Joe’s 300 Club

Last night proved another celebrated occasion for Joe Gormley, who reached the 300 goal mark in Cliftonville’s BetMcLean Cup victory against Strabane Athletic.

Just over seven years on from becoming the Club’s all-time leading scorer when he netted for the 171st time to surpass Kevin McGarry’s long-standing record, ‘Joe The Goal’ clocked up another landmark moment when he completed his latest century of strikes to help the Reds successfully continue their defence of a trophy that was clinched when he bagged the only goal of last season’s Final.

This latest accomplishment only adds to a plethora of milestones generated since Gormley made his debut in a Europa League clash with The New Saints back in 2011 – the first of a Club record 19 appearances on the continental stage.

Furthermore, his goal in July’s Conference League encounter with the aptly-named St Joseph’s at Solitude saw him become Cliftonville’s leading scorer in European competition, following on from finishes against Nordsjælland (2018) and Barry Town United (2019).

Also included within those 300 goals are no fewer than 17 hat-tricks (inevitably another Club record), while a further 65 strikes in friendlies augment the overall Reds tally for a player who, with 544 competitive appearances under his belt, is closing on on George McMullan’s total of 545, but still has some way to go before surpassing Mickey Donnelly’s 610.