Tag: Playr-Fit Championship
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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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Momentum is the key theme as BetMcLean Cup Semi-Final double-header tees up tasty decider
Another BetMcLean Cup showpiece has been determined after the two semi-finals reached their conclusions during the week. Surviving overnight rain and frost to take place as scheduled, the premise of a last-four clash is based on being cold-blooded when your chances come along – and while neither encounter may not live too long in 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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Institute’s comeback win in table-topper duel at Dundela could be a watershed in Championship title race
The chase for promotion into the Premiership is an intense dash, so when the two primary pacesetters in the second-tier collided at Wilgar Park, it could well have been a case of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Not so, as it proved – in fact, following their head-on clash on Tuesday night, the…
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Bringing back salary cap a small step but giant leap towards professionalism in the Irish League
The hive of discussion on how to improve the Irish League is always abuzz. Whether on or off the pitch, the spoken, overarching ambition of organisation CEO Gerard Lawlor is to see greater professionalism throughout the NI Football League. Earlier in the season, the former Cliftonville chairman unveiled the league body’s five-year plan titled ‘A…
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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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Five-star Ballyclare Comrades sign off Dixon Park grass pitch era with flourish in Irish Cup
Ballyclare Comrades began their 2024 with the end of an era, progressing into the Sixth Round of the Irish Cup but saying a heartfelt goodbye to their days on grass at Dixon Park. Their 5-2 victory over Strabane Athletic was the final first-team match at the east Antrim venue before a new artificial surface is…
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Implementing VAR in the Irish League could be an increasingly hard sell for supporters in 2024
So, 2023 is almost at an end and 2024 is nigh upon us. Such is the cliché, it is a time to reflect on what has come and gone, looking forward to the exciting new horizons a new year can bring. This 12-month span proved a memorable one in the Irish League, arguably capped by…
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