Tag: County Down
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Five 21-or-under breakout stars from the Playr-Fit Championship in 2023/24
The latest young star to swap the Irish League for the football scene in England was centre-back Craig Farquhar, who switched from Larne for Crystal Palace during the January transfer window. The defender, who had joined the Invermen only the summer before from his home town club Ballymena United, made a six-figure move into the…
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Free-flowing new boys Rathfriland on track to establish themselves in Irish League long-term
A Friday night showdown takes place at Iveagh Park between two clubs with contrastingly differing lengths of historical archive in the NI Football League. Lisburn Distillery, one of the oldest football clubs on the island of Ireland, will face Irish League first-timers Rathfriland in the Playr-Fit Premier Intermediate League. Two clubs nicknamed the Whites, the…
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Big battle between in-form Bangor and league-leading Dundela set to be a day of decision
Last weekend’s Championship action saw a curious results slate – and even by the typically atypical nature of the second-flight that has become its unique selling point, it made for even more intriguing reading than normal. For the first time this campaign, not a single home win was recorded from the standard six-game Saturday itinerary.…
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Gary Boyle’s return to Warrenpoint Town is the perfect move for all parties
Having departed his role as Newry City manager following the side’s 4-0 Boxing Day defeat to Glenavon, Gary Boyle is back in the game. The 36-year-old, who took up the mantle at The Showgrounds having served as his predecessor Darren Mullen’s long-time assistant in the summer of 2023, announced that he’d be stepping down as…
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Upset value in the Irish Cup on full display in the Fifth Round… with every chance of continuing
In the Irish Cup Sixth Round, there were three all-Premiership ties pulled out of the hat that all but confirms the amount of top-flight clubs will have at least been slashed in half from the last-32 by the time the quarter-finals roll around. League leaders Linfield will host relegation-battling Ballymena United, second-placed Larne entertain Glenavon…
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Football chiefs should look into how to boost medical provisions across NI football in 2024
Over the course of an enthralling 2023 in the Irish League, one of the more sombre notes has been the sight of some serious injuries. Be it Linfield shot-stopper David Walsh sustaining a severe blow to the head in an accidental coming-together with Larne counterpart Thomas Maguire in the County Antrim Shield decider in January,…
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Ballymena United and Newry City would be wise to trust their first-time bosses through the hard times and good
2023 is coming to a close and, among other things, it will be remembered as a year when some Irish League managerial dynasties met their ends. Six or seven months ago, these long-serving tenures were still in place at clubs like Ballymena United, Newry City and Glenavon – but the picture has changed since. Most…
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Comber Rec and Crumlin Star go the distance to set up a tasty Steel and Sons Final showdown
The Steel and Sons Final line-up has been decided for another year, and the two teams that will jostle to make Christmas the most wonderful time of the year for themselves and their supporters have been deduced. Through six rounds of competition, all cup hopefuls bar two within the intermediate County Antrim FA sphere have…
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