Tag: County Antrim
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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…
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2024 may not be Linfield’s year, but precocious Braiden Graham is a huge success story
Linfield’s record haul of Irish League titles will remain at 56. Larne’s burgeoning total of Gibson Cups bloats from one to two. The Blues simply had to win on Monday night to take the title fight down to the dying embers, but a powerful Andy Ryan penalty on 35 minutes in response to Kirk Millar’s…
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Premiership title picture changed beyond recognition in 120 seconds… but twists not over yet
Have you caught your breath yet? Small moments can make the biggest differences. One goal or, in this case, two just seconds apart across two sides of the same city can change the entire complexion. Deep, deep into added-time, Linfield were shooting above Larne to the Sports Direct Premiership summit by a point as they…
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Championship hitting new heights for quality and entertainment… that must be celebrated
The Championship is the ultimate in ‘any team can beat any team’, they say. A hive of chaos where you can quickly find yourself a bit red-faced when you look at your accumulator and notice that nothing has gone to plan. Well, in this league, there is no plan. There is no script nor playbook.…
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Second edition of All-Island Cup is the perfect kickstart for NI women’s club campaign
It has been a while in waiting, but the domestic women’s season kicks off this weekend with five Irish League representatives taking to all-Ireland action. The Avenir Sports All-Island Cup, which was introduced to the calendar in 2023 and received rave reviews among players and fans alike, begins again with the Belfast big four of…
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Removal of post-split schedule misaligns Premier Intermediate from rest of Irish League
There’s been much change in the Playr-Fit Premier Intermediate League however you see it. What was a 12-team league, in alignment with the Premiership and Championship at least in respect of its size, is now a restructured 14-team division as of the summer of 2023. As we all know, administration was the domineering talking point…
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Larne and Linfield’s six-hits keep heat on at top… and Jordan Stewart’s return can boost Blues
There’s no stopping Linfield and Larne at the top of the table, with both sides barely breaking a sweat on their way to comprehensively hitting their visitors for six at the weekend. The Blues swatted away the challenge of Newry City at Windsor Park but they were matched goal for goal by the Invermen, who…
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Bunched-up PIL summit and big twists tee up tense title hunt to go right to the wire
The Playr-Fit Premier Intermediate League promotion race took some fresh turns at the weekend, thus a climactic end to the campaign is in the pipeline with the prize of dining among the ranks of senior-status football in 2024/25. A couple of crunch clashes between top-five rivals, namely Armagh City’s hosting of leaders Limavady United and…
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