Monday Monthly: October

A few days ahead of Cliftonville’s return to training, cliftonvillefc.net today continues a weekly mini-series reflecting on the good, the bad and the in-betweens of the 2025/26 season.

Every Monday between now and the new domestic campaign getting under way, we’ll take a chronological look back on a month from the the term just finished – with October taking centre stage today.

The Reds commenced their defence of the BetMcLean Cup with a home tie against Coagh United, who cancelled Rory Hale’s opener out to level things at 1-1 before Jim Magilton’s side booked comfortable progress to the next round courtesy of finishes from Sean Robertson (below), Joe Gormley and Eric McWoods.

A few days later, an horrendous first-half cost Cliftonville dearly in a Sports Direct Premiership tussle with Larne at Solitude.

Trailing to a Conor Barr own goal after just three minutes, the Reds suffered the injury-enforced loss of Adebayo Fapetu (below) and fell 2-0 down before the half-hour mark as the away side suffered a relatively stress-free afternoon in north Belfast.

Cliftonville got back to winning ways when Linfield visited on County Antrim Shield duty; eye-catching strikes from Hale and Keevan Hawthorne putting the Reds in command and, though the visitors reduced the arrears before half-time, Ryan Curran made it 3-1 ahead of Sunderland loanee Tom Lavery bagging the first goal of his career.

A header from Shaun Leppard (above) was then enough for full points against Carrick Rangers at Taylors Avenue ahead of a renewal of rivalries with Linfield in November’s opening encounter…

October 2025
Cliftonville 4-1 Coagh United
Hale, Robertson, Gormley, McWoods

Cliftonville 0-2 Larne

Cliftonville 4-1 Linfield
Hale, Hawthorne, Curran, Lavery

Carrick Rangers 0-1 Cliftonville
Leppard

Player of the Month: Odhran Casey
Goal of the Month: Rory Hale v Linfield