2018–19 Irish Cup

The 2018–19 Irish Cup (known as the Tennent's Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) was the 139th edition of the Irish Cup, 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.

2018–19 Irish Cup
Country Northern Ireland
Teams126
ChampionsCrusaders (4th win)
Runners-upBallinamallard United
Matches played123
Goals scored530 (4.31 per match)

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.

Fourth round

Ties were played on Saturday 1 December 2018.

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.

Crusaders3–0Ballinamallard United
Owens 6'
Lowry 47'
Clarke 53'		 Report
Attendance: 5,744

References
  1. "Ruthless Crusaders end Ballinamallard United's lofty dreams of Irish Cup glory". Irish News. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  2. Tennent's Irish Cup 2017/18 – First Round Draw
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