‘The fans would love it’: Noel Bailie backs expanded All-Ireland Cup idea over new league structure

2005 Setanta hero favours expanded Cup format ahead of an all-Island league

Noel Bailie with Setanta Cup in 2005. Credit: Oliver McVeigh

Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland - 2nd November 2009.
Belfast Telegraph staff Images Graham Luney

Graham Luney Twitter Email

July 02 2021 07:00 AM

Linfield legend Noel Bailie says he hopes the Irish FA and FAI can resurrect a strong All-Ireland Cup competition.

Bailie was Blues captain in 2005 when David Jeffrey’s side won the inaugural Setanta Cup trophy with a famous 2-0 win over Shelbourne at Tolka Park in Dublin.

Goals from Glenn Ferguson and Peter Thompson sealed the historic triumph and Crusaders became the only other Irish League side to win the honour in 2012.

The cross border competition ended in 2014 but moves towards rekindling a north v south rivalry emerged in 2019 with the Unite the Union Champions Cup pitting the two league champions together.

Dundalk beat Linfield 7-1 on aggregate and in November it was announced that the Cup would return this year with an expanded set-up.

Four teams will contest the 2021 competition with the new format seeing Shamrock Rovers and Linfield joined by Coleraine and the next top placed side in the 2021 League of Ireland season.

The four-team tournament will include regionalised semi-finals and a final scheduled for late 2021. The Irish FA has rejected proposals for an all-Ireland League but they are more open to expanding the Champions Cup format and Bailie, who won 10 Irish League titles and eight Irish Cups during his 1,013 games for the Blues, believes it’s the right call.

“I would absolutely love to see an all-Ireland Cup competition played again,” said Bailie.

“The Setanta Cup brings back great memories, the matches and crowds were so different.

“A Cup would be a fantastic idea and I think the fans would love it.”

Bailie, who was awarded an MBE for services to football in the 2013 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, added: “The southern clubs dominated the tournament with their greater full-time experience but there are more full-time clubs now in the Irish League.

“The old competition faded out but for Crusaders and ourselves who won it, they are special memories. For a while, you can call yourselves the best team in Ireland!

“The concept of the best teams from both sides of the border playing against one another is an attractive one and more feasible than an all-Island League, in my opinion.”

Linfield legend Glenn Ferguson, who opened the scoring against Shelbourne to get the party started in 2005, is also supportive of a Cup competition.

“A Cup would work more than a league,” said the former Ballymena United boss.

“Some of our clubs could go to the wall in an All-Ireland League. They need the Linfield and Glentoran crowds to help them survive. Financially those clubs would struggle in an All-Ireland set-up.”

‘The fans would love it’: Noel Bailie backs expanded All-Ireland Cup idea over new league structure

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