Ok, so first things first.
We made it.
To the 2025 Irish Cup Final. That said, I didn’t exactly get it right.
There was a missed second-round game, and sometimes life dictated a switch in plans for which game I could attend, but we made it. Nearly every round. Almost in the spirit of winner stays on.
If you’ve been following the journey here or on Instagram, thank you so much for hanging in there and enjoying the ride.
For the final, I opted for public transport to get me to the ground and found myself on the ‘wrong side’ of the ground on arrival. The Red Army had arrived on Belfast’s Boucher Road and was in great spirits. I wandered among them and took in the atmosphere. Redirected by stewards and a quick pivot through the streets around the stadium, I wandered into Windsor Park and took my place among the Dungannon contingent in the shaded East Stand.
A few pre-game chats about the team with those around me and a growing sense of what a win would mean, it soon became clear that this was a big deal for the town, and it felt like the whole place had decamped to Belfast to see if they could lift the trophy. Dungannon had the better league season, ending up in the top six, whereas Cliftonville found themselves in the bottom half of the table.
But this was a cup final, and those things rarely matter. Cliftonville were looking back to back Irish Cup wins and knew how to get the job done. Dungannon, on the other hand, were seeking a first-time win, so the stakes were high.
Both sets of fans were in fine voice. Dungannon outmatched in number with a smaller contingent than the banks of Cliftonville’s Red Army, who had sold out their allocation in no time, but these Swifties had no interest in playing second fiddle to anyone. From minute one until the end, they cheered their team on, and I couldn’t help but be impressed by their passion and love for their side.
Flares at both ends for the teams walking on set the tone. The blue haze of Dungannon and a red cloud that enveloped the Kop end of Windsor Park. Some find flares a nuisance and a danger, but if things are handled in the right way and with a level of responsibility, then for me, it only adds to the atmosphere. No one wants soulless football, and on a cup final day anything that adds to the atmosphere should be encouraged!
The game itself was a great watch for a neutral. A little bit of everything. Good football, defensive resilience - Dungannon even more resilient and resolute than at the semi-final stage - a red card (albeit unjust) for Dungannon, which put them under significant pressure, a belter of a strike at the death from Cliftonville. Extra time, penalties and when all was said and done that rarest of footballing events…..the best team on the day lifting the cup.
Dungannon more than deserved their win, and Cliftonville, despite the last-minute heroics, never really got going. Dungannon being so strong at the back and pressing in midfield meant that Cliftonville could never really go through the gears to put themselves in any type of position to retain the trophy. By the end of the game, being down to ten men, I can only imagine how the Swifts players must have felt. It was one of the most impressive games I’ve seen in a while from a team determined to overcome every obstacle placed in front of them to get that victory.
Refereeing is never easy, regardless of level and especially there must be a significant and different pressure on an occasion like this, but the sending off for a non foul/dive could have really impacted things. Throughout this season be it league or cup, or even across the different league levels the standard of officiating has been called into question numerous times.
If football in Northern Ireland is to fully professionalise, the level of refereeing has to do the same. There is no point in teams being full-time if referees are left behind. If we can play football professionally, it must be refereed professionally. While I appreciate there will always be an element of human error and fallibility, surely standards can be raised to match the level of the game we are trying to get to locally?
You can catch highlights of the game from the great RobbysFootyFocus, who was at the game as well.
Some thoughts on the journey before ending.
The earlier rounds of the cup were probably my favourite part of the venture. Pound coins in a pint glass and a real community feel to proceedings, as well as a personable welcome at games, really made a difference.
At the later stages of any cup, the standards are raised in terms of logistics, etc, but this comes at a cost. Football thrives in community and those early rounds sent me to spots that I otherwise would never have been to, but I received the warmest of welcome for my efforts. By the time I made my way into Seaview for the third consecutive fixture at that ground i was barely even acknowledged at the gate.
Three games at Seaview nearly broke me. No harm to Crusaders, who I watched in two consecutive rounds, but watching them twice and being among their sleep-inducing fan base has left me with no desire to go back there for the foreseeable future.
Best game of the Cup? Probably the quarter final with Ards upsetting Loughgall. Given the form of both, it may not have been the great upset some thought, but an upset and a good cup run from a second-tier side is hard to beat. Special mention as well to Bangor for their efforts and the sheer volume of fans for the semi-final game. Is this my Championship bias shining through….maybe!
Favourite fans of the journey? I received a warm welcome at Banbridge Town on my trip to Crystal Park and had some great craic with the fans there, so it deserves a mention. However, it has to be the Dungannon fans at the final for me. Outnumbered but never out-sung. They played as much of a part in their teams cup win as those on the pitch.
Already, I’ve been asked if I would do this ‘challenge’ again.
I don’t feel that it’s something I want to do straight away. While I remain a little dissatisfied with missing a game in the second round and not quite being able to keep the winner stays on element on the tracks for the whole journey, it is still quite the undertaking to do the journey from start to finish.
It has been fun and it has been worth it. Not just from a content point of view, but as an experience, especially as someone who is still a relative newcomer to Irish League football despite my years.
I would encourage anyone to give it a go. You never know where you’ll end up, which is half the fun. Get Futbology (if you don’t have it already) check for a first round fixture close to you and that’s all you need, your journey is under way.
Maybe I will do it again at some point, and maybe I’ll see you out there at a game 3pm somewhere.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.