Irish League Football

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Midfielder Fuad Sule has signed for Indonesian side Persis following his release from Glentoran.

The 28-year-old joined the Glens in 2023 and was an influential figure, helping the east Belfast side win the County Antrim Shield last season.

In what proved to be Sule's final Glentoran game in April, they drew 0-0 with Larne on the final day of the season to miss out on automatic European qualification with Sule handed a six-game ban for his role in a post-match brawl.

The Dublin native won an Irish Premiership title during his time with Larne, where he spent five seasons before joining Glentoran.

He has also had spells with St Patrick's Athletic, Bohemians and Barnet.

Persis finished 14th in the 18-team Indonesian Super League last season.

"I decided to come to Indonesia mainly because I wanted to explore football with different styles, dive into a variety of lifestyles, and understand a new culture," he told the club's website.

"The Indonesian League is very competitive, and I really want to test my skills with the best players in Asia."

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Shea Kearney has left Irish Premiership side Cliftonville to join Scottish Championship team Dunfermline Athletic.

The 21-year-old Northern Ireland youth international has signed a three-year contract.

The move will see Kearney link up with former Northern Ireland captain Neil Lennon, who is manager at East End Park.

Kearney, who was under contract with Cliftonville until 2027, said he was "really excited about the move".

"It is my first time going full-time football, and it would be good playing in front of big crowds every week," said Kearney., external

"It will also be a good experience under the manager to try and lift my game.

"I want to try to improve myself and improve the team as well, hopefully go on to get promoted and go back up to the top flight."

The full-back has played a key role for Jim Magilton's side as the Reds won the BetMcLean Cup final and Kearney also scored a superb last-minute equaliser in the Irish Cup final, however Dungannon Swifts lifted the trophy on penalties.

His final Cliftonville appearance came in the club's 2-2 draw in Gibraltar against St Joseph's in the first round of Uefa Conference League qualifying on Thursday.

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BBC Sport NI will show two live matches during the opening weekend of the Irish Premiership season.

Larne's visit to Coleraine will be live on Friday 8 August at 19:45 BST with newly promoted Bangor welcoming Irish Cup runners-up Cliftonville on Sunday 10 August at 15:00 BST.

Both matches will be streamed live on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

There will be plenty of interest in Coleraine's first game of the campaign with the Bannsiders having signed last season's star performer Joel Cooper from champions Linfield, as well as the likes of Kodi Lyons-Foster and Stephen Fallon.

Larne, meanwhile, will again be among the favourites to lift the Gibson Cup after the two-time champions finished runners-up to the Blues last year.

Bangor's hosting of the Reds at Clandeboye Park represents Lee Feeney's men's first game in the top flight since 2009.

On Saturday 9 August, there will be live coverage of the remaining opening weekend fixtures, including champions Linfield hosting Irish Cup winners Dungannon Swifts, on Radio Ulster's Sportsound along with live text commentary and in-play clips on the BBC Sport NI website.

Andy Gray
BBC Sport NI Journalist

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Northern Ireland international Keri Halliday has joined SWPL side Hearts from Women's Premiership outfit Linfield on a two-year deal.

The 20-year-old, who can play as an attacking midfielder or on the wing, has won 13 Northern Ireland caps since making her debut against Albania in 2023.

Halliday came through at Linfield and scored 53 times in 85 matches for the Blues.

She was also named Northern Ireland's Young Player of the Year in 2024.

"We're really pleased to bring Keri in. She's a direct, positive player who always looks to make things happen in the final third," said Hearts manager Eva Olid.

"She's confident on the ball, not afraid to take on defenders, and has a real instinct for finding space in and around the box.

"Although she's still young, she's already shown she can handle the demands of senior football, and we believe our environment will really help her develop further.

"Keri fits the kind of profile we're looking to invest in — players with ability, work rate, and the right attitude to grow with us."

Halliday joins fellow Northern Ireland internationals Joely Andrews and Lauren Wade at Hearts, while striker Kerry Beattie has left the Jambos to join Aberdeen on a permanent deal.

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Glentoran have signed Crusaders defender Daniel Larmour for an undisclosed fee.

The centre-back, 26, has signed a three-year deal at the Oval after Declan Devine's side lost Kodi Lyons-Foster to Coleraine earlier in the summer.

"As soon as I knew Glentoran were interested I wanted to make the move, said the east Belfast native.

"The opportunity to pull on the shirt and represent the Glens was something I was never going to turn down.

"When I sat down with Declan, I was hugely impressed by the project he is delivering here and the role he sees for me within it."

Larmour is the fourth summer signing at the Oval, joining Jordan Stewart, Liam Burt and Pat Hoban.

As well as Lyons-Foster, Fuad Sule, Daniel Gyollai and Harry Murphy are also among the Glentoran departures.

They begin their 2025-26 Irish Premiership campaign away to Portadown on 9 August.

Image source, Glentoran FC

Glentoran have signed striker Pat Hoban on a two-year deal from League of Ireland side Derry City for an undisclosed fee.

Hoban arrives at the Oval with more than 200 senior goals in spells with Mervue United, Dundalk, Oxford United, Mansfield Town and Derry City.

The 33-year-old was the League of Ireland's top scorer last season with 14 goals as Derry narrowly missed out on the title to Shelbourne.

Hoban had fallen out of favour at Brandywell this season as new manager Tiernan Lynch opted for either Liam Boyce or Danny Mullen to lead the line, which restricted him to just eight appearances.

Glentoran boss Declan Devine says Hoban became the club's "top priority" when he became available.

"We were well aware of the strong interest from clubs across the League of Ireland, so to secure his signature is a major coup and a clear statement of where we want to go as a club," Devine said.

"His goal-scoring record speaks for itself, but it is also the standards he sets, the experience he brings, and the hunger he still has to compete and win that make him such an important addition.

Glentoran, who this week sold centre-back Harry Murphy to Glenavon, have had a busy summer with key players Fuad Sule, Kodi Lyons-Foster and Daniel Gyollai all also departing.

Hoban joins Liam Burt and Jordan Stewart in arriving at the Oval.

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Linfield manager David Healy felt his side "stood firm" in order to bring a single-goal deficit back to Windsor Park for next week's second leg of their Champions League first qualifying round tie against Shelbourne.

The League of Ireland Premier Division champions got the better of things at Tolka Park courtesy of Mipo Odubeko's second-half strike.

Coming in with only the Charity Shield final against Dungannon Swifts last week as preparation, and against a side 25 games into their domestic campaign, Healy was pleased with how his side did not allow their hosts to turn plenty of possession into a glut of chances.

While Evan Caffrey twice went close, as did substitute Sean Boyd, the Blues defended resolutely for large periods.

"It was never going to be easy coming down here, they are a very, very good side with talented players," said Healy.

"It's disappointing, of course, but in terms of where we are, it's our first real competitive game. Proud of the effort and the organisation of the players, we stuck together.

"An excitable crowd down here at Tolka Park can sometimes suck the ball into the net and we stood firm and we got ourselves in with a goal deficit."

Linfield will have the suspended Chris Shields back for next week's second leg, while Cammy Ballantyne should be available too.

Although Healy felt that Shelbourne play "some of the best football" he has seen in Europe as Linfield manager, he believes his team have "nothing to lose" back at Windsor Park on Wednesday in a game that will be shown live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

"We'll be better for the game next week at Windsor," the former Northern Ireland striker added.

"We'll empty the tank, we've got nothing to fear and nothing to lose."

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Glentoran put recent cup heartache behind them with a 2-0 win over Cliftonville at Solitude on Tuesday to go top of the Women's Premiership.

The east Belfast side were beaten 3-1 by Bohemians in the quarter-finals of the All-Island Cup on Saturday having thrown away a 2-0 half-time advantage against Cliftonville in the Women's League Cup final the week before.

But they exacted a measure of revenge for the latter of those two defeats when goals in each half from Jessica Foy and Demi Vance ensured a sixth win from six games in league action this season.

In a meeting of the two sides who have shared the past five league titles, Foy opened the scoring just past the half-hour mark as she controlled a free-kick floated into the box and calmly slotted home.

Vance doubled the visitors' advantage after the break when coming forward off the left flank and finishing well after a move across the box.

Kim Turner's side are two points clear of second-place Linfield with Cliftonville a further three back, although the Blues have played a game more.

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Linfield boss David Healy has said it would be "wrong" to play on any derby element in his side's Champions League qualifying tie against Shelbourne.

The former Northern Ireland striker brings his Irish Premiership champions to Dublin to face their League of Ireland equivalents, Shelbourne, on Wednesday night before the return in Belfast a week later.

Both legs of the tie will be streamed live on the BBC Sport website and app.

"It's certainly not talked about north v south, that would be wrong of me to do that," said Healy.

"You have to play with a little bit of passion, a little bit of fire, but you also have to control that emotion.

"Like any European game, anything reckless, anything silly, will be punished, so play with ice in your veins and make sure we stay fully focused for 90 minutes."

With Linfield provided with fewer than 300 of the approximately 3,500 tickets available for the game at Tolka Park, Healy is expecting Shelbourne fans to produce a stirring atmosphere in support of their side.

"It's going to be electric, Shelbourne have a really good crowd backing them," he said.

"With the way the atmosphere is going to be, one thing you don't want to be doing is chasing the game, or going behind and then facing an onslaught."

Having won the Irish Premiership by 22 points last season, Linfield return to the Champions League after a two-year absence.

Larne, who lifted the Gibson Cup in 2022-23 and 2023-24 made the league phase of the Conference League last season with the Blues looking to match the feat of European progression after some near misses in recent years.

They were beaten by FK Qarabag only on away goals in the Europa League in 2019, before going down on penalties to RFS in the Conference League three years later.

"I think that's the club's end-goal, of course," said Healy.

"Financially it would be huge for the club. We're self-sustainable, we have no outside investment apart from what we bring in.

"European finance is huge for us."

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Linfield manager David Healy says their Champions League first qualifying round tie against Shelbourne will be a "challenge" for his side.

The Irish Premiership holders take on the League of Ireland Premier Division winners in the first leg at Tolka Park on Wednesday (19:45 BST).

The two sides then face off at Windsor Park on Wednesday, 16 July in the return leg, with both games live on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website.

Following Damien Duff's abrupt departure as Shels boss last month, the Dubliners have appointed former West Ham and Republic of Ireland defender Joey O'Brien on a long-term deal.

"When the draw was made, out of the four or five possibles we could have got I think Shelbourne is the toughest draw we could have got," he told BBC's Sportsound programme.

"You don't become champions over a team like Shamrock Rovers by not being a good side. They're a top side they have top players all over the pitch and it's going to be a challenge for us.

"They've changed their manager, so we need to look at their recent games and see if there are any sort of tweaks in personnel and tactics."

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Cliftonville have signed Scottish goalkeeper PJ Morrison from Alloa Athletic after David Odumosu's departure from the club.

The 27-year-old becomes Jim Magilton's second summer signing and arrives after two years with Alloa in Scottish League One.

Having started his career at Motherwell, Morrison also had loan spells at Clyde, Albion Rovers, Cowdenbeath, Falkirk and Ayr United.

Morrison replaces Odumosu, who leaves the Reds to join League of Ireland Premier Division side Cork City.

The 24-year-old initially arrived in north Belfast on loan from St Patrick's Athletic in 2023 before signing permanently the following January.

He made 74 appearances for the Reds, winning the Irish Cup and BetMcLean Cup during his time at Solitude.

Elsewhere, midfielder Axel Piesold, who spent last season on loan at Cliftonville, has opted to join Galway United on a permanent deal following his release from Luton Town.

Former Reds and Glentoran striker Jay Donnelly has signed permanently for Championship side Newington following the expiration of his contract at the Glens.

Donnelly, who enjoyed a productive six-month loan spell with the Swans last season, joins his brother Ruaidhri Donnelly at the north Belfast club after he arrived earlier in the summer.

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Cliftonville and Lisburn Rangers picked up wins in Friday's two Women's Premiership matches.

The reigning champions battled past Crusaders Strikers 3-0 in a north Belfast derby at Seaview.

Teegan Lynch opened the scoring in the 13th minute when she converted a cross from Aoibhe O'Neill.

Kirsty McGuinness added a second just shy of the hour mark and Lynch rounded out the win with 16 minutes to play.

The win moves Cliftonville, who also won the League Cup on Sunday at Seaviw, within two points of Glentoran in second place, and Linfield are a point further ahead at the top of the table but have played two more matches.

Elsewhere, Lisburn Rangers defeated Derry City 2-0 to continue their strong start to the season.

The in-form Gracie Conway opened the scoring in the eighth minute at Crewe Park before Tierna Bell added a second shortly before half-time.

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Dungannon Swifts have won the Charity Shield by beating Linfield 5-3 on penalties after a goalless draw at Windsor Park.

After winning the Irish Cup on penalties in May, there was more shootout joy for the Swifts after Linfield's Rhys Annett saw his effort saved by Alex Henderson.

Linfield's attention will now turn to the first round of Champions League qualifying when David Healy's side travel to Dublin to face Shelbourne on Wednesday.

After a slow start, chances started to flow midway through the first half as Linfield defender Ethan McGee miscued at the back post before Kealan Dillon fired into the arms of Chris Johns at the other end.

Ben Hall should have opened the scoring from close range but he could only head wide from Kirk Millar's cross, and Caolan Marron put in a big block to deny Charlie Allen from inside the area.

Matthew Fitzpatrick twice fired off target, either side of a decent chance for the Swifts as Adam Glenny's good ball was just beyond Danny Wallace in the area.

Peter Maguire and Tomas Galvin both headed wide as the Irish Cup winners ended the half well.

The rhythm of the second half was interrupted by numerous substitutions by both sides, but Annett's snap shot also found the bottom corner for Linfield late on.

Leo Alves, Glenney and Sean McAllister all netted their opening kicks in the shootout for the Swifts, while Kieran Offord and Chris Shields scored for Linfield.

However, Henderson saved Annett's low penalty to give the Swifts the advantage, and Leon Boyd scored the decisive kick to win their second trophy at Windsor Park in the space of three months.

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The winners of the BetMcLean Cup will automatically go into the Irish Premiership's European play-off final from next season.

Cliftonville, who secured European qualification by winning the play-off last season, are also the holders of the BetMcLean Cup.

"It adds real incentive for clubs and fans and raises the profile of the BetMcLean Cup even further," said NIFL CEO Gerard Lawlor.

"This isn't just a cup final anymore; it's potentially a golden ticket to Europe."

The number of European positions for Irish Premiership clubs will remain unchanged.

The league winners will secure a Champions League qualification spot and second place will also automatically qualify for Europe.

Teams which finish from third to seventh will enter the European play-offs, and the winner of that end-of-season play-off will join the Irish Cup winners in earning a European place.

Cliftonville defeated Glentoran 1-0 after extra-time in the final of the BetMcLean Cup in March.

The Reds then defeated the Glens again in their European play-off semi-final and beat Coleraine in the final to join Irish Premiership champions Linfield, runners-up Larne and Irish Cup winners Dungannon Swifts in Europe.

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Coleraine have announced the signing of goalkeeper Ryan Schofield on a multi-year deal.

The 25-year-old arrives at the Ballycastle Road Showgrounds after a recent stint at League Two side Morecambe and will contend with Max Little for the first-choice stopper position following the departure of Rory Brown from the club.

Schofield began his career at Huddersfield Town and made more than 30 appearances for the Terriers' first team at Championship level.

He earned 10 caps representing England at U18, U19 and U20 level, then made the move to Portsmouth ahead of the 2023-24 season, before signing for Morecambe in the recent January transfer window on a deal until the end of the campaign.

Michael Dougherty, Head of Goalkeeping at Coleraine, believes Schofield has all the attributes to be a success in the Irish Premiership.

"Ryan has always been an exceptional talent. You don't play that many games in the Championship at a young age without being a top goalkeeper," Dougherty told the Coleraine FC website.

"I had the opportunity to work with him for a week or so over at Huddersfield during a coaching visit a few years ago and got to see him up close and personal.

"Like I have with many goalkeepers I've worked with or had recommended to me – I've kept an eye on things – he did unbelievably well for England and also in the Championship. He's a top goalkeeper."

Schofield joins Joel Cooper, Stephen Fallon, Lewis MacGregor, Adam Long, Will Patching and Kodi Lyons-Foster as additions to manager Ruaidhri Higgins' squad during the close season.

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Glenavon's 16-year-old forward Chris Atherton has left Mourneview Park to join Chelsea.

The Northern Ireland Under-17 international made headlines in September 2022 when he became the youngest senior footballer in the United Kingdom at 13 years and 329 days old.

The teenager, who joined the Glenavon academy at four years old, broke the senior record when he came on as a second-half substitute for the Lurgan Blues during a 6-0 win over Dollingstown in the BetMcLean Cup.

Atherton beat the record set by Jordan Allan, who played for Airdrie aged 14 years and 191 days.

He was a first-team regular for Glenavon throughout the 2024-25 season, scoring his first Irish Premiership goal against Loughgall in March, as Paddy McLaughlin's side finished 10th in the table.

Glenavon announced his exit on X, with a post stating: "Chris Atherton - blue still the colour.

"We can confirm that academy product Chris Atherton has left the club to sign for Chelsea We wish him the best in his career & hope he and his family won't be strangers at MVP."