2018–19 Irish Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country |  Northern Ireland |
| Teams | 126 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Crusaders (4th win) |
| Runner-up | Ballinamallard United |
The 2018–19 Irish Cup (known as the Tennent's Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) was the 139th edition of the premier knock-out cup competition in Northern Irish football. The competition began on 11 August 2018 and concluded with the final at Windsor Park on 4 May 2019.
Coleraine were the defending champions, having defeated Cliftonville in the 2018 final. Crusaders were the eventual winners, defeating second-tier side Ballinamallard United 3–0 in the final to lift the Cup for the fourth time overall, and the first time in the 10 years since winning the 2009 final.[1]
Format and schedule
All ties level after 90 minutes used extra time to determine the winner, with a penalty shoot-out to follow if necessary.
126 clubs entered this season's competition - a reduction of four clubs compared with the 2017–18 total of 130 clubs. 90 regional league clubs from tiers 4–7 in the Northern Ireland football league system entered the competition in the first round, with 76 of them drawn into 38 first round fixtures and the remaining 14 clubs receiving a bye into the second round. The 38 first-round winners were joined by the 14 byes and the 12 clubs of the NIFL Premier Intermediate League in the second round. After two further rounds, the eight surviving clubs joined the 24 senior NIFL Premiership and NIFL Championship clubs in the fifth round. All ties level after 90 minutes used extra time to determine the winner, with a penalty shoot-out to follow if necessary.
|
|
Results
First round
Ties played on 11 and 18 August 2018.[2]
Second round
The twelve members of the NIFL Premier Intermediate League joined the competition at this stage as well as the first-round winners and byes.
Ties played on Saturday 29 September 2018.
Third round
Ties were played Saturday 3 November 2018.
- Crewe United 1–0 Sport & Leisure Swifts
- Crumlin Star 5–3 Bangor
- Crumlin United 1–3 Islandmagee
- Drumaness Mills 1–2 Comber Recreation
- Fivemiletown United 1–2 Tullycarnet
- Larne Tech Old Boys 2–1 Dungiven Celtic
- Lurgan Celtic 2–3 Portstewart
- Lurgan Town 1–2 Dunloy
- Newtowne 1–1 Rosemount Recreation (Rosemount Recreation won 5-3 on penalties)
- Queen's University 6–3 Tobermore United
- Seagoe 1–4 Maiden City
- Shankill United 2–4 Lisburn Distillery
- Shorts 1–3 Abbey Villa
- St James' Swifts 2–0 Newbuildings United
- Strabane Athletic 2–0 Banbridge Town
- Brantwood 2–3 Newington
Fourth round
Ties were played on Saturday 1 December 2018.
- Crewe United 1–2 Crumlin Star
- Dunloy 0–2 Larne Tech Old Boys
- Lisburn Distillery 4–3 Comber Recreation
- Maiden City 1–0 Portstewart
- Queen's University 4–1 Newington
- Rosemount Recreation 3–1 Islandmagee
- Strabane Athletic 2–0 St James' Swifts
- Tullycarnet 3–4 Abbey Villa
Fifth round
Ties were played on Saturday 5 January 2019.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ards | 0–1 | Carrick Rangers |
| Ballinamallard United | 5–1 | PSNI |
| Cliftonville | 0–1 | Dungannon Swifts |
| Coleraine | 2–0 | Harland & Wolff Welders |
| Crusaders | 4–1 | Glentoran |
| Dergview | 3–2 | Maiden City |
| Dundela | 1–3 | Ballymena United |
| Glenavon | 5–0 | Rosemount Recreation |
| Institute | 0–2 | Warrenpoint Town |
| Knockbreda | 1–2 | Strabane Athletic |
| Larne | 2–1 | Newry City |
| Limavady United | 0–2 | Larne Tech Old Boys |
| Linfield | 1–0 | Ballyclare Comrades |
| Loughgall | 1–4 | Crumlin Star |
| Portadown | 5–1 | Abbey Villa |
| Queen's University | 6–0 | Lisburn Distillery |
Sixth round
Four ties were played on 2 February 2019, with four ties postponed to 11 February.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ballinamallard United | 1–0 | Carrick Rangers |
| Ballymena United | 4–1 | Portadown |
| Coleraine | 3–0 | Dergview |
| Glenavon | 0–1 | Dungannon Swifts |
| Larne | 3–1 | Crumlin Star |
| Larne Tech Old Boys | 3–1 | Strabane Athletic |
| Linfield | 1–2 | Crusaders |
| Warrenpoint Town | 2–0 | Queen's University |
Quarter Finals
Ties were played on 1 and 2 March 2019.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Larne | 3–5 (a.e.t.) | Coleraine |
| Crusaders | 3–0 | Ballymena United |
| Dungannon Swifts | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (2–3 p) |
Ballinamallard United |
| Warrenpoint Town | 3–1 | Larne Tech Old Boys |
Semi Finals
Ties were played on 30 March 2019.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ballinamallard United | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) |
Warrenpoint Town |
| Coleraine | 0–2 | Crusaders |
Final
The final was played on 4 May 2019.[3]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ballinamallard United | 0–3 | Crusaders |
References
- ^ "Ruthless Crusaders end Ballinamallard United's lofty dreams of Irish Cup glory". Irish News. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ Tennent's Irish Cup 2017/18 - First Round Draw
- ^ "Ballinamallard United 0-3 Crusaders". BBC Sport. 4 May 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
External links
| National teams | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leagues |
| ||||
| Domestic cups |
| ||||
| Defunct leagues | |||||
| Defunct cups | |||||
| Awards | |||||