Monday Monthly: April/May

As Cliftonville’s preparations for the 2024/25 season continue, cliftonvillefc.net concludes a weekly mini-series reflecting on the good, the bad and the in-betweens of last term.

Every Monday between now and the new domestic campaign getting under way, we’ve been taking a chronological look back on a month from the the year just finished – with April and a particularly significant opening week in May taking centre stage today.

Having overcome Larne in a mammoth Clearer Water Irish Cup semi-final a few days earlier, Cliftonville were much more subdued when the same opponents arrived at Solitude for a Sports Direct Premiership tussle that saw the visitors claim a very early lead which was added to after the break to earn what was an ultimately comfortable win – a situation with which they would grow familiar against the Reds before too long.

The Premiership’s post-split schedule commenced with a trip to Coleraine, where first-half goals from Paddy Burns (above) and Rory Hale looked to have set Jim Magilton’s charges on course for victory only for the Bannsiders to hit back and pocket a share of the spoils on the day that saw the Reds guarantee European football.

Another quickfire engagement with Larne started badly, quickly got worse and proceeded to tail off in every conceivable direction thereafter; a red card flashed at Ronan Hale at 2-0 down doing little to help the cause en route to a record 8-1 Premiership loss.

Though beaten in a North Belfast Derby by Crusaders the following midweek, the team produced a much improved display that deserved more than just a solitary Joe Gormley goal but which nevertheless restored faith that Cliftonville had what was required to produce a big finish to the season.

An early Stephen Mallon strike (above) and a penalty from Ronan Hale secured the Reds’ first win of the post-split schedule when Glentoran arrived at Solitude and, with a Cup Final date with Linfield looming, a much-changed side reported for duty at Windsor Park on the last day of the League campaign, when a late Sam Ashford equaliser earned a 1-1 draw with the Blues.

It’s fair to say the atmosphere on that occasion was far removed from that which greeted Cliftonville at the same venue seven days later; a sold-out Windsor playing host to one of the classic Irish Cup Finals and one that will forever linger in Club folklore.

The dream looked set to be dashed when, come half-time, the Reds not only trailed 1-0 but had seen goalkeeper David Odumosu and defender Odhran Casey depart with injury, only for the team to summon up vast reserves of energy and spirit to turn the tide.

First, Ashford (above) nodded in a leveller in front of a delirious Kop Stand and, though it took until the opening minutes of extra-time, Cliftonville took a deserved lead when Ronan Hale worked just enough space for himself to smash an unstoppable strike past Chris Johns.

As the clock ticked down, that goal looked like being enough to end the 45-year wait for Irish Cup joy but fate had one last glorious card to play when, with the Blues pouring everyone forward in a desperate scramble to equalise, Ben Wilson’s flicked clearance into Hale’s path allowed the striker to wheel unchallenged down the pitch and stroke home arguably the single most iconic strike in Cliftonville’s history and, what’s more, kick off a party almost half a century in the making.

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April 2024
Cliftonville 0-2 Larne
OG, Ashford

Coleraine 2-2 Cliftonville
Burns, Rory Hale

Larne 8-1 Cliftonville
Wilson

Crusaders 2-1 Cliftonville
Gormley

Cliftonville 2-0 Glentoran
Mallon, Ronan Hale

Linfield 1-1 Cliftonville
Ashford

Player of the Month: Conor Pepper
Goal of the Month: Rory Hale v Coleraine

May 2024
Cliftonville 3-1 Linfield
Ashford, Ronan Hale [2]