1988–89 Irish Cup
| Country |  Northern Ireland |
|---|---|
| Teams | 76 |
| Champions | Ballymena United (5th win) |
| Runners-up | Larne |
| Matches played | 81 |
| Goals scored | 263 (3.25 per match) |
← 1987–88 1989–90 → | |
The 1988–89 Irish Cup was the 109th edition of Northern Ireland's premier football knock-out cup competition. It concluded on 6 May 1989 with the final.
Glentoran were the defending champions after winning their fourth consecutive Irish Cup the previous season by beating Glenavon 1–0 in the 1988 final.[1] Their grip on the cup was finally broken by Linfield, who defeated them in the quarter-finals to inflict Glentoran's first Irish Cup defeat in 5 years. Ballymena United won the cup for the fifth time (sixth if you include Ballymena's record), defeating Larne 1–0 in the final.[2] To date, this is Ballymena United's last cup success. In fact, they did not reach the final again until 2014.
The cup was expanded to 76 clubs this season, including more non-league clubs. There would now be five rounds, then the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final.
First round[]
Annalong Swifts, Downshire Young Men, RUC, Queen's University and Blue Circle all received byes into the second round.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Armagh City | 0–1 | Orangefield Old Boys |
| Armoy United | 3–1 | Dromara Village |
| Ballynahinch United | 2–2 (2–3 p) |
Civil Service |
| Bangor Amateurs | 3–1 | Larne Tech Old Boys |
| Barn United | 0–2 | Park |
| Comber Recreation | 0–4 | Harland & Wolff Sports |
| Crewe United | 6–1 | Cullybackey |
| Cromac Albion | 2–0 | Annagh United |
| Dundela | 6–2 | Ballymoney United |
| GEC | 2–1 | Loughgall |
| Harland & Wolff Welders | 3–0 | UUC |
| Institute | 0–1 | Ards Rangers |
| Islandmagee | 2–1 | Kilmore Recreation |
| Killyleagh Youth | 6–1 | Armagh Town |
| Limavady United | 2–1 | Standard Telephones & Cables |
| Macosquin | 4–0 | Saintfield United |
| Moyola Park | 4–0 | Oxford United |
| Portstewart | 0–1 | 1st Bangor Old Boys |
| POSC | 2–1 | A.F.C. Craigavon |
| Rathfriland Rangers | 2–2 (6–3 p) |
Newtownabbey Town |
| Shorts | 2–1 | Sirocco Works |
| Star of the Sea | 5–1 | UUJ |
| Tandragee Rovers | 2–5 | Roe Valley |
Second round[]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Annalong Swifts | 1–2 | Limavady United |
| Bangor Amateurs | 1–0 | Orangefield Old Boys |
| Cromac Albion | 2–1 | Shorts |
| Downshire Young Men | 1–2 | Rathfriland Rangers |
| Dundela | 4–3 | Killyleagh Youth |
| GEC | 2–4 | Ards Rangers |
| Harland & Wolff Welders | 5–0 | Crewe United |
| Islandmagee | 2–1 | POSC |
| Macosquin | 0–1 | Armoy United |
| Moyola Park | 1–2 | Harland & Wolff Sports |
| Park | 3–0 | 1st Bangor Old Boys |
| Queen's University | 3–0 | Civil Service |
| Roe Valley | 5–1 | Blue Circle |
| RUC | 2–2 (6–5 p) |
Star of the Sea |
Third round[]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Armoy United | 3–1 | Rathfriland Rangers |
| Cromac Albion Youth | 2–1 | Bangor Amateurs |
| Dundela | 6–0 | Islandmagee |
| Harland & Wolff Welders | 1–0 | Queen's University |
| Limavady United | 2–1 | Ards Rangers |
| Park | 0–0 (4–3 p) |
Harland & Wolff Sports |
| Roe Valley | 3–1 | RUC |
Fourth round[]
The 14 top flight clubs entered in this round, along with the seven third round winners, and 11 non-league clubs given byes to this round.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ards | 0–1 | Cromac Albion |
| Banbridge Town | 3–0 | Roe Valley |
| Carrick Rangers | 1–0 | Bangor |
| Cookstown United | 1–4 | Ballyclare Comrades |
| Coleraine | 1-3 | Linfield |
| Crusaders | 2–0 | Dungannon Swifts |
| Distillery | 1–4 | Ballymena United |
| Dunmurry Rec. | 0–1 | Donegal Celtic |
| Larne | 3–0 | Chimney Corner |
| Portadown | 1–0 | Coagh United |
| Glenavon | 4–2 | Dundela |
| Glentoran | 5–1 | Armoy United |
| Newry Town | 1–2 | Cliftonville |
| Omagh Town | 2–0 | Brantwood |
| Park | 2–0 | Harland & Wolff Welders |
| Tobermore United | 3–0 | Limavady United |
Fifth round[]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ballyclare Comrades | 2–2 | Ballymena United |
| Carrick Rangers | 2–1 | Portadown |
| Cliftonville | 1–0 | Park |
| Crusaders | 1–0 | Banbridge Town |
| Larne | 6–1 | Donegal Celtic |
| Glenavon | 0–3 | Linfield |
| Omagh Town | 2–3 | Glentoran |
| Tobermore United | 1–1 | Cromac Albion |
Replays[]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ballymena United | 5–1 | Ballyclare Comrades |
| Cromac Albion | 0–1 | Tobermore United |
Quarter-finals[]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Cliftonville | 0–0 | Tobermore United |
| Crusaders | 2–3 | Ballymena United |
| Larne | 0–0 | Carrick Rangers |
| Glentoran | 0–3 | Linfield |
Replays[]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Carrick Rangers | 2–3 | Larne |
| Tobermore United | 0–1 | Cliftonville |
Semi-finals[]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Cliftonville | 1–1 | Larne |
| Linfield | 1–1 | Ballymena United |
Replays[]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Ballymena United | 2–1 | Linfield |
| Larne | 2–1 | Cliftonville |
Final[]
| Ballymena United | 1 – 0 | Larne |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
References[]
- ^ "Northern Ireland Cup Finals". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. rsssf.com. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
- ^ "Northern Ireland 1988/89". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. rsssf.com. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
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- Irish Cup seasons
- 1988–89 domestic association football cups
- 1988–89 in Northern Ireland association football