Back on the defensive

Cliftonville Ladies will begin their defence of the Boyle Sports Women’s Cup when they face Larne at Inver Park on Sunday, April 12.

The Reds, winners of the trophy in each of the last three seasons, have been drawn in Group B of the rebranded competition, where they will also travel to Derry City Women (April 19) before hosting Lisburn Rangers on April 26, with group winners advancing to the Final.

Brendan Lynch’s team – who have also been drawn in Group 3 of the Women’s All Island Cup, where they will tackle Athlone Town, Cork City and Treaty United – return to pre-season action when they host Wexford at Solitude this coming Sunday, March 8 (2pm).

Don’t forget, meanwhile, that in addition to the team’s dedicated Twitter account, fans can now keep up to date with Cliftonville Ladies on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, so be sure to update your bookmarks accordingly in the countdown to the new campaign.