Decadent: The Matches

29 Dec 2019

Not only did yesterday’s Danske Bank Premiership win over Larne bring the curtain down on the year, it also saw the Reds record their 286th win of a decade that started with an Irish Cup Fifth Round tie against Lisburn Distillery on January 16, 2010.

That 2-0 victory at New Grosvenor was the first of 510 fixtures contested by the Reds over the last 10 years and earned Kieran O’Connor (pictured) the distinction of being the decade’s opening goalscorer, with Conor McMenamin’s decisive strike this weekend rounding off the Club’s total of 1008 goals during the period in question – with Joe Gormley’s effort in the 4-0 defeat of Warrenpoint Town on November 9 clocking up the landmark 1000.

Between the start of 2010 and the end of 2019, Cliftonville contested 381 Premiership fixtures, 25 Irish Cup matches, 40 League Cup outings, 22 County Antrim Shield ties, four Champions League games, 18 Europa League battles, 13 Setanta Sports Cup encounters, six European Play-Offs and a single Charity Shield showdown – with 286 wins, 75 draws and 149 defeats telling the story of the decade.

The Reds’ biggest win came when Distillery were eliminated from the League Cup by an 11-1 scoreline on August 30, 2016, with the team’s heaviest defeat being a 6-1 hammering at Ballymena United on September 12, 2015.

The Reds have faced a total of 48 different teams, with Linfield (48), Crusaders (47) and Glentoran (46) the most frequent opposition in competitive action, with 56 different sides providing the challenges across 102 friendlies, where Crumlin United (7), Banbridge Town, Knockbreda (both 6) and The New Saints (5) lead the way.

Indeed, TNS are one of 10 friendly opponents who do not hail from the island of Ireland, with Scottish Champions Celtic (3), Welsh outfits Connah’s Quay Nomads and Swansea City (both 2) as well as Dutch side RKSV Leonidas (2) facing Cliftonville alongside single contests with English sides Bolton Wanderers, FC United of Manchester, Macclesfield Town, Peterborough United and Scottish Football League representatives Stirling Albion.

Our reflections of the decade will continue in the coming days, with an analysis of all the players who have worn the jersey up for review tomorrow.

2010-2019 Competition Breakdown
Premiership: P381 W208 D67 L106 F716 A483
Irish Cup: P25 W13 D2 L10 F50 A30
League Cup: P40 W34 D0 L6 F125 A36
County Antrim Shield: P22 W15 D0 L7 F61 A35
Champions League: P4 W0 D1 L3 F0 A7
Europa League: P18 W4 D4 L10 F15 A26
European Play-Offs: P6 W5 D0 L1 F20 A12
Setanta Sports Cup: P13 W6 D1 L6 F21 A24
Charity Shield: P1 W1 D0 L0 F0 A0