Category: Premiership
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North Belfast derby draw means only Larne have the privilege of a margin for error at the top
On a pouring night in north Belfast, rivals Crusaders and Cliftonville defied the conditions to serve up a feast at Seaview and deliver a dramatic 2-2 draw. The rain did not act as any sort of deterrent for either team to play attack-minded football, with plenty of action in both boxes and a sterling occasion…
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Larne and Glentoran show, in very different ways, how much transparency means to Irish League supporters
On Saturday evening, following their team’s ninth defeat in the past dozen matches, a congregation of Glentoran supporters crowded outside the ground with a clear message – for first-team manager Mick McDermott to “get out of our club”. It was quite a shift in tone from earlier in the season, when the Glens started in…
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There are few better candidates than Niall Currie to keep Portadown up
The majority of predictors prior to this Premiership season had Portadown as a favourite to struggle. A team who survived courtesy only of emerging on the right side of the relegation/promotion play-off last term, while Paul Doolin was widely lauded for securing that two-legged success over local rivals Annagh United in May, it is fair…
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Like Coleraine, Ballymena and Glenavon before them, Larne’s title escapade is good for the Irish League
The table-topping side in the Irish Premiership is a non-Belfast team. Granted, some may argue, the only non-Belfast full-time team in the division, but Larne’s presence at the summit of the Irish League is nonetheless significant. Given it is 20 years since a team from outside the Northern Irish capital claimed the Gibson Cup, and…
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The growing spread of talent in the Irish League highlights the value of consistency in fighting at the top
For those in attendance at Windsor Park this mid-week to watch the meet of Linfield and Glenavon, they observed an enthralling affair under the floodlights in south Belfast. It was an end-to-end spectacle with chances aplenty in both penalty boxes, the Blues ultimately shading an open five-goal thriller after coming from behind to beat their…
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Glentoran’s strong start indicates lessons learned on how to compete for titles
Fresh off a victory in the County Antrim Shield over Ards on Tuesday evening, Glentoran’s imperious start to the season continues as they secured their semi-final spot in the competition. The east Belfast outfit face arch-rivals Linfield for a spot in the final, where they will play either their near-neighbours Dundela or three-peat-chasing Larne if…
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Northern Irish stadia and facility upgrades are required imminently
Don’t take this opinion piece the wrong way. It is obviously tremendous news that we are seeing reports by clubs of full attendances for matches. The attraction of the product, heightened exponentially from a decade ago, is such that greater crowds gathering to watch their local team in Northern Ireland is entirely justifiable. However, caveats…
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Linfield’s title hopes could hinge on not being left feeling blue on Sundays
In Northern Ireland, there is set to be change in the way matchdays are presented from this season on. The first Premiership matchday of the new season saw a spread from Friday to Sunday – a curtain-raiser building into a main course Saturday of four matches, concluding on the final day of the week with…
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