Tag: Sports Direct Premiership
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BBC NI spot on to show Ballymacash versus Glentoran in Irish Cup… and it sets a precedent
When the Irish Cup Sixth Round draw was revealed, I penned an article shortly after listing my clear preference for the coveted BBC Northern Ireland broadcast slot. And with the last-eight draw having been made, I still say the national broadcaster’s decision to screen said suggested match to an international audience was spot on. Yes,…
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Big guns beware… Ballyclare and Newington showed they can cut it when chips look down
The Irish Cup last-16 proved a fruitful round for Championship clubs, with six entering the fray and four coming out the other side unscathed. Indeed, there wasn’t a single instance of a Premiership club toppling a second-tier adversary, with north Down duo Bangor and Ards eliminated by division rivals Portadown and Institute respectively. Harking back…
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Five managers who could succeed legendary supremo Stephen Baxter at Crusaders
By Callum McFadden Stephen Baxter has announced that he is stepping down as Crusaders manager in the summer of 2024 after 19 years in charge of the club. Speculation will be rife in the coming months as to who may replace the man who is the longest-serving manager in world football at the moment. I…
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Michael Moore: Beating Glentoran in Irish Cup is a huge ask… but we’ll give everything we’ve got for the Ballymacash cause
After a few weeks of waiting, cup fever is starting to sink in at Ballymacash Rangers Football Club. The Premier Intermediate League side will welcome the BBC cameras along to their Bluebell home on Friday night for an Irish Cup match that will, in a historic club first, be beamed out live across the United…
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Stewart Nixon’s resurgence is an inspirational feelgood tale of the 2023/24 campaign
Seeing a player who has battled hard through personal adversity to return to their peak performance will never not be a satisfying sight. That’s exactly the case with Stewart Nixon, the flying forward whose injury hell finally looks to be behind him. At the start of this season, the fleet-footed attacker made a surprise loan…
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Larne’s County Antrim Shield four-peat perfect tonic to fuel their domestic treble ambitions
A fresh County Antrim Shield campaign began in September 2023 with a burning question: who will be the team to finally knock Larne off their winners’ perch? At the end of the latest edition of a historic competition, that question remains unanswered. The Invermen still can’t be beaten – not even the stormy weather conditions…
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Tiernan Lynch and Larne will keep reaping the rewards of going all-in for County Antrim Shield
The County Antrim Shield’s unfortunate reduced status in the matchday calendar has come as a result of an evolution of priorities in the Irish League. With full-time football and increased professionalism, European money has been considered much more of the essence among those dining at the top table during the past half-decade. Those lucrative spots…
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County Antrim Shield Final is more than just a revenge mission for Warren Feeney’s Glentoran
The first piece of silverware this season is up for grabs, and while the County Antrim Shield has come to be considered the littlest brother of Northern Ireland’s four senior honours, trophies of all kinds count for much – and this is no exception. In a repeat of the 2020/21 Final, when Larne clinched the…
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