An updated state of Play

Less than three weeks on from Cliftonville booking UEFA Conference League qualification by defeating Coleraine in the European Play-Offs, today marks the 119th anniversary of arguably the most infamous Play-Off fixture in our history.

For it was on May 30, 1906 that the Reds met Distillery in a contest to determine the destiny of the Irish League title. Having finished level on 19 points apiece at the top of the table, the sides played out a goalless draw on May 26 before a replay finished 2-2 four days later, upon which it was determined that the Championship would be shared.

That particular duel was one of 27 Play-Off – or ‘Test’ – matches that the Reds have found themselves involved in over the years; the first of which came in January 1896 when a one-off game to determine the destination of the Irish League title saw Distillery emerge 2-1 victors.

In December of the same year, and during an era when it was evidently difficult to separate the top teams, Cliftonville overcame Linfield 3-2 to secure the runners-up position in the table.

Play-Offs came along with particular prolificy during 1906, with no fewer than four such engagements for the Reds, who lost a City Cup clash 2-0 to Belfast Celtic but also recorded a 2-1 win over Linfield in the same competition in a fixture which was contested for reasons beyond the knowledge of Club historians.

At the end of the season came those back-to-back duels with the Whites that saw Cliftonville lay partial claim to the first League title in the Club’s history.

In 1909, the Reds achieved second place in the table by defeating Glentoran 3-2 but, the following year, the east Belfast side earned a 3-1 win to rubberstamp second spot in the City Cup standings.

A further 40 years passed before Cliftonville’s next Play-Off involvement, with The Oval staging a 2-1 victory over Larne which ensured progress to the semi-funals of the Ulster Cup in September 1950.

More recently, the Reds secured their Premier League status with Play-Off success against Ards in both 1999 and 2000 (5-2 and 3-0 on aggregate, respectively) before getting the better of Armagh City 4-1 over two games four seasons later.

Glentoran were defeated in a shoot-out for the Premiership’s final Europa League berth in 2016 and, though Cliftonville were eliminated by Glenavon at the semi-final stage in 2017, the Reds successfully came through the sequence by beating Ballymena United and the Glens 12 months later, with The Oval outfit also defeated in 2019 just days after Paddy McLaughlin’s side had claimed a sensational turnaround against Coleraine.

Two years later, Cliftonville celebrated a controversial semi-final success over Crusaders (above) when the match officials’ failure to spot a penalty kick crossing the line meant shootout victory and passage to a similarly contentious showdown with Larne at Inver Park, which no away fans were permitted to attend and which the home side came out on top of.

The Reds also suffered European Play-Off Final defeat in 2023 when, after overcoming Coleraine at Solitude, they failed to perform against the Glens, and the same opponents lay in reverse order this month, with Cliftonville beating Glentoran 2-0 at The Oval before seeing off the Bannsiders by the same scoreline to stamp their passports to next season’s UEFA Conference League.

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Cliftonville’s Play-Off History
1896
Irish League title
Cliftonville 1-2 Distillery

1896
League runners-up
Cliftonville 3-2 Linfield

1906
City Cup
Cliftonville 0-2 Belfast Celtic
Cliftonville 2-1 Linfield

1906
Irish League title
Cliftonville 0-0 Distillery
Cliftonville 2-2 Distillery

1909
League runners-up
Cliftonville 3-2 Glentoran

1910
City Cup runners-up
Cliftonville 1-3 Glentoran

1950
Ulster Cup semi-final place
Cliftonville 2-1 Larne

1999
Promotion/Relegation
Ards 0-1 Cliftonville
Cliftonville 4-2 Ards

2000
Promotion/Relegation
Ards 0-2 Cliftonville
Cliftonville 1-0 Ards

2004
Promotion/Relegation
Armagh City 0-3 Cliftonville
Cliftonville 1-1 Armagh City

2016
Europa League Play-Off Final
Cliftonville 3-2 Glentoran

2017
Europa League Play-Off semi-final
Cliftonville 3-5 Glenavon

2018
Europa League Play-Off semi-final
Cliftonville 4-0 Ballymena United
Europa League Play-Off Final
Cliftonville 3-2 Glentoran

2019
Europa League Play-Off semi-final
Cliftonville 5-3 Coleraine
Europa League Play-Off Final
Cliftonville 2-0 Glentoran

2021
Europa League Play-Off semi-final
Cliftonville 0-0 Crusaders [5-4 on penalties]
Europa League Play-Off Final
Larne 3-1 Cliftonville

2023
Conference League Play-Off semi-final
Cliftonville 2-1 Coleraine
Conference League Play-Off Final
Glentoran 2-0 Cliftonville

2025
Conference League Play-Off semi-final
Glentoran 0-2 Cliftonville
Conference League Play-Off Final
Coleraine 0-2 Cliftonville