Milestone magic

Ahead of Cliftonville’s Sports Direct Premiership fixture with Ballymena United on Saturday, Chairman Kieran Harding presented Joe Gormley with a memento to mark his recent 500th appearance for the Club.

The 34-year-old reached the landmark in the Reds’ BetMcLean Cup victory over Bangor on November 5, when he became just the fourth player in history to reach such a milestone for Ireland’s Oldest Football Club, following on from Mickey Donnelly (610 appearances), George McMullan (545) and Ronan Scannell (523).

Indeed, to further underline the exalted company Joe The Goal finds himself in, Cliftonville’s Heritage Development Officer, Paul Treanor, notes that of the near 2300 players to have represented the Reds since 1879, only 165 have ever reached triple figures of games, with just 60 clocking up more than 200 outings, 23 surpassing 300 and a mere nine going beyond 400 appearances.

Joe made his debut in a Europa League fixture with The New Saints on June 30, 2011 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 – Cliftonville’s 132nd birthday.

Following a 16-month stint with Peterborough United, which included an often overlooked loan spell at St Johnstone, Gormley returned to the Reds ahead of the 2017/18 season and immediately picked up where he left off in front of goal.

His strike from the penalty spot against Crusaders on October 5, 2018 saw him break a 57-year-old Club scoring record set when Kevin McGarry netted the last of his 170 goals for the Reds 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, Gormley needed just 247 to set his own milestone, one which he has since increased substantially.

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

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