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Ballymena United
Ballymena United Football Club is a semi-professional football club from Northern Ireland. Based in Ballymena, County Antrim, the team competes in the NIFL Premiership and plays home matches at the Ballymena Showgrounds which is owned by the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. The club is managed by David Jeffrey. The club was formed as Ballymena on 7 April 1928, when four local businessmen and football enthusiasts decided that the town of Ballymena needed a senior football team in the Irish League. Nicknamed the 'Braidmen' or 'Sky Blues', latterly because of the colour of the home shirts, Ballymena have a rich history in Irish Cup, having won the competition six times. The main club rivals of Ballymena United are Coleraine. The annual Boxing Day derby fixture between the two teams attracts large crowds and is one of the high-profile fixtures in the Northern Irish football league calendar. Club history Foundation and the War (1934–1946) Following the demise of Ballymena ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ballymena Showgrounds
The Ballymena Showgrounds is a football stadium in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is home to Ballymena United F.C. and Ballymena United Allstars F.C. It is owned by Ballymena Borough Council. In addition to men's soccer a variety of other sports and events are held at the stadium and surrounding facilities, including women's association football, field hockey, and formerly hosted stock car racing. The stadium was redeveloped in 2001 at a cost of £30m. This reconstruction included the building of a new stand and new dressing room facilities. In 2010 the Warden Street stand was redeveloped to all-seater standard with a new capacity of 2,200 seats. The stadium now holds 4,100 spectators, but is limited to 3,600 due to health and safety. Main Stadium Home to Ballymena United New Stand The New Stand replaced the old 'Clock Stand' which ran parallel to the side of the pitch and was knocked down in 2001, in preparation for the new construction. The stand incorporates ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alex McCrae
Alexander McCrae (2 January 1920 – 8 October 2009) was a Scottish footballer, who played for Hearts, Charlton Athletic, Middlesbrough and Falkirk during his career. Playing career McCrae began his career at Hearts in 1941. He later moved to London to play for Charlton Athletic but was unable to settle and was snapped up by Middlesbrough for £10,000 in October 1948. The versatile frontman could play in any forward position but favoured the inside left role. He began his career with the club in the 1948–49 season in the absence of Wilf Mannion, but his form was poor and soon he was dropped from the side. Eventually, he was recalled alongside Mannion, where he showed his pace, accurate passing and sublime ball skills. After scoring 16 goals in the 1949–50 season, including the winner in a home 1–0 victory over Newcastle United on Boxing Day, he became a fans favourite. He topped the scoring charts the next season, scoring three hat-tricks before Christmas, but injury ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since it was opened in 1845. It was the first ground in England to host international Test cricket in September 1880. The final Test match of the English season is traditionally played there. In addition to cricket, The Oval has hosted a number of other historically significant sporting events. In 1870, it staged England's first international football match, versus Scotland. It hosted the first FA Cup final in 1872, as well as those between 1874 and 1892. In 1876, it held both the England v. Wales and England v. Scotland rugby international matches and, in 1877, rugby's first varsity match. It also hosted the final of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. History The Oval is built on part of the former Kennington Common. Cricket matches were playe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glenavon F
Glenavon Football Club is a Northern Irish semi-professional football club that competes in the NIFL Premiership. Founded in 1889, the club hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park. Club colours are blue and white. Gary Hamilton has been player-manager of the Lurgan Blues since December 2011 following the resignation of Marty Quinn. Glenavon's bitter rivals are Portadown, with their matches known as the "Mid-Ulster Derby". History Glenavon was the first provincial club to win the Irish League title (1951–52) and also the first provincial club to do the league and cup double (1956–57). The latter triumph also made them the first Northern Irish team to enter the European Cup. Glenavon has had a number of talented and famous players, none more so than Wilbur Cush and Jimmy Jones, who were to the fore in "the glory years" of the Fifties. The success of the 1950s is still the benchmark at the club – the closest the club have come to achieving a le ... [...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] |
Glenn Ferguson
Glenn Ferguson (born 10 July 1969) is a Northern Irish former football player and manager. Ferguson amassed over 1,000 domestic appearances in a career where he played for Ards, Glenavon, Linfield and Lisburn Distillery, and scored a total of 563 goals, placing him 2nd behind Jimmy Jones (646) on the list of all-time goalscorers in Northern Irish football. He was also capped 5 times by Northern Ireland. In his 21-year career Ferguson won 30 winner's medals. He also had a five-year managerial spell with Ballymena United, where he twice won the County Antrim Shield. Early life Glenn was born on 10 July 1969 in the Ulster Hospital Dundonald to Thomas and Ida Ferguson and is the youngest of their three children. Records Nicknamed "Spike", during his playing career, he played for Ards and Glenavon before joining Linfield in January 1998 for an Irish League record transfer fee of £55,000; this record was surpassed with Jamie McGonigle's move to Crusaders in August 201 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lisburn Distillery F
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 Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee celebrations, the predominantly Unionism in Ireland, unionist borough was granted City status in the United Kingdom#Northern Ireland, city status alongside the largely Irish nationalism, 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 Lisnagarvey, ''Lisnaga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roy Walker (footballer)
Robert Wright "Roy" Walker (born 1957) is a football manager and former player. His most recent job was as manager of NIFL Premiership side Ballymena United. Playing career Born to a working-class family in east Belfast, Walker began his career with Torrin Boys youth club, before moving to Luton Town in England. He returned to Northern Ireland to play for Ards, Glenavon, and Portadown. He finished his playing career with Crusaders. Walker is also a Born-again Christian. Managerial career Crusaders F.C. He later became player-manager of Crusaders, in 1989. Walker was a player with Crusaders and was appointed manager in 1989. Walker brought huge success to the North Belfast club by winning the Irish League in 1995 and 1997, also winning the Gold Cup in 1996, the Ulster Cup in 1994, the County Antrim Shield in 1992, and the Stena Line Trophy in 1997, the same year he won the league. Walker had a very good number of players who would become Crusaders legends. Kirk Hunter was a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy Wright (footballer, Born 1963)
Thomas James Wright (born 29 August 1963) is a Northern Irish football coach and former player who was most recently the manager of Kilmarnock. As a player, he was a goalkeeper who notably played in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United and Manchester City. He also played in the Football League with Hull City, Reading and Wrexham, as well as in his native country with Linfield. He was capped 31 times by Northern Ireland. Since retiring as a player he has worked as a coach or manager for Limavady United, Ballymena United, Shamrock Rovers and St Johnstone. He guided St Johnstone to their win in the 2014 Scottish Cup Final, which won the first major national trophy in their history; he left his role there in May 2020. Wright was appointed Kilmarnock manager in February 2021, but was sacked in December of that year. Club career Wright was born in Ballyclare. After playing in his native Northern Ireland until he was 25, he entered English football with Newc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shamrock Park
Shamrock Park is a football (soccer), football stadium in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Portadown F.C. Shamrock Park was previously used for stock-car racing, but this has since been discontinued. The stadium is classed as an all-seater stadium but has only two seated stands around the Association football pitch, pitch totaling 2,770 seats, with one side containing a training pitch and the other having an older seated stand which is no longer in use. When grant aid is available, the older stand will be demolished and replaced with a brand new seated stand. Ground redevelopment A£1.8-million 1,840-seater stand was built at the unreserved end of the ground, replacing the "shed" and opened in late 2008. It was named "The MET Steel Stand" after Portadown's long-serving sponsors. At the same time, the pitch was moved closer to the Chalet end of the stadium allowing supporters from every angle to have a better view of the football. In early Febr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Portadown F
Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of about 22,000 at the 2011 Census. For some purposes, Portadown is treated as part of the "Craigavon Urban Area", alongside Craigavon and Lurgan. Although Portadown can trace its origins to the early 17th century Plantation of Ulster, it was not until the Victorian era and the arrival of the railway that it became a major town. It earned the nickname "hub of the North" due to it being a major railway junction; where the Great Northern Railway's line diverged for Belfast, Dublin, Armagh and Derry. In the 19th and 20th centuries Portadown was also a major centre for the production of textiles (mainly linen). Portadown is the site of the long-running Drumcree dispute, over yearly marches by the Protestant Orange Order through the Catholic pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Smith (Scottish Footballer)
George Smith (born 1 June 1935) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a forward, primarily for Partick Thistle. Career Having joined while still a schoolboy at Bathgate Academy, Smith was with Partick Thistle during a relatively successful era for the ''Jags'' across the 1950s and early 60s, and played in two of their Scottish League Cup final appearances in the era (all of which were lost) – he was injured in the first against Celtic in 1956, and scored a consolation goal in the second against Heart of Midlothian in the 1958 edition. The club made a challenge for the Scottish Football League title in the 1962–63 season, but lost form after delays caused by a very harsh winter. He did win the Glasgow Cup on two occasions. Other personal achievements included scoring four goals in a League Cup match against Stirling Albion in one of his first senior appearances, [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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