Lynch: Cliftonville being stripped of Women's League Cup 'not quite Man City-esque'

Cliftonville manager Brendan Lynch said being stripped of the Women's League Cup after his side's 4-0 win over Glentoran in the final at Seaview in July was "not quite Man City-esque" and that an administration error had denied the club the chance at a domestic treble. He described the situation as a technicality and added that "it is what it is" as he and his players move on.

The Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL), which runs the competition, judged that Cliftonville had fielded two ineligible players and overturned the final result after identifying a registration error. The club were fined £500 and, the NIFL said, had shown integrity and complied with the process. On the field Cliftonville had won the match 4-0, with Caitlin McGuinness scoring twice and Kirsty McGuinness and Danielle Maxwell also on target. Danielle Maxwell was one of the ineligible players alongside Louise McDaniel after the duo's return to Solitude from Burnley, and Cliftonville had already beaten Glentoran to the Women's Premiership title.

Lynch said losing the opportunity to complete the domestic treble felt "unfair" despite what he described as a dominant display in the League Cup decider, but added that the squad accepted the ruling. "It's not quite Man City-esque, it's a technicality if you want," Lynch told BBC Sport NI, as he referenced the English club's guilty verdict of breaking the Premier League's financial rules. "We put it aside and we go on. There's no point dwelling on it, we have to go forward and that's it."

He said the decision had not affected the group's mentality and praised the players' appetite for silverware. "Every time we have a chance to win a trophy the desire is just there from the group of players that they want to do it," Lynch added. "It's not been talked about, we just looked forward as a group and that's not coming from the staff and management, that's coming from the players. "It's great to have as a manager and as a coach and staff, that they're ready for the next thing and continually just want to win games."

Cliftonville and Glentoran have shared the last seven Irish Cups, and Lynch noted the Reds remain unbeaten, on the pitch at least, in all four meetings with their Belfast rivals this season. He said that record and the squad's forward focus have kept preparations steady despite the overturned result.

Glentoran manager Kim Turner, whose side were awarded the trophy after the punishment, said her players had "lost the game fair and square" on the day and that "nothing feels unjust" about not having been able to celebrate. "Ultimately, we lost the League Cup final. Whatever's went on in the background has went on in the background," Turner said. "I have no control of it and neither do the players. We're out there to win football games, we're out there to coach, we're out there to develop players and develop a good culture, and that's my job here at Glentoran."

Turner added that the administrative outcome had not unsettled her squad and insisted their attention is fixed on their remaining domestic target. "In order to win trophies and medals, you have to be the best team on the day," she added. "For us, the league is over, the League Cup is over and the County Antrim Cup is over. "We have one more game left, which is the Irish Cup final and that's our only focus."

The two clubs meet next in the Women's Challenge Cup final at Windsor Park on Saturday, a fixture that will be shown live on BBC iPlayer.