Tag: North Belfast
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It’s unfair to put blame at feet of Linfield and Cliftonville for Irish Cup Final crowd disorder
A penny for the thoughts of Linfield and Cliftonville this week. This year’s Irish Cup Final was a spectacular in every sense. Nearly 15,000 packed inside Windsor Park for the biggest-attended domestic fixture in Northern Ireland this century and an occasion to savour that, for the most part, featured backing from both sides that supported…
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Ending Cliftonville’s Irish Cup drought proves Jim can fix it… now he must target league glory
Finally, it’s Cliftonville’s year in the Irish Cup. An agonising waiting game ends at last and a drought that lasted 45 painful years is over in one burst of champagne rain. Since 1979, the Reds have contrived to fail in various ways in their pursuit of that elusive ninth Irish Cup – until a man…
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Why cup-heavy and irregular Amateur League schedule is in desperate need of change
It’s April, the clocks have moved forward an hour and, in Northern Ireland football terms, that marks a particularly significant time in the season below the Irish League. It’s a point that is largely defined by catching up. That’s to say that in the Northern Amateur Football League, Ballymena and Provincial Intermediate League and Mid-Ulster…
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Linfield missed chance to hit summit… but not losing means it’s still a gain for David Healy
Glentoran and Linfield drew 0-0 in a fairly forgettable final Big Two derby of the 2023/24 season on Saturday night. A reduced crowd witnessed a stalemate in which both sides hit the woodwork, but it was a slow burner that struggled to ignite, and the affair is probably best summed up by the fact that…
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It’s another All-Amateur League Intermediate Final after Belfast duo see off PIL big hitters
Another showpiece in the Irish FA’s flagship intermediate competition has been decided, and the parallels from last year can already quickly be drawn. It’s another all-Amateur League Final and another meet-up between two Belfast sides – and, again, it’s north versus west who will do battle at Windsor Park to win the Intermediate Cup. Holders…
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Cliftonville’s Irish Cup Final a red letter day, but victory over Larne a key confidence boost
As regurgitated as it is, Cliftonville’s Irish Cup record makes for one of the most perplexing statlines in any Irish League archive. Ireland’s oldest football club’s tale in Ireland’s oldest footballing cup competition is not really a joyous one; they’ve won it eight times, yet boast just a single honour since 1909. That’s one Irish…
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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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Tying down revelatory Shea Kearney to 2027 may already be Cliftonville’s signing of the summer
If you’re picking out a breakthrough star from the Sports Direct Premiership this season, the meteoric rise of Cliftonville’s Shea Kearney can hardly be overlooked. The Lurgan lad has been in spectacular form for the Reds – and it was music to the ears of the supporters when news of his two-year contract extension at…
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