Irish League Football

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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."

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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

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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."

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Linfield boss David Healy said he was frustrated with his side's inability to "capitalise on key moments" as they suffered a 2-1 aggregate defeat by Shelbourne and exited the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Blues trailed 1-0 from the first leg and had a further mountain to climb when Allistair Coote fired Shels ahead in the second leg at Windsor Park.

Chris Shields scored a penalty before half-time to get Linfield back in the tie, but Ben Hall's sending off killed their hopes of a comeback in the second half.

Healy was left to rue missed chances from the likes of Matthew Fitzpatrick and Callum Morrison when the game was still in the balance.

"I'm disappointed, I was proud of the players effort, I thought we were good in spells, but key moments and small details are why we lost the tie," he told BBC Sport.

"We had a big chance when it was 0-0, we had a big chance when it was 1-1 in the second half and those key moments we didn't capitalise on.

"I don't think Shelbourne looked as threatening as the first leg. We built on the performance last week, but I said to the players you don't want to be the nearly team, I hate that and it's my initial frustration with where we are at because we put so much into the game."

The Blues now drop into the Uefa Conference League and will face Lithuanian side Zalgris next week.

The Shels draw was Healy's 500th game in charge of Linfield and despite his frustration with the outcome, he said the achievement "means a lot".

"I watched my first interview back recently when I first got the job and I was glowing with pride at the opportunity. It was not one I craved at the time, but hopefully I have grown into it," he added.

"You're not just the manager at Linfield, you're the face of the football club but I love the challenge here and I think I've become a better manager and person."

Watch the highlights from Linfield's entertaining 1-1 draw with Shelbourne in their Champions League first qualifying round second leg at Windsor Park.

The draw helped Shels to progress to the next round 2-1 on aggregate after their 1-0 win at Tolka Park in the first leg last week.

Read the report: Linfield beaten by Shelbourne and exit Champions League

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Defender Kyle McClelland has signed for Glenavon after spending last season on loan at Coleraine.

The Northern Ireland underage international, arrives on a permanent deal at Mourneview Park after being released by Scottish side Hibernian.

He made 33 league appearances on loan with the Bannsiders last season, forming a solid defensive partnership with Charles Dunne.

The 23-year-old started his career at Rangers and has had loan spells at Cove Rangers and Queen of the South.

He becomes Paddy McLaughlin's eighth summer signing in what has been a busy window for the Lurgan Blues.

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Glentoran have signed former Crewe Alexandra right-back Ryan Cooney on a free transfer.

The 25-year-old defender has agreed a two-year contract with the Irish Premiership club.

Cooney has made over 250 senior appearances in English football, having begun his career at Bury, before moving to Morecambe, where he played 128 times and helped the club secure promotion from League Two in 2021.

He joined Crewe before the start of the 2023-24 season, featuring 47 times in his debut campaign and adding a further 43 appearances last term as the club clinched a top-half finish in League Two.

"Ryan is a player we identified early and carried out detailed background work on before making our move," explained Glentoran manager Declan Devine.

"He came highly recommended and the scouting reports, performance analysis and data compiled by our lead analyst all pointed to a player with the quality, mentality and experience to succeed at Glentoran.

"He has played consistently at a strong level in the English Football League and possesses exactly the type of attributes we want in a player. He is athletic, technically very good and has a real hunger to keep improving and achieve success."

Cooney commented: "I am absolutely delighted to join Glentoran. After speaking with Declan and Paul, I was really impressed by the ambition of the club and the clear vision they had for my role in the squad."

The addition of Cooney is Glentoran's fifth recruit of the close season with Liam Burt, Jordan Stewart, Daniel Larmour and Pat Hoban having also signed for the east Belfast outfit.

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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.

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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."