Setanta Sports Cup: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 11:45, 15 October 2008
 | |
| Founded | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Region | Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Most successful club(s) | Drogheda United (2 titles) |
| Website | Setanta Sports Cup |
 Setanta Sports Cup 2008 | |
The Setanta Sports Cup, commonly known as just the Setanta Cup, is a club football competition featuring teams from both football associations on the island of Ireland. It was inaugurated in 2005 as a cross-border competition between clubs from the FAI League of Ireland from the Republic of Ireland and the Irish League from Northern Ireland.
The cup is sponsored by Setanta Sports, the Irish sports television network. The competition was launched with Setanta providing support for prize money (€350,000) and sponsorship (€1.6 million over 4 years).
The competition features 4 teams from each league with the winners and runners-up of the respective leagues, the winners of the respective major cup competitions, FAI Cup, and Irish Cup, and the winners of the respective secondary cup competitions, the eircom League Cup and Irish Football League Cup being added. If a club has qualified via a cup win and would also qualify by league table position, one of the spots would be awarded to the next highest club in the league table that has not qualified via a cup win. The competition is organised with two groups of four teams, semi-finals and a final.
History
The Setanta Cup is the first cross-border competition since the 1980s. Previous competitions included the Dublin and Belfast Intercity Cup 1941/42-1948/49, the North-South Cup 1961/62-1962/63, the Blaxnit Cup 1967/68-1973/74, the Texaco Cup 1973/74-1974/75, and the Tyler Cup 1978-1980.
Previous tournaments ultimately failed due to a lack of interest and security concerns. The foundation and success of this tournament has been largely due to the improving security situation and the lessening of sectarian tensions throughout the whole island of Ireland, aided by the Northern Ireland peace process.
The inaugural Cup was played between March 15 and May 21 2005 at the start of the League of Ireland season and the end of the Irish Premier League season.
2005
Qualification for the 2005 cup was based on the national league and cup performances in the respective countries - the top two in each league and the winners of the FAI Cup and Irish Cup qualified. Teams were split into two groups with the winner of each qualifying for the final.
The 2005 competition saw Cork City, Longford and Shelbourne, represent the League of Ireland, and Glentoran, Linfield and Portadown represent the Irish League.
With a large financial prize and bragging rights at stake the 2005 Cup was a very competitive and combative affair. On the field there were many controversial moments with erratic and inconsistent match official decisions adding to the already charged atmosphere. But while tempers may have flared among players and club staff, the fans themselves showed that sets of supporters from both sides of the border weren't a security risk.
The eventual winners of the Cup, Linfield, started the campaign poorly losing 2:1 to Longford before going on to win their remaining group matches and beating pre-tournament favourites Shelbourne.
Group 1
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linfield | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| Longford Town | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Glentoran | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 3 |
Group 2
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelbourne | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 7 |
| Portadown | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Cork City | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Final Shelbourne 0:2 Linfield (played at Tolka Park, Dublin)
2006
The 2006 competition featured 4 teams from each league with the winners of the respective secondary cup competitions, the eircom League Cup and Northern Ireland League Cup being added. The competition was organised with two groups of four teams. The top two teams in each group entered a semi-final round with the winner progressing to the final.
For the 2006 competition the number of participating clubs was expanded from six to eight, four from each league.
The League of Ireland was represented by Cork City, Derry City, Shelbourne and Drogheda United with the Irish Premier League being represented by Linfield, Glentoran, Portadown and Dungannon Swifts
A total of 27 matches were played with the competition kicking off on Monday 20 February 2006 with the final having been played on Saturday 22 April 2006 at Tolka Park in Dublin.
Group 1
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cork City | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 16 |
| Drogheda United | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 10 |
| Dungannon Swifts | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 |
| Portadown | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 3 |
Group 2
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linfield | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 10 |
| Shelbourne | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 9 |
| Derry City | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 7 |
| Glentoran | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 4 |
Semi-finals:
- Cork City 2-0 Shelbourne (Turners Cross, Cork)
- Linfield 0-1 Drogheda United (Windsor Park, Belfast)
Final:
- Drogheda United 1-0 Cork City (Tolka Park, Dublin)
2007
The draw for the 2007 Setanta Cup competition was made on 07 December, 2006 with the original competing teams being the identical ones to the previous year's competition. On the 30 January,2007, however, Shelbourne FC announced that they were withdrawing from the competition for reasons relating to their financial troubles and the fact that they would be unlikely to field a team of players. Their place was given to the 2006 FAI Cup runners-up St Patrick's Athletic FC, despite the fact that the next best-placed in the previous season's league (Shelbourne's qualification route), who did not have a place in the Setanta Cup already, were Sligo Rovers. While it is likely that the organisers transferred Derry, who finished second in the league, into Shelbourne's empty slot, first in the league, for the purpose of official qualification and then accorded St Pat's qualification by way of the FAI Cup, this would have logically entailed Derry moving into Group 2 to fill Shelbourne's place, while St. Patrick's should compete in Group 1 in the place of the moved Derry. [citation needed] However, it is possible that for the purposes of the initial draw, teams were accorded lots on an alphabetical basis.[citation needed] Thus, it would follow that St. Patrick's would have been assigned the same lot as Shelbourne and would have, as a result, been drawn in the same slot anyway.[citation needed]
The first round of matches commenced on Monday 26 February, 2007. The prize of £100,000 was on offer to the eventual competition winner, with the runner-up to receive £55,000. Linfield progressed from the first stage after finishing top of Group 1, guaranteeing them a home semi-final, while Drogheda United finished behind them. This meant that Drogheda had to travel away from home to meet the winners of Group 2, who were St. Patrick's Athletic. Meanwhile, Cork City, who finished second in Group 2 had to travel to Windsor Park to play Linfield. Both Linfield and St. Patrick's Athletic went through the group stage without a single defeat, while St. Patrick's Athletic even managed to win five of their six games. The final, between Linfield and Drogheda at Windsor Park was decided by a penalty shoot-out. Drogheda claimed the trophy for a second consecutive year thanks to two penalty saves from Mikko Vilmunen.
Group 1 score-card and table:
The home team is listed in the left hand column of the score-card.
| Derr. | Drog. | Glen. | Linf. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derry City | - | 0-0 | 1-2 | 2-2 |
| Drogheda United | 2-1 | - | 2-0 | 0-1 |
| Glentoran | 0-1 | 0-1 | - | 1-2 |
| Linfield | 2-1 | 0-0 | 1-1 | - |
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linfield FC | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 12 |
| Drogheda United | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 11 |
| Derry City FC | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 5 |
| Glentoran FC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
Group 2 score-card and table:
| Cork | Dung. | Port. | St. P. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cork City | - | 2-1 | 4-0 | 1-3 |
| Dungannon Swifts | 0-0 | - | 1-1 | 2-2 |
| Portadown | 0-7 | 2-2 | - | 0-3 |
| St. Patrick's Athletic | 1-0 | 5-0 | 3-0 | - |
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Patrick's Athletic FC | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 16 |
| Cork City FC | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 5 | 10 |
| Dungannon Swifts | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 4 |
| Portadown FC | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 20 | 2 |
Knock-out stage:
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 23 April – Dublin (Richmond Park) | ||||||
| St. Patrick's Athletic | 0 | |||||
| 10 May – Belfast (Windsor Park) | ||||||
| Drogheda United (AET) | 1 | |||||
| Linfield | 1 (3) | |||||
| 30 April - Belfast (Windsor Park) | ||||||
| Drogheda United (pen.) | 1 (4) | |||||
| Linfield | 1 | |||||
| Cork City | 0 | |||||
2008
The draw for the 2008 Setanta Sports Cup was made on the 17th of January 2008 having been postponed since December 2007to allow time for work on agreeing the the Eircom LoI fixtures for 2008. For the third year in a row there were four representatives from each of the leagues with two from each league to be drawn in each group. The 2008 seasons sees a change to the format with the first three group games in each group being played between late February and early April before the teams take a break from the competition until September. Over the period September/October the remaining group games and the semi-finals and final will be played. The final is due to take place on Saturday November 1st at a venue yet to be decided
The representatives of the respective leagues in the 2008 Setanta Sports Cup will be as follows:
Eircom League of Ireland
Drogheda United (League Champions 2007)
St. Patricks Athletic (League Runners-Up 2007)
Cork City F.C. (FAI Ford Cup winners 2007)
Derry City F.C. (FAI League Cup Winners 2007)*
JJB Irish Premiership
Linfield F.C. (League Champions 2006-07)
Glentoran F.C. (League Runners -Up 2006-07)
Cliftonville F.C. (Third Place Team in League 2006-07)
Dungannon Swifts (Irish Cup Runners-Up 2006-07)
- in a change to previous years The FAI League Cup Winners were required to play the FAI First Division Champions in a play-off for the final Eircom LoI place in the Setanta Sports Cup 2008. As Derry City F.C. beat Cobh Ramblers 2-1 in the Setanta cup play-off in November 2007 they claimed the remaining spot.
Group 1 score-card:
The home team is listed in the left hand column of the score-card.
| Drog. | Cork. | Dung. | Clif. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drogheda United | - | 1-1 | 3-0 | 3-2 |
| Cork City F.C. | 0-0 | - | 4-1 | 2-0 |
| Dungannon Swifts | 0-4 | 0-2 | - | 2-4 |
| Cliftonville F.C. | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | - |
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drogheda United | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 14 |
| Cork City F.C. | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 14 |
| Cliftonville F.C. | 6 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 4 |
| Dungannon Swifts | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 1 |
Group 2 score-card:
The home team is listed in the left hand column of the score-card.
| Linf. | St. P. | Glen. | Derr. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linfield FC | - | 1-1 | 1-4 | 3-1 |
| St. Patrick's Athletic | 2-0 | - | 3-3 | 0-1 |
| Glentoran FC | 1-3 | 1-0 | - | 1-1 |
| Derry City FC | 3-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | - |
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derry City FC | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 13 |
| Glentoran FC | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 8 |
| Linfield FC | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
| St.Patrick's Athletic | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 5 |
Knock-out stage:
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| October – [13th Oct 08] | ||||||
| Drogheda United - 0 | ||||||
| November – 1st Nov 08 | ||||||
| Glentoran F.C. - 1 | ||||||
| Cork City | ||||||
| October - [14th Oct 08] | ||||||
| Glentoran F.C. | ||||||
| Derry City FC - 0 | ||||||
| Cork City F.C - 1 | ||||||
Results
Past winners
- 2007:
Drogheda United - 2006: Drogheda United
- 2005:
Linfield
Performance By Club
| Nat. | Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Drogheda United | 2 | - | 2006, 2007 |
|
Linfield | 1 | 1 | 2005 |
|
|
Shelbourne | - | 1 | |
|
|
Cork City | - | 1 |