Irish League Football

Image source, Glentoran

Glentoran have signed Slovakian goalkeeper Peter Urminsky on a season-long loan deal from St Mirren.

The 26-year-old arrives at the Oval after the east Belfast side's first-choice from last season, Daniel Gyollai, moved back to his native Hungary this summer.

Urminsky started out with Slovakian club Spartak Trnava and has also represented his country at under-19 level. He joined the Buddies in January 2020 and has since had loan spells with Ayr United and Stenhousemuir.

In Paisley, he was a team-mate of former Glentoran winger Conor McMenamin.

"It's a brilliant opportunity to fight for first-team football in a highly competitive league and to do it at one of the biggest clubs in the country," Urminsky said of the move.

"I had a great conversation with Conor McMenamin, who spoke so highly of the club, the people and the supporters. He told me that if you show desire and play for the badge, the fans will back you all the way and that if you help bring success to Glentoran, they'll never forget it."

Urminsky is the fifth addition to Declan Devine's squad this summer, joining Liam Burt, Jordan Stewart, Pat Hoban and Daniel Larmour.

Last season's County Antrim Shield winners begin their Irish Premiership campaign away to Portadown on 9 August.

Image source, Inpho

Details of the first six Irish Premiership matches of the upcoming 2025-26 season that will be streamed live on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website have been announced.

Coverage of the new season begins on the opening night on Friday 8 August as Coleraine host Larne at the Showgrounds, with kick-off at 19:45 BST.

The second streamed game from the opening weekend sees newly-promoted Bangor welcome Cliftonville to Clandeboye on Sunday 10 August (15:00 BST).

On 15 August, Ballymena United host champions Linfield at the Showgrounds before Cliftonville v Larne at Solitude four days later (both 19:45 BST).

The BBC cameras will be back in Coleraine on 29 August for the Bannsiders' home game against Linfield (19:45 BST).

On 12 September, the first Big Two derby between Glentoran and Linfield at the Oval will be live on BBC Two NI in addition to the iPlayer and website.

First six 2025-26 Irish Premiership games live on BBC (times BST)

Friday 8 August: Coleraine v Larne, 19:45 (BBC iPlayer & BBC Sport website)

Sunday 10 August: Bangor v Cliftonville, 15:00 (BBC iPlayer & BBC Sport website)

Friday 15 August: Ballymena v Linfield, 19:45 (BBC iPlayer & BBC Sport website)

Tuesday 19 August: Cliftonville v Larne, 19:45 (BBC iPlayer & BBC Sport website)

Friday 29 August: Coleraine v Linfield, 19:45 (BBC iPlayer & BBC Sport website)

Friday 12 September: Glentoran v Linfield, 19:45 (BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer & BBC Sport website)

Image source, Getty Images

Teenager Sean Moore has joined League of Ireland champions Shelbourne from West Ham United.

The 19-year-old moved to the Premier League side from Irish Premiership outfit Cliftonville in June 2023 on a three-year deal.

However the Republic of Ireland youth international has now joined Shelbourne on a "multi-year deal".

"I'm absolutely buzzing to be here," Moore told the club's website.

"Shelbourne are a massive club and I'm delighted to get the deal done. I'm ready to get to work, hit the ground running, and show the fans what I'm all about."

Manager Joey O'Brien said Moore, who made a big impression in his time with Cliftonville, was a "top player with huge potential".

"He came into the game at a young age with Cliftonville and earned a great education over in England with West Ham," said O'Brien, who replaced Damien Duff as manager in June

"He's an exciting player to watch, really positive in how he plays the game.

"Now he's ready to kick on with the next stage of his career, and we're delighted he's put his trust in us."

Image source, Damien Toolan

Cliftonville Ladies inflicted a first defeat of the Women's Premiership campaign on Glentoran Women as second-half goals from Caitlin McGuinness and Naomi McLaughlin gave the Reds a 2-0 win over their rivals at the Blanchflower Stadium on Friday night.

Meanwhile in the evening's other games Linfield Women moved to the top of the table thanks to a thumping 11-0 home win over Larne Women at Midgley Park, Crusaders Strikers ran out 5-0 victors over Lisburn Rangers at Crewe Park and Derry City defeated Lisburn Ladies 2-0 at Bluebell Stadium.

Cliftonville moved in front on 50 minutes when McGuinness collected a throw-in from Aoibhe O'Neill before rifling past keeper Ashleigh McKinnon from outside the area with her right foot.

One minute from time Women's Premiership player of the month McLaughlin added a second for the defending champions with a sensational finish from 15 yards.

Linfield needed just three minutes to seize the advantage in their game when Eve Reilly found the net, Jennifer McDade doubling up after a quarter-of-an-hour.

Reilly struck again with two more goals in as many minutes midway through the first half to claim her hat-trick, with Zoe McGlynn adding another as the Blues went in at the break five goals to the good.

The scoring continued on 51 minutes through Hannah Doherty, followed by a Cora Chambers double and an Alex Clarke finish all before the hour. Rebecca Bassett then completed the scoring on 67 minutes.

Crusaders led at half-time courtesy of goals from Julie Nelson and Rebecca Mann midway through the first half.

Michelle McDaid then popped with a double on 67 and 74 minutes before Rachel McLaren wrapped the scoring up in the closing moments.

Meanwhile, a goal in each half helped Derry City Women to victory.

The Candystripes held the advantage at the break after Caoirse Doherty edged them in front inside the opening ten minutes.

The visitors then doubled up with just under a quarter-of-an-hour of normal time remaining when Rachel McIntyre made sure of the points.

Linfield sit top of the table on 19 points from eight games, with Glentoran one point adrift and Cliftonville three in arrears of the pacesetters having both played seven matches.

Image source, Getty Images

Linfield have said a "small minority of supporters" are damaging the club's reputation after being fined for two separate incidents during this month's Champions League qualifier against Shelbourne.

On Thursday, the Belfast club were fined 10,000 euro (£8,727) for "racist and/or discriminatory behaviour of its supporters" and 2,000 euro (£1,745) for the lighting of fireworks in Windsor Park during the second leg on 16 July.

The Irish Premiership champions were also handed a partial stadium ban, which is suspended for two years.

Responding to the sanction on Friday, Linfield noted their "extreme disappointment", adding: "This sanction is as a result of sectarian chanting and the use of flares by individuals who would profess to be our supporters.

"The club has repeatedly urged its supporters to refrain from all forms of sectarian and discriminatory chanting at our games and also to avoid the use of pyrotechnics.

"We had a fantastic number of fans present at the Shelbourne game and it is deeply frustrating that a small minority of supporters continue to disregard our appeals and consequently damage the reputation of the club."

The Windsor Park game finished 1-1 with Dubliners Shelbourne progressing 2-1 on aggregate.

Linfield's statement added: "Uefa have also warned that partial stadium closure will follow if there is any repeat of such behaviour over the next two years.

"The club would again appeal to all supporters to take heed of this warning and ensure that the club does not receive further financial punishment and reputational damage."

Linfield returned to action on Thursday with a 0-0 first-leg draw away to Lithuanian side Zalgiris Vilnius in the second round of Uefa Conference League qualifying.

Image source, NIFWA

Cliftonville's Naomi McLaughlin says she is "buzzing" to be named June's Women's Premiership player of the month by the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association.

McLaughlin played a key role in all four goals as Cliftonville overturned a two-goal deficit to beat Glentoran 4-2 in the League Cup final at Seaview.

The 19-year-old also scored against Larne and impressed in the win over Lisburn.

"It's great to pick up Player of the Month," said McLaughlin.

"I'm just glad to help the team in any way I can.

"I was involved in all four goals in the League Cup final. That was really nice for me.

"What a game. We always make it hard for ourselves, but I'm glad I could help the team and four assists is good for anyone so I was happy about that."

McLaughlin moved to Solitude from Sion Swifts at the beginning of 2024 but struggled with injury in the Reds' treble-winning year.

After retaining the League Cup, the Northern Ireland youth international says the club have their eyes on more success.

"I missed a lot of football and now I'm buzzing to be back..

"It's nice to pick up this award when I've been out for a long time."

"I'm glad with assists to help out the team in whatever way I can. It's all about the team at the end of the day and I think we're having a good run at this stage of the season so I'm happy."

Image source, Pacemaker

Larne manager Nathan Rooney reflected on a "night and day performance in terms of the first and second half" by his side after they drew 0-0 with Kosovan team Pristina in the first leg of their Uefa Conference League second qualifying round tie.

Last season's Irish Premiership runners-up twice cleared efforts off the line in the second half while goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson denied Leutrim Kryeziu on two occasions with fine saves.

"We didn't come out for the second half at all," bemoaned the Larne boss after the game at Ballymena Showgrounds.

"We just seemed to force the play and come away from what we are really good at.

"We didn't take our chances at the vital times so hopefully we can get back to the form we showed in the first half going into next week [the second leg in Prishtina on 31 July].

"They got a little bit of possession in that first 10 or 15 minutes of the second half and that rattled us a little bit but we changed formation to get us through the game in good fashion and that's what we did."

Rooney says that his charges will regroup for a testing second leg.

"They're athletic, they grew into the game so it's going to be a tough task over there but we'll put a plan in place and give it everything.

"We'll freshen up. I've seen tonight that the squad is quite tired, especially after the hour mark, so we'll put in some planning and preparation over the next 24 hours to see how that looks."

Image source, Inpho

Linfield have been fined 12,000 euro by Uefa for two separate incidents in their Champions League qualifier with Shelbourne.

The incidents occurred in the second leg against the League of Ireland Premier Division champions at Windsor Park on 16 July.

The Irish Premiership champions have been handed a 10,000 euro fine for "racist and/or discriminatory behaviour of its supporters".

The Blues have also been handed a partial stadium ban for their next European ban, which is suspended for two years.

In addition to that sanction, a further fine of 2,000 euro has been imposed on the club for the lighting of fireworks in the stadium.

The game finished 1-1 in Belfast but Shelbourne progressed 2-1 on aggregate.

Linfield, who face Zalgiris in Uefa Conference League qualifying at 17:00 BST, have been contacted for a response.

Image source, Getty Images

Larne manager Nathan Rooney says his side must understand that they are "better than they think they are" if they are to make further progress in the Uefa Conference League this season.

The Invermen beat Latvian side Auda 4-2 on penalties in Riga after their first qualifying round tie ended 2-2 on aggregate.

They now face FC Prishtina of Kosovo in the second qualifying round, with the first leg at Ballymena Showgrounds on Thursday evening.

Larne made history by becoming the first Irish League club to qualify for the league stages of a major European competition last season, picking up their first points in a 1-0 win over Belgian side Gent at Windsor Park in December.

"I've learnt that the squad needs to believe they are better than they think they are. We want to punch above our weight again and we want to do that by playing a bit more football," Rooney told BBC Sport NI ahead of the first leg.

"We want to play our way. We don't want to be adapting to other clubs' styles and how different countries play.

"Preparations have been really good. We're fresh and we're hungry so hopefully we can mirror last week's performance."

Image source, Getty Images

Rooney expects a stern test against the 11-time Kosovan league champions.

"They're very strong, they've got a great mentality," reflected the Larne boss of his side's opponents.

"It's going to be a quick game, probably much the same as the second leg against Auda. Probably very open, very expansive."

Conor McKendry scored one of the goals in the east Antrim club's 2-2 draw last week and the winger is looking forward to another European challenge.

"We've had a look at them and we're going with positivity. We've shown in the last few years that we can compete with good sides and hold our own against them," said McKendry.

"We've prepared well, the backroom staff have done their homework and we've spoken a lot about them. We have a game-plan to go out and try and get another victory.

"That [the league stage] is where you want to be. You want to play at the highest level you can and I think to do that this season after the experience we gained last year, we could maybe acquit ourselves better this year with that bit more experience under our belts."

Lauren McCann
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Inpho

Whilst Cliftonville's European journey came to an end following defeat in extra time by St Joseph's last week, three more Irish Premiership sides remain in the Uefa Conference League.

Gibson Cup winners Linfield drop into the second qualifying round of the competition after an aggregate defeat by League of Ireland champions Shelbourne in Champions League qualifying.

Larne progressed to the second round of this competition with a penalty shootout win against Auda in Riga as they aim to reach the league phase of the Conference League for a second successive season.

Dungannon Swifts, by virtue of winning the Irish Cup, are only entering the Conference League now and are primed for their first European game in over a decade.

Ahead of all three playing the first legs of their second-round ties on Thursday, BBC Sport NI takes a look at their opponents.

Lithuania awaits for Linfield

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Linfield have only had a week to prepare for their Conference League game against Lithuanian side Zalgiris.

They will be looking to bounce back from the Shelbourne defeat, but it will be a difficult game against a side who have some pedigree in Europe.

Zalgiris became the first Lithuanian club to qualify for the group stages of a European club competition when they reached the Conference League group stage in 2022.

They finished bottom of their group but managed five points including a win from their six games.

Last season's A Lyga champions have struggled this campaign, they currently sit fifth in their domestic league with 20 games played.

The first leg is away in Vilnius and kicks off at 17:00 BST on Thursday, with the second leg at Windsor Park next Thursday.

If David Healy's side manage to win over the two legs, the Blues will face Vikingur from Iceland in the next round.

Larne host Prishtina at Ballymena Showgrounds

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Larne will still be on a high from their penalty shootout win against Auda and will be determined to build on that victory as they plot a route back to European league stage football after last year's exploits.

Nathan Rooney's side welcome FC Prishtina to the Ballymena Showgrounds for the first leg which kicks off at 20:00 BST on Thursday.

The second leg will take place next Thursday in Pristina and the side that progressed will face the winner of the tie involving Portuguese side CD Santa Clara and Croatian outfit NK Varazdin.

FC Prishtina are the most successful club in Kosovo, having won 11 Kosovan Superleague titles, nine Kosovar Cups and 11 Kosovar Supercups.

They are back in European competition for the first time since the 2021/22 campaign after winning the Kosovar Cup final in May.

The Kosovan side began in the Europa League but lost 5-2 on aggregate against Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol and dropped down the Conference League.

Swifts travel to Liechtenstein

Image source, Press Eye

Dungannon Swifts will be raring to go for their first European tie in 18 years as they travel to Liechtenstein to take on FC Vaduz on Thursday in the first leg of their tie which kicks off at 18:30 BST.

The Irish Cup winners have twice played in Europe before, when they lost in the 2006 Intertoto Cup to Keflavik IF in the first round and in qualifying for the 2007-08 Uefa Cup, when they were defeated by Lithuanian side FK Suduva.

Whilst FC Vaduz are from Liechtenstein, they curiously play in Switzerland, the second tier Challenge League to be exact, after relegation from the Swiss Super League in 2021.

They won the Liechtensteiner Cup final against Balzers to reach the second round of Conference League qualifying.

Vaduz made history in 2022 as by beating Rapid Wien they qualified for the group stages of the Conference League, becoming the first ever club from Liechtenstein to reach the group stages of a European club competition.

They finished bottom of a tough group that included AZ Alkmaar, Apollon Limassol and Dnipro, picking up two points from their six games.

There is a potential big prize at stake for the winners of this tie as they could face Dutch giants AZ Alkmaar or Finnish side Ilves in the third round.

If Irish Premiership clubs can progress past this round of qualifying then they are potentially four matches away from replicating Larne's historic run to the League stage of the Conference League last season.

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Defender Sean Stewart has left Cliftonville to join League of Ireland side Sligo Rovers.

The 22-year-old signed permanently for the Reds in the summer of 2024 from Norwich City after spending the 2023-24 season at Solitude.

He made 48 appearances for Jim Magilton's side and started in the Irish Cup win against Linfield in 2024.

Stewart has signed an 18-month deal with Sligo, who are ninth in the Premier Division.

The full-back credited the influence of Sligo boss John Russell for persuading him to join.

"John had been chasing me for a while and once I knew the clubs were happy to come to a deal and I spoke to him, I wanted to come here straight away," Stewart told the club's website.

"He is hugely ambitious for the club's future and I want to be part of that.

"Sligo is one of those clubs that realises the importance of giving younger players an opportunity. You only have to look at the average age of the current squad. The manager puts trust in his players; a young squad and it's paid off the last few weeks."

Image source, Inpho

Portadown have signed winger Rayhaan Tulloch from League of Ireland Premier Division champions Shelbourne, subject to international clearance.

The 24-year-old progressed through the youth system at West Bromwich Albion, for whom he made his debut in an FA Cup fourth round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion in January 2019.

The Birmingham native went on loan to Doncaster Rovers, Rochdale and Dundalk before returning to West Brom ahead of further loan spells at Bradford City and Shrewsbury Town.

He made a permanent move to Shelbourne in July 2024 and made 12 appearances, scoring two goals, in helping Shels win the League of Ireland title last term.

Portadown manager Niall Currie expressed his delight at securing the services of the former England under-17 squad member, describing him as "a huge talent".

"A huge thank you to our board as this signing is huge and enables us to progress and kick on as this season is going to be every bit as hard with the huge expenditure that's going on around the league now, our board did everything they could to make this happen," said Currie.

"We're delighted Rayhann chose us, he will excite our supporters very much."

Image source, Inpho

Defender Conor Barr has joined Cliftonville on loan from League of Ireland Premier Division side Derry City.

The 19-year-old full-back spent time on loan at Ballymena United in the Irish Premiership last season and will now turn out for Jim Magilton's side in the 2025-26 campaign.

A product of Derry City's Academy, Barr played for Queen's University during the 2021-22 campaign and was a member of the Northern Ireland squad that competed in the European Under-19 Championship last summer.

The teenager was part of the Derry City side which faced Cliftonville in Joe Gormley's Testimonial at Solitude earlier this month.

Lauren McCann
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Inpho

Cliftonville boss Jim Magilton said the decision to send Odhran Casey off in their Conference League defeat by St Joseph's was "harsh".

The Reds defender was dismissed for two yellow card offences, with the game finely poised at 1-1, the second of which for a tackle on Alvaro Rey when he appeared to win the ball.

St Joseph's went on to win the game at Solitude 3-2 to progress 5-4 on aggregate to the second qualifying round, but Magilton believes Casey's red card changed the game.

"Odhran jumped into the tackle, he's won the ball and if it's our league it's not even a yellow card," he told BBC Sport.

"He was aggressive and I thought it was harsh. The referee is one who hands out red cards in European games so it's a disappointing.

"If it is 11 v 11, I fancy our chances, we showed real quality in our play Michael [Glynn] scored a great goal and I felt it was inevitable that we would go on to win."

Magilton praised his side's "resilience and character" when they went down to 10-men but was left frustrated they were unable to find a route back into the game after Hugo Jesslen scored what proved to be the winner two minutes into extra time.

"The players deserve so much credit, and I was immense my proud of their performance," he added.

"It was always going to be difficult with them having a numerical advantage, but I thought we were still in the game, and we still tried to create opportunities and be brave on the ball.

"I'm bitterly disappointed, to be gallant losers means nothing to us. It's a harsh lesson at this level as I don't think they're a great side."