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Football tournament
The Ulster Cup was an annual football competition held by the Irish Football League for senior clubs.
History
Beginning in 1949, it was held on fifty-one occasions until being suspended after the 1998/99 season and discontinued after a one-off re-appearance in 2002/03. The last three editions were only open to First Division sides. From the mid-1980s to the early-1990s the competition was known as the Lombard Ulster Cup due to a sponsorship deal with the Lombard & Ulster Bank . It had previously been sponsored by Morans.
The format of the Ulster Cup varied from season to season. It often employed a league format, with each club playing each other once and the winner declared as the team with the most points; and sometimes a group basis, with the winners decided by a play-off.
The format over the years was as follows:
Years
No. of seasons
Format
1948–49
1
group system plus final
1949–52
3
group system plus top-four knockout
1952–56
4
group system plus final
1956–57
1
league
1957–65
8
group system plus final
1965–83
18
league
1983–85
2
group system plus top-four knockout
1985–96
11
group system plus top-eight knockout
1996–97
1
knock-out
1997–99 and 2002–03
3
league (First Division clubs only)
Finals results
Winners of the Ulster Cup by season.[ 1]
Key:
Scores level after 90 minutes. A replay was required.
(a.e.t. )
Scores level after 90 minutes. Winner was decided in extra time with no penalty shootout required.
pens.
Scores level after extra time. A penalty shootout was required to determine the winner.
Season
Winner (number of titles)
Score
Runner-up
Venue
1948–49
Linfield (1)
3 – 0
Ards
Solitude , Belfast
1949–50
Larne (1)
2 – 1
Ballymena United
Grosvenor Park , Belfast
1950–51
Glentoran (1)
2 – 1
Linfield
Grosvenor Park , Belfast
1951–52 [ a]
Ballymena United (1)
3 – 0
Crusaders
Solitude , Belfast
1952–53
Glentoran (2)
3 – 0
Distillery
Solitude , Belfast
1953–54
Crusaders (1)
2 – 1
Linfield
Solitude , Belfast
1954–55
Glenavon (1)
3 – 1
Coleraine
Windsor Park , Belfast
1955–56
Linfield (2)
5 – 1
Coleraine
The Oval , Belfast
1956–57
Linfield (3)
League format
Distillery
—
1957–58
Distillery (1)
1 – 1
Glentoran
Solitude , Belfast
Replay
4 – 1
Windsor Park , Belfast
1958–59
Glenavon (2)
2 – 0
Crusaders
Windsor Park , Belfast
1959–60
Linfield (4)
1 – 1
Crusaders
Solitude , Belfast
Replay
4 – 1
Windsor Park , Belfast
1960–61
Ballymena United (2)
3 – 1
Glenavon
Grosvenor Park , Belfast
1961–62
Linfield (5)
2 – 0
Glentoran
Windsor Park , Belfast
1962–63
Glenavon (3)
1 – 0
Coleraine
Windsor Park , Belfast
1963–64
Crusaders (2)
2 – 2
Glenavon
Windsor Park , Belfast
Replay
1 – 0
Windsor Park , Belfast
1964–65
Linfield (6)
1 – 0
Glentoran
Windsor Park , Belfast
1965–66
Coleraine (1)
League format
Linfield
—
1966–67
Glentoran (3)
Glenavon
1967–68
Linfield (7)
Glentoran
1968–69
Coleraine (2)
Linfield
1969–70
Coleraine (3)
Glentoran
1970–71
Linfield (8)
Coleraine
1971–72
Linfield (9)
Ballymena United
1972–73
Coleraine (4)
Distillery
1973–74
Ards (1)
Linfield
1974–75
Linfield (10)
Glentoran
1975–76
Coleraine (5)
Linfield
1976–77
Glentoran (4)
Portadown
1977–78
Linfield (11)
Coleraine
1978–79
Linfield (12)
Crusaders
1979–80
Linfield (13)
Cliftonville
1980–81
Ballymena United (3)
Linfield
1981–82
Glentoran (5)
Coleraine
1982–83
Glentoran (6)
Linfield
1983–84
Glentoran (7)
5 – 2 (a.e.t. )
Coleraine
Windsor Park , Belfast
1984–85
Linfield (14)
2 – 2 (a.e.t. ) (3 – 2 pens. )
Larne
The Oval , Belfast
1985–86
Coleraine (6)
5 – 0 (a.e.t. )
Portadown
Windsor Park , Belfast
1986–87
Coleraine (7)
1 – 0
Linfield
The Oval , Belfast
1987–88
Larne (2)
2 – 1
Coleraine
The Oval , Belfast
1988–89
Glentoran (8)
5 – 2
Larne
Windsor Park , Belfast
1989–90
Glentoran (9)
3 – 1
Glenavon
Windsor Park , Belfast
1990–91
Portadown (1)
1 – 1
Glenavon
The Oval , Belfast
Replay
1 – 1 (a.e.t. ) (3 – 2 pens. )
1991–92
Bangor (1)
3 – 1
Crusaders
The Oval , Belfast
1992–93
Linfield (15)
2 – 0
Ards
The Oval , Belfast
1993–94
Crusaders (3)
1 – 0
Bangor
Windsor Park , Belfast
1994–95
Bangor (2)
2 – 1
Linfield
The Oval , Belfast
1995–96
Portadown (2)
2 – 2 (a.e.t. ) (5 – 3 pens. )
Linfield
Windsor Park , Belfast
1996–97
Coleraine (8)
1 – 1 (a.e.t. ) (4 – 3 pens. )
Crusaders
Windsor Park , Belfast
1997–98 [ b]
Ballyclare Comrades (1)
League format
Distillery
—
1998–99 [ b]
Distillery (2)
Ards
2002–03 [ b]
Dungannon Swifts (1)
Ballymena United
Senior
Club
Winners
Runners-up
Winning Years
Runners-up Years
Linfield
15
11
1948–49 , 1955–56 , 1956–57 , 1959–60 , 1961–62 , 1964–65 , 1967–68 , 1970–71 , 1971–72 , 1974–75 , 1977–78 , 1978–79 , 1979–80 , 1984–85 , 1992–93
1950–51 , 1953–54 , 1965–66 , 1968–69 , 1973–74 , 1975–76 , 1980–81 , 1982–83 , 1986–87 , 1994–95 , 1995–96
Glentoran
9
6
1950–51 , 1952–53 , 1966–67 , 1976–77 , 1981–82 , 1982–83 , 1983–84 , 1988–89 , 1989–90
1957–58 , 1961–62 , 1964–65 , 1967–68 , 1969–70 , 1974–75
Coleraine
8
8
1965–66 , 1968–69 , 1969–70 , 1972–73 , 1975–76 , 1985–86 , 1986–87 , 1996–97
1954–55 , 1955–56 , 1962–63 , 1970–71 , 1977–78 , 1981–82 , 1983–84 , 1987–88
Crusaders
3
6
1953–54 , 1963–64 , 1993–94
1951–52 , 1958–59 , 1959–60 , 1978–79 , 1991–92 , 1996–97
Ballymena United
3
2
1951–52 , 1960–61 , 1980–81
1949–50 , 1971–72
Glenavon
3
5
1954–55 , 1958–59 , 1962–63
1960–61 , 1963–64 , 1966–67 , 1989–90 , 1990–91
Larne
2
2
1949–50 , 1987–88
1984–85 , 1988–89
Portadown
2
2
1990–91 , 1995–96
1976–77 , 1985–86
Bangor
2
1
1991–92 , 1994–95
1993–94
Distillery
1
3
1957–58
1952–53 , 1956–57 , 1972–73
Ards
1
2
1973–74
1948–49 , 1992–93
First Division only
Notes
^ The tournament was renamed the Festival of Britain Cup for 1951–52.
^ a b c The last three editions were open to First Division sides only
References
^ "Belfast Telegraph Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 1999/2000" Ed. Dr. Malcolm Brodie MBE
External links
National teams Leagues
Domestic cups
Defunct leagues Defunct cups Awards
Association football cup competitions in Ireland
All-Ireland
Northern Ireland
Republic of Ireland
International Friendly Trophies