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Andy Smith (footballer, Born 1980)
Andrew William Smith (born 25 September 1980) is a former Northern Ireland international footballer. He had a 16-year career playing professional and semi-professional football in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Belgium, and Portugal. He also won 18 caps for Northern Ireland between 2003 and 2005 and one cap for the Northern Ireland B team in 2003. An energetic forward, he began his career at Ballyclare Comrades, before signing with Sheffield United in September 1999. He played on loan at Bury and Glenavon, before signing with Glentoran in February 2002. He spent just over two years with the club, and his prolific scoring form helped the "Glens" to win the Irish League (2002–03), County Antrim Shield (2003), Irish League Cup (2003), and Irish Cup (2004). He was sold to Preston North End for £130,000 in July 2004, but failed to score a goal in the English Football League. He struggled with injuries and had brief loan spells at Stockport County, Motherwell, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lisburn
Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with the arrival of French Huguenots in the 18th century, the town developed as a global centre of the linen industry. In 2002, as part of Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee celebrations, the predominantly unionist borough was granted city status alongside the largely nationalist town of Newry. With a population of 45,370 in the 2011 Census. Lisburn was the third-largest city in Northern Ireland. In the 2016 reform of local government in Northern Ireland Lisburn was joined with the greater part of Castlereagh to form the Lisburn City and Castlereagh District. Name The town was originally known as ''Lisnagarvy'' (also spelt ''Lisnagarvey'' or ''Lisnagarvagh'') after the townland in which it formed. This is derived . In the records, the nam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northern Ireland B National Football Team
The Northern Ireland national football B team is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the Northern Ireland national football team. Primarily seen as a stepping-stone between the under-21 and full international teams, B team matches are also used to give a run-out for fringe players and to honour Irish League players who would not otherwise gain international recognition. Matches are rarely played by Northern Ireland at this level due to their limited player pool, necessitating rapid elevation of young players to the 'Full' squad. Matches have been played against other football associations' 'B' teams and against various national "selects". History The Northern Ireland 'B' team made its first appearance in 1957, playing against Romania 'B' who were not deemed worthy of a 'Full' international (note: Romania was commonly referred to as Rumania in the English language up until the 1980s). The occasion of October 23, 1957 marked the first use of the Windsor Park ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bruno Ribeiro
Bruno Miguel Fernandes Ribeiro (born 22 October 1975) is a Portuguese football manager and former player who is now the head coach at Campeonato de Portugal club Moura. A midfielder with a powerful left-foot strike, he began his playing career with hometown club Vitória Setúbal from 1994 to 1997, before he had a four-year spell in England with Leeds United and Sheffield United. He returned to Portugal to play for União de Leiria, Beira-Mar and Santa Clara, before spending 2003 to 2010 back with Vitória Setúbal. He spent the majority of his career in the Primeira Liga, though also spent time in the second tier, and in the English Football League and Premier League. He made a total of 351 career appearances, scoring 21 goals. He won all of his honours with Vitória Setúbal, winning promotion out of the second tier in 1995–96 and 2003–04, winning the Taça de Portugal in 2005, and Taça da Liga in 2008, whilst picking up runners-up medals in the Supertaça Când ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
EFL League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football League and the third tier overall in the entire English football league system. League One debuted for the 2004–05 in English football, 2004–05 season. It was previously known briefly as the Football League Second Division and for much longer, before the advent of the Premier League, as the Football League Third Division. At present, Fleetwood Town F.C., Fleetwood Town hold the longest tenure in League One, last being out of the division in 2013–14 season when they were promoted from League Two. There are currently eight former Premier League clubs competing in League One, namely Barnsley F.C., Barnsley (1997–98), Bolton Wanderers F.C., Bolton Wanderers (1995–96, 1997–98 and 2001–12), Charlton Athletic F.C., Charlton Athletic (1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Promotion And Relegation
In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. In a system of promotion and relegation, the best-ranked team(s) in the lower division are ''promoted'' to the higher division for the next season, and the worst-ranked team(s) in the higher division are ''relegated'' to the lower division for the next season. In some leagues, playoffs or qualifying rounds are also used to determine rankings. This process can continue through several levels of divisions, with teams being exchanged between adjacent divisions. During the season, teams that are high enough in the league table that they would qualify for promotion are sometimes said to be in the ''promotion zone'', and those at the bottom are in the ''relegation zone'' or Reg zone (colloquially the ''drop zone'' or ''facing the drop''). An a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
English Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in England from its foundation until 1992, when the top 22 clubs split from it to form the Premier League. The EFL is divided into the Championship, League One and League Two, with 24 clubs in each division, 72 in total, with promotion and relegation between them; the top Championship clubs change places with the lowest-placed clubs in the Premier League, and the bottom clubs of League Two with the top clubs of the National League. Although primarily an English competition, several clubs from Wales – currently Cardiff City, Swansea City and Newport County – also take part. The Football League had a sponsor from the 1983–84 season, and thus was known by various names. For the 2016–17 season, the league rebranded itself as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2003–04 Irish Cup
The 2003–04 Irish Cup was the 124th edition of the Irish Cup, Northern Ireland's premier football knock-out cup competition. It concluded on 1 May 2004 with the final. Coleraine were the defending champions, winning their 5th Irish Cup last season after a 1–0 win over Glentoran Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882. History Early history In 1914, Glentoran won the Vienna Cup, becoming the first United Kingdom team to win a European t ... in the 2003 final. This season the same two clubs reached the final again. A 1–0 victory for Glentoran, who were appearing in the final for the sixth time in nine years was enough to seal their 20th Irish Cup win. Fifth round Replays Sixth round Replays Quarter-finals Replay Semi-finals Final References {{DEFAULTSORT:2003-04 Irish Cup 2003–04 2003–04 domestic association footba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irish Cup
The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Samuel Gelston's Whiskey Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. Inaugurated in 1881, it is the fourth-oldest national cup competition in the world. Prior to the break-away from the Irish Football Association by clubs from what would become the Irish Free State in 1921, the Irish Cup was the national cup competition for the whole of Ireland. Since 30 November 2021, the cup has been sponsored by ''Samuel Gelston's Irish Whiskey''. It was previously sponsored by Nationwide Building Society, Bass Ireland Ltd, JJB Sports, Tennent's Lager and Sadler's Peaky Blinder. 126 clubs entered the 2018–19 competition. Crusaders are the current holders, after they defeated Ballymena United 2–1 in the 2022 final to win the competition for a 5th time. Format During the cup's history, different formats and rules ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northern Ireland Football League Cup
The Northern Ireland Football League Cup (BetMcLean League Cup for sponsorship purposes), also known colloquially as the Irish League Cup, is a national football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland open to all member clubs of the Northern Ireland Football League. It is the third-most prestigious competition in domestic Northern Irish football after the NIFL Premiership and Irish Cup. It should not be confused with the Irish League Floodlit Cup which ran from 1987–88 to 1997–98. Unlike the Irish Cup, the League Cup does not have a berth for UEFA Europa Conference League qualification. The cup has been operated by the Northern Ireland Football League since the 2013–14 season when it took over the administration from the Irish Football Association (IFA), after which the cup was renamed to the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) Cup. Since the 2017–18 season, the Cup has been sponsored by McLean Bookmakers. The competition's previous sponsors are JBE (2015–16 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
County Antrim Shield
The County Antrim & District Football Association Senior Shield (more commonly known as the County Antrim Shield) is a football competition in Northern Ireland. The competition is open to senior teams who are members of the North East Ulster Football Association (also known as the County Antrim & District Football Association) (membership of which extends geographically beyond County Antrim itself), often plus intermediate teams who qualify via the Steel & Sons Cup, depending on the numbers required. For the 2010–11 and 2011-12 seasons, only the winners took part. The current Shield champions are Larne, who beat Linfield 1–0 in the 2021–22 final, winning the trophy for a second successive year. During the later 1980s and early 1990s, the North East Ulster F.A. invited senior clubs from outside its jurisdiction to participate. Hence the Shield has been won by Newry Town (later Newry City) and Glenavon, neither of which are members of the North East Ulster F.A. The Shiel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NIFL Premiership
The NIFL Premiership, known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and colloquially as the Irish League or Irish Premiership, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northern Ireland Football League – the national league in Northern Ireland. The Premiership was established as the ''IFA Premiership'' in 2008 under the auspices of the Irish Football Association, before the Northern Ireland Football League was created for the start of the 2013–14 season. At the end of the season, the champion club is presented with the Gibson Cup. Linfield are the current champions, having won their fourth consecutive title and 56th Irish League championship overall, after a 2–0 victory over Coleraine on 30 April 2022. This meant Linfield set a new world record for the most top division league titles won by any club, one ahead of Scottish club Rangers on 55 titles. Origin The current Irish Premiership format was introd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Loan (sports)
In sports, a loan involves a particular player being able to temporarily play for a club other than the one to which they are currently contracted. Loan deals may last from a few weeks to a full season, sometimes persisting for multiple seasons at a time. A loan fee can be arranged by the parent club as well as them asking to pay a percentage of their wages. Association football Players may be loaned out to other clubs for several reasons. Most commonly, young prospects will be loaned to a club in a lower league in order to gain invaluable first team experience. In this instance, the parent club may continue to pay the player's wages in full or in part. Some clubs put a formal arrangement in place with a feeder club for this purpose, such as Manchester United and Royal Antwerp, Arsenal and Beveren, or Chelsea and Vitesse. In other leagues such as Italy's Serie A, some smaller clubs have a reputation as a "farm club" and regularly take players, especially younger players, on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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