with varying levels of difficulty – of which only two were the visiting side – there was a predictable look about the Second Round.
For some supporters of lower-league clubs, meanwhile, there was a sense of wonder as to what exactly their incentive is when they know in all likelihood they will be the underdog that is heading out.
In NIFL’s showpiece knock-out competition, with a profile that has been boosted noticeably post-pandemic, perhaps the popularity is not universal.
Earlier this month, only Limavady United defied the odds to progress beyond the first hurdle proper – they took down the current Championship leaders Dundela, as Ruairi Boorman and Joe McCready hit the target in a 2-0 victory at the Rathmore Road Showgrounds – and, while there were a few scares, any frights were safely staved off and navigated by the seeded side.
Premiership Coleraine and Glenavon, each drawn at home and taken to extra-time by second-tier duo Bangor and Dergview respectively, both found the answer in the end. Annagh United, who levelled it up late on in regulation time against Portstewart of the Premier Intermediate League, did likewise as the seeded, higher-seated Championship establishment.
The two top-flight clubs to be drawn away from home – Newry City and Crusaders – were perhaps more in upset territory, but the Crues didn’t show it when they struck five unresponded strikes in Warrenpoint, while Newry successfully atoned for their Irish Cup elimination at the hands of H&W Welders earlier in the year by beating the same opponents 2-1 at Blanchflower Park.
So, a few tales of ‘close but no cigar’. But, come the close of action, the BetMcLean Cup First Round had offered precious little in upset value.
The fact was that 15 out of 16 seeded teams were in the hat.
It wasn’t really out of the ordinary, either, when you look at events of recent campaigns.
Last term, 14 of 16 seeded teams progressed, with Crusaders, who were turned over by Dundela at Wilgar Park, the only Premiership club to spurn their shot at a last-16 place among the rest.
The season before? No different. 14 out of 16… only denied a clean sweep when Larne and Institute were dismissed due to fielding ineligible players. PIL duo Limavady and PSNI were subsequently reinstated.
Now, the move to a Sunday Best has proved a shrewd call by NIFL of late.
In successive Finals between Linfield and Coleraine, attendances of 11,000 flocked to Windsor Park and took in a match-up that is a true staple on the calendar.
That said, cup runs will of course be appreciated by supporters of clubs outside the established elite – and when you look, for example, at the unseeded County Antrim Shield, where the outcome from the Round of 16 brought five lower-league quarter-finalists, you wonder whether an unseeded League Cup would ramp up the drama.
Or, if it is to remain seeded, potentially tweaking the format to make the goings-on a little more tense.
Why not, to cite one, altering the format so the unseeded team is at home, floodlight permitting? With home comforts, maybe a team can be encouraged to put on more of a show with the home fans on their back?
It could be that the inverse effect works better for some – the pressure is off and the weight of expectation is lifted, after all – but, given that the solitary upset this season occurred with the lower-league team at home and, indeed, the Duns’ defeat of the Crues last year, it may be worth a shout.
Image from Pacemaker via NIFL website.
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