COLERAINE FC is hosting a special day to mark the achievement made by the 1965 and 1975 Irish Cup winning squads…
In what was a decade of continued success for the club, the Bannsiders won their first major trophy in 1965 by lifting the Irish Cup.
After navigating their way past Ballymena, Crusaders and Glentoran, they would meet Glenavon in the final.
On April 24, Coleraine walked out at Windsor Park alongside Glenavon for the third Irish Cup final in their history. Coleraine started as slight favourites due to their impressive form going into the final and Shaun Dunlop looked to have set them on the way to victory with the opening goal.
Billy Johnston levelled for the Lurgan Blues but Coleraine weren’t to be denied and Derek Irwin wrote his name into the history books as the man whose goal brought the Irish Cup to Coleraine for the first time.
Ten years on, Coleraine were victorious in the competition yet again after wins against Crusaders, Cliftonville and Brantwood set-up a final date against Linfield.
The eagerly anticipated final was shrouded in controversy before a ball was kicked. First up, four Coleraine players (Des Dickson, Terry Cochrane, Eugene McNutt and Lee Clarke) were ruled out of the final on April 19 through suspension. Then Linfield threatened to withdraw from the final in protest at the Ballymena Showgrounds being named as the venue. In the event, the game went ahead, although Linfield fans organised a boycott and didn’t take their full allocation of tickets.
The game itself ended 1-1, former Derry City striker Jim ‘Chang’ Smith put Coleraine in front, but Davy Graham levelled for the Blues and forced a midweek replay.
Cochrane and McNutt returned from their bans but couldn’t help Coleraine break the deadlock. Their best chance fell to Ivan Murray from the penalty spot, but after a run of 17 successful spot kicks, he was foiled by Blues ‘keeper Ken Barclay.
The third game was a bad-tempered affair, Coleraine’s Davy Gordon and Linfield’s Eric Magee and Alan Fraser were sent off, but Coleraine did just enough to see off the Blues at the third attempt. Dickson returned from suspension for the second replay and his cross was headed in by Smith to clinch the cup.
Alan Campbell and John McCurdy from the 1965 squad, as well as Messrs McCurdy, McNutt, Beckett, Jackson, Jennings, Guy, Dickson, Smith, Simpson, Connor, Douglas, Moffatt and Hutton from 1975 have been invited to a celebratory lunch ahead of the Bannsiders’ home clash against Linfield on Saturday, April 26.
The club are hopeful that Davy Gordon will be able to attend – with Vincent Magee, Terry Cochrane, Peter Tweed and Ivan Murray sadly missing out.
Supporters are warmly invited to attend a Q&A session with Grant Cameron in the viewing lounge of the Social Club on Saturday, April 26 from 3pm to 4pm to hear some fascinating insight and entertaining stories.