First and foremost: Quid pro quo

Celebrating landmark achievements and curious quirks in the history of Ireland’s Oldest Football Club, cliftonvillefc.net today returns to a popular mini series reflecting on some of the trailblazing enterprises where Cliftonville have led the way.

Since its introduction over the summer, ‘First and Foremost’ has told the stories of startling statistics, tall tales and magical milestones that saw the Reds play a leading role in the story – with a poignant anniversary dictating where our latest spotlight shines.

For today marks 147 years since the Club’s first ever match.

It was on September 27, 1879, that the Reds hosted a local rugby team by the name of Quidnuncs – who duly claimed a 2-1 win in their unfamiliar sport!

Just seven days on from the Club’s opening training session, a contemporary report noted that the game played on an almost waterlogged surface at Cliftonville Cricket Club – which was the Reds’ original home ground prior to moving to the adjacent Solitude in 1890 – “could not be considered a good exhibition of the association code” as players from both sides regularly fell foul of the handling law, which is perhaps more understandable given the opposition’s background.

It was nevertheless an historic occasion in the story of Irish football, with Cliftonville going on to face Scottish team Caledonian and Glasgow before recording their first ever win when Knock (who were also founded by John McCredy McAlery) were beaten 2-0 on November 1 of the same year.