Tag: Institute
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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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The Championship can bring you up and pull you down… but you’ll always be back for more
It’s been one hell of a season in the Playr-Fit Championship. A league that literally has it all… where no holds are barred, where nothing is off the table, where to expect the unexpected would be to somehow insinuate there were even expectations in the first place. And it is dramatic until the dying embers.…
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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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Portadown showed mettle in BetMcLean Cup Final, but promotion is the ultimate success
It proved one step too far in the end for Portadown in the BetMcLean Cup, but they certainly didn’t disgrace themselves under the spotlight on Sunday. The Ports, who eliminated three Premiership outfits en route to the decider, weren’t able to take down a fourth on trophy day as Linfield ran out 3-1 victors in…
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Linfield are big favourites to retain BetMcLean Cup… but Portadown won’t go down quietly
The second of the Irish League’s three senior cup Finals is now upon us – the one that has, in recent years, attracted the biggest crowd of the lot. The NI Football League’s bold call to make the BetMcLean Cup decider a Sunday special, a day of the week when Irish League football has very…
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Cup progression further inspires Linfield to do talking on the pitch after turbulent week
In the first of two successive Sunday specials against Championship opposition for Linfield, round one passed with little hitch. Although the BetMcLean Cup showpiece against Portadown is on the seventh day by design, with crowds of over 11,000 flocking to Windsor Park each of the previous two editions, their visit to Institute was more through…
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More than meets the eye behind quartet of Premiership vs Championship Irish Cup ties
The Sports Direct Premiership is on pause for a weekend and the Clearer Water Irish Cup is at the centre of attentions as the top-flight’s leading four each face clashes of a different kind. NI Football League CEO Gerard Lawlor has previously put on record his vision of a so-called ‘weekend of football’ stretching from…
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In-form Annagh United saving their best for last… and could still make their Play-Off say
The Playr-Fit Championship never disappoints – and twists in the title race weren’t the only piece on the agenda this weekend. At the summit, Dundela succumbed to a heavy defeat that invited those among the chasing pack to close the gap; an opportunity taken gleefully by all three of their closest challengers. A simultaneous 4-0…
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