Here we Joe!

Cliftonville Football Club are delighted to confirm that the 2023/24 season will serve as Joe Gormley’s Testimonial Year.

Scorer of a Club record 264 goals since signing from Crumlin Star in the summer of 2011, Joe – who spent two years at Peterborough United between 2015-17 – celebrated a landmark 15th Reds hat-trick on Tuesday night and is poised to make his 450th appearance in the coming days.

All at the Club are delighted to reveal that the first event in Joe’s Testimonial Calendar will be open to fans of all ages to come along and show their support for a genuine Cliftonville legend.

A fundraising sponsored walk in aid of Cancer Lifeline will take place at 10.30am on Sunday, October 22, with all participants invited back to enjoy a Coffee Morning at Solitude afterwards.

Further details – including sponsorship forms – will be made available on Joe’s dedicated Testimonial social media outlets on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, which all members of the Red Army are encouraged to follow.

Joe’s first appearance came in a friendly with The New Saints on June 18, 2011 and, though his injury-time winner at Park Hall doesn’t count towards his total, his incredible half-volley from the halfway line provided an early glimpse of what was to come in a Red shirt.

His first competitive outing came somewhat ironically against the same opponents in the Europa League just 12 days later but almost three further months would pass before he opened his scoring account when Ards were defeated on League Cup duty at Solitude on September 20, 2011 – Cliftonville’s 132nd birthday.

His opener from the penalty spot against Crusaders on October 5, 2018 saw him break a 57-year-old record set when Kevin McGarry netted the last of his 170 goals for the Club in a League encounter with Bangor on March 4, 1961.

While McGarry – who beat the previous landmark of 127 set by Sid Over – amassed his total after 286 appearances for the Reds, Gormley needed just 247 to set his own goalscoring milestone, one which he has since increased substantially.

Cliftonville FC Top 10 Appearances
610: Mickey Donnelly
545: George McMullan
523: Ronan Scannell
456: Chris Scannell
451: John Wilson
448: Joe Gormley
430: Walter Mills
429: Ernie McCleary
411: Chris Curran
396: Ryan Catney, Marty Tabb

Cliftonville FC Top 10 Goalscorers
264: Joe Gormley
170: Kevin McGarry
153: Chris Scannell
127: Sid Over
115: Norman McCaw
110: James Millar
103: George McMullan
99: John Platt
84: Liam Boyce
78: Frank Mortished