By Cliftonville’s hopes of a domestic treble are over after the Northern Ireland Football League stripped the club of their Women’s League Cup title. The Reds were found to have fielded two ineligible players in July’s final, a game they had won 4-0 against Glentoran at Seaview.
Cliftonville lift the Women’s League Cup (Credits: BBC Sport)
The beaten finalists lodged a complaint after the showpiece, and the NIFL competitions committee ruled that the two players had not been correctly registered under the competition’s regulations. Glentoran have now been awarded a 3-0 victory instead.
Co-operation praised, treble dream dead
The NIFL acknowledged Cliftonville’s “openness, integrity and full co-operation” during the investigation, but the ruling stands. What had looked like a fourth successive League Cup title is gone, and with it the chance of a clean sweep of domestic honours.
On the pitch it had been a ruthless display. Caitlin McGuinness scored twice in the final, with her sister Kirsty and Danielle Maxwell also on target. Now those goals count for nothing in the record books.
Cup final rematch looms
The two north Belfast rivals do not have to wait long to meet again. Cliftonville and Glentoran face off in the Women’s Irish Cup final at Windsor Park on 24 October, with Cliftonville having already sealed the league title by nine points over their cross-city rivals.
That final now carries an extra edge: Glentoran arrive as the newly crowned League Cup holders, while Cliftonville will be desperate to prove the league table does not lie.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
