3rd May 1924!! The 1923/24 season was the closest a Welsh club has got to winning the League Championship, now known as the Premier League. Saturday May 3rd saw the last matches of the season being played and at the top of the First Division table was Cardiff, ahead of Huddersfield Town, by a point. But on that last day Huddersfield defeated Nottingham Forest 3-0 and Cardiff drew at Birmingham 0-0 after leading scorer Len Davies missed a penalty!! Both clubs had 57 points and under present rules Cardiff would have won the title on goal difference (and then goals scored) but in the days of goal average the title went to Huddersfield by two-hundredths of a goal (0.024)! Even if their points totals remained the same had Cardiff scored one more goal during the season - or Huddersfield had conceded one more - the title would have been Cardiff's. So that missed penalty cost the Welsh a League title! "anlwc"!!!
For the second season in succession, Cliftonville will take their place in the decider, this time meeting Dungannon Swifts, with the season's last piece of silverware, as well as European football next season.
Ronan Hale's winning goal in last season's final quickly went down in Cliftonville history.
Jim Magilton's side come into the 2025 final as holders having ended their long wait for the trophy in last season's showpiece. They beat Linfield 3-1 after extra time in May 2024 with Ronan Hale scoring twice during what was his last appearance for the club before his summer switch to Ross County. That ended a 45-year Irish Cup drought at Solitude, although the north Belfast club had previously waited even longer to get their hands on the silverware.
Along with Linfield and Distillery, Cliftonville were one of the dominant forces in the early years of the competition, winning the cup seven times between 1893-1909. It would be another 70 years before they secured their eighth title with a 3-2 win over Portadown in 1979. Dungannon are still chasing an elusive first Irish Cup success. The closest the Swifts have come in the past was in 2007 when, with current manager Rodney McAree a goalscorer, they drew 2-2 with Linfield in the final but were beaten on penalties by the tournament's most successful side.
Dungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree played in his club's last final appearance.
With the two sides having ended up on differing sides of the end-of-season split, Cliftonville and Dungannon have met on three occasions so far this season.
With the two sides having ended up on differing sides of the end-of-season split, Cliftonville and Dungannon have met on three occasions so far this season. The Reds were victorious in the first two with Joe Gormley netting a second-half winner in a 1-0 win during August before the same man's hat-trick proved the key in a 4-1 win in November. The Reds were victorious in the first two games, with Joe Gormley netting a second-half winner in a 1-0 win during August before the same man's hat-trick proved the key in a 4-1 win in November. The Swifts edged the most recent meeting, however, with James Knowles and John McGovern scoring in a 2-0 win that came just three days after Cliftonville had lifted the BetMcLean Cup.
Joe Gormley has scored four times against Dungannon this season including a November hat-trick
Route to the final.
Fifth Rd:
Cliftonville 4–0 Banbridge Rangers Dungannon Swifts 5–0 Rathfriland Rangers
Sixth Rd: Cliftonville 3–2 Glenavon (AET) Dungannon Swifts 2–1 Coleraine (AET)
Quarter-finals: Carrick Rangers 1–3 Dungannon Swifts and Crusaders 1–2 Cliftonville
Semi-finals: Ards 0–3 Cliftonville Bangor 0–2 Dungannon Swifts
Cliftonville manager Jim Magilton: "To play Dungannon in the final is great; they've had a terrific season so we're well aware of their capabilities, the strengths and weaknesses. It's an Irish Cup final, something, really, to look forward to. We said at the start of the season we were going to go and defend the trophy for all it's worth and now we've got to the final. It's an opportunity to win it again."
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