Cliftonville has been stripped of the Women's League Cup title due to an administrative error, manager Brendan Lynch has confirmed. The club had originally beaten Glentoran 4-0 in the final at Seaview in July, but the result was annulled after it was determined that Cliftonville had fielded two unregistered players.
The Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL), which organises the competition, stated that it was a registration error. Cliftonville was fined £500. The club, according to Lynch, showed integrity and acted in accordance with procedure.
Lynch told BBC Sport NI that the decision reminded him of the Manchester City case, but on a smaller scale. "It's not quite like Manchester City, it's a technicality, if you like," Lynch said, alluding to the English club found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules. "We put that to one side and move on. There is no point dwelling on it, we have to move forward and that is that."
In the League Cup final, Caitlin McGuinness scored two goals, while Kirsty McGuinness and Danielle Maxwell were also among the scorers. Danielle Maxwell was one of the unregistered players, along with Louise McDaniel, after the two returned to Solitude from Burnley.
Lynch added that the decision to annul the result had not affected his team, who want to finish the season at a high level. "Every time we have the chance to win a trophy, the desire is simply present in this group of players," he said. "It was not discussed, we just looked forward as a group, and that does not come from the backroom staff and management, it comes from the players. It is great to have as a manager, coach and member of the backroom staff – that they are ready for the next step and constantly want to win."
Cliftonville had also beaten Glentoran in the race for the Women's Premiership title. The teams meet again in the Women's Challenge Cup final at Windsor Park on Saturday, with coverage on BBC iPlayer. Cliftonville and Glentoran have shared the last seven Irish cups, and the Reds are unbeaten this season, at least on the pitch, in all four encounters with their Belfast rivals.
Despite Glentoran being awarded the trophy following Cliftonville's penalty, manager Kim Turner stated that her team had "lost the game fairly and on the pitch" that day. "Nothing feels unfair to me" about not celebrating the trophy, she added. "In the end, we lost the League Cup final. Whatever was happening in the background, it was happening in the background. I have no control over that, nor do the players. We are there to win football matches, to train, develop players and good culture, and that is my job here at Glentoran."
Turner added that it had not affected the team and that their focus is entirely on the final at Windsor Park against the Reds. "To win trophies and medals, you have to be the best team on the day," she said. "For us, the league is over, the League Cup is over and the County Antrim Cup is over. We have one more game left, the Irish Cup final, and that is our only focus."
