Author: Lewis Bennett
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Well-travelled Andrew Smith’s smooth adapting to new horizons can make him a hit at FC Haka
Some former Irish League stars have taken interesting steps in their post-playing career, and Andrew Smith is no exception. The 43-year-old Lisburn man was this week confirmed as head coach of FC Haka. There’s more than a pinch of irony behind that hire. Haka were the Finnish outfit dumped out of Europa Conference League qualifying…
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Regional cups serve in the interest of the many… and for that, their integrity must be protected
There has been much discourse and debate in the modern age of the Irish League regarding what role regional competitions now play. In an age where European qualification is now a factor that reigns supreme, with six-figure sums healthily renumerating those that reach the continental scene, there has been a change of priorities at the…
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Free-scoring Limavady United have a familiarity on their side that could hand them a promotion
Limavady United’s goal glut to start the Premier Intermediate League campaign has come under the spotlight – and not without reason. The Roesiders have started the new third-tier campaign in an impressive vein; with just six matches played, they have already scored an astonishing 28 goals, scooping up 15 out of a possible 18 points…
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Mercurial Ryan Mayse is Portadown’s heartbeat behind their bid for a quick Premiership return
A somewhat rocky start to life back in the Playr-Fit Championship would now appear to be firmly behind Portadown. Naturally, the team that has held aloft the Gibson Cup more times than any other outside of Belfast would have entered this term especially keen to surge straight back into the big time following their relegation…
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Women’s football took another leap forward in 2023… and continued investment in youth will bring it to new heights
When we discuss nostalgia in the Irish League, the women’s game is of a much more recent vintage. Domestically, what was a six-team top league less than five years ago has boomed into a 10-strong Sports Direct Women’s Premiership that comes under the same banner as its male equivalent. The reasoning for the growth of…
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Extortionate ticket prices are taking away from the Northern Ireland feelgood factor of old
Northern Ireland’s Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, which had supporters brimming with hope when the draw was first made, has not worked a treat. Michael O’Neill hasn’t been given much of a honeymoon period since returning to the hotseat, as a frustrating crusade will ensure that his joy at guiding the nation to the 2016 Euros…
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Capturing the essence of the Riverside can give Institute no end of comforts in their new home
In the latest round of the Playr-Fit Championship last weekend, one of the stand-out results was Institute’s impressive 4-0 victory over Bangor in a third-versus-fourth battle at the Brandywell. The hosts looked in mightily good nick and were thoroughly deserving winners on the day. Shaun Leppard’s opener, prodding home from a dangerous right-sided free-kick, was…
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Linfield found a calm in a different kind of storm at Solitude… exactly the type champions need
Last week, Storm Babet brought torrents of rain and fierce gusts of wind as it roared into the British Isles. Depending on where you were, flooded streets and felled trees cut the landscape in the calm that followed. But a calm of a different kind could be found amid the ecstasy of a bouncing away…
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