After a few weeks of waiting, cup fever is starting to sink in at Ballymacash Rangers Football Club.
The Premier Intermediate League side will welcome the BBC cameras along to their Bluebell home on Friday night for an Irish Cup match that will, in a historic club first, be beamed out live across the United Kingdom and beyond.
It’s been a meteoric rise for the Lisburn outfit as they prepare to entertain Glentoran in the Sixth Round, the long-standing east Belfast establishment travelling down to a modern complex where the third-placed team in the third-tier of the Irish League are lying in wait.
For ‘Cash striker Michael Moore, the opportunity to face his boyhood club was one that made his eyes light up when the draw was made.
A player who has developed a knack of turning up when needed most during his time in striped red and white, including the goal in a 1-1 draw with Crewe United which effectively clinched the Mid-Ulster League title in 2022, an important finish in the two-legged play-off versus St James’ Swifts that subsequently secured their step-up to the Premier Intermediate League and, most recently, the brace against Oxford Sunnyside that set up this glamour date, Moore has been at the heart to the club’s rise and they history they have made.
For 90 minutes on Friday, he will put his loyalties aside to help Ballymacash try and record one of the all-time great upsets in the 143-year history of the Irish Cup, but he is also making sure to savour the moment.
As the club enters its 40th year of existence, moments to celebrate in 2023/24 have already been rubber-stamped.
In December, they faced Larne in the County Antrim Shield semi-finals – a fantastic return in what was their first-ever feature in the tournament having also sealed their debut in the Fifth Round of the Irish Cup, knowing the possibility was firmly on for a last-16 showdown against a big gun.
The visit of the Glens is their reward, as Moore puts it, for so much hard work put in over years and years, and he has challenged everyone from his fellow team-mates to the fans to put on their peak performance and make the occasion truly special.
A capacity crowd is expected at The Bluebell, with a complete sell-out of home tickets reflecting just how much anticipation is in the air ahead of a huge night.
The Jolly Roger will fly high and the wind will be in Ballymacash’s sails; the sense that a date with destiny is finally arriving.
In the 18 months since Lee Forsythe’s charges made their entry into the Irish League, ‘Cash’s stock has continued to rise. Second-place in the PIL above established sides such as Queen’s University and Limavady United, with 60 points good enough for a showdown with Knockbreda in the promotion play-off, their defeat over the two legs, while disappointing, was no dampener on a famous campaign that gave their vocal faithful so many happy memories.
The club has picked up right where they left off in 2023/24, remaining firmly in the mix of the promotion hunt and advancing on both league and cup fronts given they are still alive in the third-flight, Irish Cup and Intermediate Cup with three months of the season still to play.
It’s given 38-year-old sharp-shooter Moore a lot of joy and, in an exclusive interview with Football Chatters, he is in no doubt that everyone will stand up and be counted.
“We had the league game on Saturday with Coagh, which obviously didn’t go our way (a 3-2 defeat at Hagan Park), but yeah, it’s been a bit hectic, it’s basically all everybody’s really talked about since the draw,” he explains.
“Obviously, we were trying to focus on the three games leading up to it, but as I say, probably in the back of everybody’s mind was Friday night so, yeah, really looking forward to it.
“Being a Glentoran fan myself, obviously it was the ideal draw for me; it was either Carrick away or Glentoran at home was the two draws I wanted, so I got the dream draw, really.
“You want to play against the teams you grow up supporting, and I’ve watched probably hundreds, thousands of Glentoran games, you know, so it’s obviously a great draw for the club especially.
“There’s obviously been a lot of work behind the scenes leading up to Friday night over the last two to three years, so it’s as much a ‘thank you’ to them as it’s good for the players also.”
Elaborating on the effort put in by volunteers and supporters at Ballymacash, who have enjoyed a handful of famous club firsts in the 2023/24 season including this Sixth Round date – this is the first time they have ever got this far in the Irish Cup – Moore pointed out that the potential for an upset can never be discounted in one-off encounters such as these.
He cited examples in the recent past when the odds were stacked against would-be winners, notably Newington’s shock 1-0 victory away to the Glens in 2012 courtesy of a Neil Quinn strike 24 minutes into proceedings and Linfield’s 2-1 loss at the hands of Queen’s University in 2020, when Marc McKenna and Jonah Mitchell bagged famous finishes for the Students.
Believing the work applied over several years to set up this dream date can serve as added motivation, Moore is hopeful that the players can hit new heights on the pitch.
“Yeah, I think that’s it, as I said, the work behind the scenes that nobody really sees,” he continues.
“Blood, sweat and tears from a lot of people, a lot of volunteers, you know, so it’s as much their reward as it is ours.
“Obviously it’s a glamour tie for us, it’s on TV, but who knows… it’s 11 v 11 at the end of the day, Glentoran are expected to come down and probably beat us heavily in most people’s eyes, but it’s happened before.
“Newington went to The Oval and won, Queen’s have beaten Linfield, so who knows at the end of the day… fingers crossed we can just surprise and get a victory.”
Reflecting on the defeat to Coagh, Moore admits: “Yeah, I think Saturday’s probably as poor as we’ve been for a while. All-round, we just never really got going.
“Obviously, 2-1 up at half-time but I think anybody who was watching, and we’ll be honest ourselves, Coagh fully deserved the three points.
“But fingers crossed, I think the manager, et cetera, will get a reaction from the players and put on a good performance and do the club proud and the league.”
Forsythe has been the mastermind of the club’s rise from the touchline, first linking up with The ‘Cash in October 2020 and guiding the club to promotion from the Mid-Ulster Football League in 2022 following his first season in charge.
From there, the club finished second-place in their first-ever campaign in the Irish League ranks, missing out on promotion through the play-off after a 4-2 aggregate defeat to Knockbreda – all six goals in the two-legged tie were scored in the first duel on a warm summer’s night at The Bluebell – but signalling that they would be a new force to be reckoned with.
Moore, who has been a part of the manager’s panel the whole way, insists the side’s year-on-year progression has brought him great satisfaction.
“Yeah, the gaffer, I came in about the same time as Lee, and he’s done really, really well with the club,” he said.
“Year on year, we’re progressing. Obviously, the aim was to get out of the Mid-Ulster, and we did that on the first go which, you know, we probably didn’t expect to get it first go, but we were very good.
“Last year, we were superb all season, Bangor won the league and probably in the end deservedly so, but we pushed them all the way until maybe the last five, six weeks.
“We missed out in the play-off against Knockbreda, I think we just didn’t turn up the first leg and it killed us, but again, we started okay this year, we’re halfway through the season and we’re still in a good position. I think it’s maybe six points or seven points (from top spot), so it’s still all to play for.”
Some stellar new additions have helped Ballymacash continue to fight for promotion, perhaps most notably focal-point striker Benny Igiehon. The 30-year-old marksman, who joined following a half-season stint in the Premiership with Portadown, is one of three players tied at the top of the PIL scoring charts.
A man who also counts Larne, Dundela and Ards among his former employers in the Irish League, Igiehon’s 12 goals have made a notable difference in the first half of the third-tier campaign and Moore is hopeful that the Leeds native can continue to hit the high notes in challenges to come.
He says of Igiehon: “Big Benny’s come in, he’s done rightly, give him his dues, he’s scored a lot of goals for us, he’s done well.
“He was out of the team, he got back in on Saturday and he scored on Saturday (against Coagh) again, so hopefully, we’ve got him back fit and firing again and more goals to come before the end of the season.”
Moore name-checks a handful of others who have shone during their time with the club, including last season’s club top scorer Jack Smith, popular PIL Team of the Season representative Dylan Davidson who has recently returned after a spell away and fleet-footed forward Dylan Sinnerton, the prodigious 20-year-old who joined from Lisburn Distillery in January 2023.
“Jack done well for us last year, scored a lot of goals, obviously Dylan Davidson’s back at the club also and he’s a big help to us, Dylan Sinnerton’s been flying,” he continues.
“We’ve a lot of quality all over the park, you know, and if we can keep it tight, defend well like we know we can defend, like we did last season, who knows… we’ve goals in the team, all round the park, so we might be able to nick something and give ourselves something to hold onto.”
When Ballymacash reached the Fifth Round – again, a club first – being drawn with former Mid-Ulster League foes Oxford Sunnyside appeared a presentable chance for the club to reach this stage and set up a glamour tie.
So it proved as, thanks in large part to a Moore double which included the winner in extra-time that secured a 3-2 victory, the name of Glentoran was revealed as ‘Cash’s adversaries in the last-16.
As the sole intermediate-status outfit remaining in the Irish Cup, they are also the only club to have emerged through all the preliminary stages to get to this point.
Victories from stages one to four over Shankill United (1-0), Rathfriland (1-1, win on penalties), Downshire YM (3-1) and Drumaness Mills (3-1) en route to becoming one of the final 32 meant one of the big guns could’ve been visiting there and then, but having despatched Lurgan side and 2022 Bob Radcliffe Cup champions Oxford at their Knockramer Park home, it is a round later where the east Belfast juggernauts will pose as Ballymacash’s opposition.
“Well, obviously when you get to the Fifth Round, you want the Glentorans, Linfield, et cetera, you want to play one of the big teams,” he reflects. “Or, ideally, you want a home draw against a team around your level, you know, obviously we were away to Oxford but we went in as favourites and, as it worked out, it was close, it was a tight game and we got the win in extra-time.
“But it was one where we fancied ourselves and, you know, we were confident we could win.
“Again, it was a nice draw for us when you look back on it to get us into the Sixth Round and it gives you a better chance at getting one of the big sides, which we did, thankfully.”
So, how do you set up on the pitch to deliver for such a big occasion?
Moore cast his mind back to the approach when they faced Larne in the Shield semi-final on December 19 where, although the Invermen ran out 4-0 winners, Ballymacash’s containment policy worked for large parts of the contest.
The scoreline in itself is somewhat deceptive given it was 2-0 up until four minutes from time at Inver Park, with mercurial midfielder Leroy Millar – a player who Moore rates as arguably the best he’s ever faced – at the double before half-time before Joe Thomson and Ilijah Paul added gloss to the scoreline just before the end.
The seasoned campaigner reckons facing full-time footballers such as Cullybackey ace Millar ensures Ballymacash as a whole know what to expect, given Glentoran – also a full-time outfit – also have mercurial talent in the form of strikers David Fisher and Junior as well as midfielders Bobby Burns, Shay McCartan and Seanan Clucas. He also feels the backing of a routinely raucous support, both home and away, will also prove worthwhile.
“Well yeah, I think the fans have been unreal,” Moore hails. “The travelling numbers we take to 99 per cent of away games is unreal.
“Saturday past, there was a big travelling support; against Larne, I think we took maybe close to 300, and I know come Friday night, it’s a sell-out, you know, we’ve sold hundreds and hundreds of tickets, I think maybe over a thousand.
“And I do think the Larne game will help us, you know, just to see the levels that they’re playing at now, it’s scary.
“Our defensive shape was very good and Bam (goalkeeper Brian Neeson) was excellent in nets as he was going to have to be.
“But to keep the score at 2-0 until the 86th minute, I think we done ourselves proud. Albeit we didn’t have many chances, but you’re playing the champions, and let’s be honest, they’re the best team in the country, they’re probably league favourites again and they showed us a lot of respect, which was good because they put out a very, very strong team.
“I think there was only four changes from the team that played the week before and the team that played the following Saturday, so they did show us respect and it will help the boys, it’s just the levels they’re playing at now is frightening.
“Leroy Millar’s probably as good a player I’ve seen or played against my whole career. It’s just frightening how good he was.”
He adds: “As a Glentoran fan, I’m disappointed where the Glens are in the league, you know, they’re a long way behind Linfield and Larne, but the players sort of roll off the tongue.
“All the players they have, 99 per cent of teams would take them.
“Jay Donnelly’s coming back from injury now, he came on on Saturday and got an assist, Fisher, there’s plenty of goals in them.
“And (Fuad) Sule’s there, Paddy McClean, Luke McCullough, it’s just… they’re all top, top-quality players, and look, don’t get me wrong, we know what’s ahead of us, it’s going to be a massive, massive ask, but if we can keep the same shape and the same discipline as against Larne, albeit have a wee bit more of an attacking threat, you know… who knows, it’s football at the end of the day, and a lot of strange, strange things happen in football.
“Everyone’s expecting Glentoran to come down and beat us, but who knows… as I said, it’s a reward for the club, and this time two years ago, we were playing on park pitches, and the work the club’s done, the new building’s getting ready (a new pavilion that’s under construction), the wee stand’s built and the club’s just thriving.
“And I’ve said it several times, I wish I was five, six years younger to be a part of it, you know, but no, it’ll be a great occasion for the club, and great for the manager as well, obviously with him being a big Glentoran fan, and the players, so it’s one we’re relishing and one we’re looking forward to.”
There you have it then. Ballymacash will enjoy their moment in the spotlight – but they certainly don’t intend to let it overawe them.
Featured image from Paul Harvey Photography.
- It’s unfair to put blame at feet of Linfield and Cliftonville for Irish Cup Final crowd disorder
A penny for the thoughts of Linfield and Cliftonville this week. This year’s Irish Cup Final was a spectacular in every sense. Nearly 15,000 packed inside Windsor Park for the biggest-attended domestic fixture in Northern Ireland this century and an occasion to savour that, for the most part, featured backing from both sides that supported… Read more: It’s unfair to put blame at feet of Linfield and Cliftonville for Irish Cup Final crowd disorder - Irish League chiefs must improve provisions in place to attract younger fans and families
Let’s get a basic fact of life out of the way first – no one likes a price hike. No one likes a price hike in the same way that no one likes paying taxes, bills, debts, insurance and other such necessary expenses which, in themselves, are rising amid a general rise in the cost… Read more: Irish League chiefs must improve provisions in place to attract younger fans and families - How the Irish FA’s new ‘Conference Layer’ for intermediate football can be big hit or own goal
Changes to the intermediate football sphere in Northern Ireland have long been touted and, going by the Irish FA’s latest update on the topic, closer than ever to coming to fruition. From the 2026-27 campaign, a new ‘Conference Layer’ will be in effect as part of a radical shake-up of the intermediate levels of the… Read more: How the Irish FA’s new ‘Conference Layer’ for intermediate football can be big hit or own goal - Steven McCullough’s crucial goal in relegation play-off seals him as a Ballymena United great
There’s been a change in priorities for Ballymena United during recent years – albeit not necessarily the type supporters would’ve perhaps wanted. In 2019, the Braidmen were the second best team in the Irish League. Runners-up behind Linfield that year, and just seven points adrift of top spot, the peak years of David Jeffrey’s tenure… Read more: Steven McCullough’s crucial goal in relegation play-off seals him as a Ballymena United great - Ending Cliftonville’s Irish Cup drought proves Jim can fix it… now he must target league glory
Finally, it’s Cliftonville’s year in the Irish Cup. An agonising waiting game ends at last and a drought that lasted 45 painful years is over in one burst of champagne rain. Since 1979, the Reds have contrived to fail in various ways in their pursuit of that elusive ninth Irish Cup – until a man… Read more: Ending Cliftonville’s Irish Cup drought proves Jim can fix it… now he must target league glory
Football Chatters 
Leave a comment