Tag: South Belfast
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Linfield won BetMcLean Cup the hard way… ‘home advantage’ argument just doesn’t stick
Well, Linfield have done what Linfield tend to do, adding another trophy to their sizeable trophy cabinet in the form of the BetMcLean Cup. In front of over 9,000 interested spectators at Windsor Park, the Blues’ successful defence of a piece of silverware that’s rapidly risen in prominence in recent years thanks to its Sunday…
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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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Play-Off success inspires belief that calm and collected Tanya Oxtoby can take NI forward
Although it wasn’t a display that always ebbed and flowed, Northern Ireland’s place in League B of the Women’s Nations League is secure following Tuesday night’s play-off second leg. Entering the two-legged series against Montenegro knowing that victory was essential to avoid the drop into League C of the competition, most of the groundwork, as…
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Larne have played January market to a tee and will keep competitive edge because of it
At the start of the winter window of 2024, I wrote on this site that January would play a key role in deciding who would emerge as Sports Direct Premiership champions come the close of the season. Larne took that notion to heart on Friday night, and it is no surprise that they are in…
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Back-to-back victories inspire brighter days for Moyola Park after battling third-tier drop
A month makes a big difference in football – a statement that’s rung true for Playr-Fit Premier Intermediate League basement battler Moyola Park. February started with a whimper for the Castledawson club with defeats to the two main sides around them, but what followed were a couple of results that have painted a contrastingly different…
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Mentality monsters Larne will be wary that outsiders Glentoran can still dent title race
The race for Gibson Cup glory took one fresh turn in the path in midweek and will wind down another on Friday night. Question marks hanging over Linfield are now Cliftonville’s to bear the brunt of following the visitors’ 3-0 success at Solitude in midweek, as a trio of second-half strikes put the Blues back…
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