The Irish News Cup was a "north-south" association football competition in Ireland involving teams from the Irish League and League of Ireland, mostly located in the north-west of the island. It is thus not counted among the major all-Ireland cup tournaments, since neither League champions nor Cup winners were involved. (Derry City did win the League of Ireland title in 1996-97). It was sponsored by The Irish News (a nationalist newspaper based in Belfast) and also referred to as the Irish News North West Cup. It lasted four seasons.
List of finals
SeasonWinner(number of titles)ScoreRunner-upVenue1995–96 Coleraine (1)4 – 1 Omagh TownSt Julian's Road, Omagh8 – 1 (12 – 2 agg.)The Showgrounds, Coleraine1996–97 Derry City (1)0 – 3 Sligo RoversThe Showgrounds, Sligo5 – 1 (5 – 4 agg.)Brandywell Stadium, Derry1997–98 Omagh Town (1)1 – 1 Ballymena UnitedSt Julian's Road, Omagh1 – 0 (2 – 1 agg.)The Showgrounds, Ballymena1998–99 Finn Harps (1)2 – 0 Ballymena UnitedFinn Park, Ballybofey
References
External links Irish Football Club Project Archive on All-Ireland Competitions Irish League Archive - Irish News Cup
Sources M. Brodie (ed.), Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 1996/97 M. Brodie (ed.), Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 1997/98 M. Brodie (ed.), Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 1998/99 M. Brodie (ed.), Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 1999/2000 Ballymena United Football Club