Author: Lewis Bennett
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Linfield haven’t been bogged down by haves and have nots… it’s a pure winning mentality
The inevitability of Linfield Football Club strikes again. Despite key bodies being unavailable, despite the chips appearing to be down, despite the outside financial investment around them, there has never been any withering of their title ambitions. It’s the way David Healy’s team are built. They never make excuses for themselves, even in moments like…
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Resurgent Armagh City sneaking in unsighted in their bid to leave a mark in PIL promotion race
The New Year’s Day clash at Milltown between Warrenpoint Town and Armagh City naturally saw much of the attention placed on the hosts. After all, reports had broken less than 24 hours earlier that ‘Point chief Barry Gray was about to swap one side of the Mourne Ultimatum for the other and take the vacant…
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Implementing VAR in the Irish League could be an increasingly hard sell for supporters in 2024
So, 2023 is almost at an end and 2024 is nigh upon us. Such is the cliché, it is a time to reflect on what has come and gone, looking forward to the exciting new horizons a new year can bring. This 12-month span proved a memorable one in the Irish League, arguably capped by…
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Intermediate Finals prove pulsating affairs as three regional champions confirmed for 2023
The festive regional Finals have now been decided, and what proved a Christmas cracker on the 25th were followed by two rather more one-sided scorelines on Boxing Day that capped off a trio of prestigious and long-standing intermediate tournaments. The goings-on at Seaview appeared to swing one way and the other before a thriller extra-time…
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Festive trio of regional intermediate Finals over Christmas and Boxing Day will serve up a treat
The festive football schedule is heading into peak season – and an enduring staple of the calendar is the regional cup Finals which take place between Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Headlined on the 25th December by the Steel and Sons Cup match-up that fans and followers flock to Seaview for in their thousands, the…
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Winter is a time of giving and receiving… and is set to play a key role in the Premiership title hunt
The January transfer window is nigh upon us, and for clubs across all levels of the Irish League set-up, it is a difference-making opportunity. Already the rumour mill swirls. Crusaders confirmed on Monday that 26-year-old attacking midfielder Ben Kennedy has been transfer-listed, piquing the interest of suitors both home and abroad as a mercurially gifted…
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The County Antrim Shield Final carries added importance for Larne and Glentoran in 2024
The County Antrim Shield showpiece in 2024 has now been rubber-stamped and, from both sides, it is a match that carries noteworthy significance. In the green corner, Glentoran, who booked their spot at Seaview a few weeks prior to their Final adversaries Larne, are on the hunt for the first trophy of Warren Feeney’s tenure…
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A new stadium for Ards would be the cherry on top of a rising Peninsula football scene
It’s over 20 years since Ards left their long-standing Castlereagh Park home and, as 2023 comes to a close, they remain without a permanent place to call their own. Perhaps for not much longer, though. After spells playing their football at Cliftonville’s Solitude in north Belfast, Dixon Park in Ballyclare and Carrick Rangers’ Taylors Avenue,…
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