2022–23 Northern Ireland Football League Cup
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| BetMcLean League Cup | |
| Country |  Northern Ireland |
|---|---|
| Dates | 6 Aug 2022 – Mar 2023 |
| Teams | 36 |
| Matches played | 28 |
| Goals scored | 111 (3.96 per match) |
← 2021–22 2023–24 → | |
The 2022–23 Northern Ireland Football League Cup (known as the BetMcLean League Cup for sponsorship purposes)[1] is the 36th edition of Northern Ireland's football knock-out cup competition for national league clubs, and the eighth edition of the competition as the Northern Ireland Football League Cup. The competition is being contested by the 36 member clubs of the Northern Ireland Football League. It commenced on 6 August 2022 with the preliminary round and is due to conclude with the final in March 2023.[2] The competition is sponsored by McLean Bookmakers, the title sponsors of the cup since the 2017–18 season.[1]
Cliftonville are the defending champions, after they defeated Coleraine 4–3 after extra time in the previous final, to win the League Cup for the sixth time overall and the first time since their fourth consecutive cup win in 2016.
Format and Schedule[edit]
The competition is open to the 36 members of the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL). In a slight change to the format for this season, eight clubs (the bottom seven clubs from the previous season's league system, along with newly-promoted Ballymacash Rangers) entered the preliminary round. The first round of the competition would now be the round of 32. The remaining 28 clubs enter the competition in the first round, where they are joined by the 4 preliminary round winners. The 16 highest-ranked clubs from the previous league season are then seeded in the first round to avoid being drawn against each other. This consisted of all twelve 2021–22 NIFL Premiership clubs, along with the top four clubs from the 2021–22 NIFL Championship.
From the second round onwards, the competition is operated in a straight knockout format with no seeding. All matches use extra time and penalties to determine the winner if necessary.
| Round | First match date | Fixtures | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round | 6 August 2022 | 4 | 36 → 32 |
| First round | 13 September 2022 | 16 | 32 → 16 |
| Second round | 4 October 2022 | 8 | 16 → 8 |
| Quarter-finals | 2 November 2022 | 4 | 8 → 4 |
| Semi-finals | 6 December 2022 | 2 | 4 → 2 |
| Final | 1 | 2 → 1 |
Results[edit]
The league tier of each club at the time of entering the competition is listed in parentheses.
(1) = NIFL Premiership
(2) = NIFL Championship
(3) = NIFL Premier Intermediate League
Preliminary round[edit]
The preliminary round draw was made on 21 July 2022. The matches were played on 6 and 9 August 2022.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 6 August 2022 | ||
| Dollingstown (3) | 2–1 | Ballymacash Rangers (3) |
| Lisburn Distillery (3) | 2–1 | PSNI (3) |
| Tobermore United (3) | 1–3 | Banbridge Town (3) |
| 9 August 2022 | ||
| Moyola Park (3) | 4–1 (a.e.t.) | Portstewart (3) |
First round[edit]
The first round draw was made on 20 August 2022. The matches are scheduled to be played on 13 September 2022. The top 16 league clubs from the previous season were seeded in this round in order to avoid drawing each other.[2]
Second round[edit]
The second round draw was made on 17 September 2022. The 16 first round winners entered the second round. The matches were played on 4 October 2022.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Annagh United (2) | 2 – 1 | Larne (1) |
| Ballyclare Comrades (2) | 1 – 2 | Newry City (1) |
| Ballymena United (1) | 0 – 1 | Coleraine (1) |
| Cliftonville (1) | 6 – 0 | Carrick Rangers (1) |
| Dundela (2) | 0 – 1 | Linfield (1) |
| Dungannon Swifts (1) | 2 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Portadown (1) |
| Glenavon (1) | 1 – 2 | Loughgall (2) |
| Glentoran (1) | 6 – 0 | Warrenpoint Town (2) |
Quarter-finals[edit]
The quarter-final round draw was made on 12 October 2022. The eight second round winners entered the quarter-finals. The matches will be played on 2 November 2022.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Cliftonville (1) | v | Newry City (1) |
| Coleraine (1) | v | Dungannon Swifts (1) |
| Linfield (1) | v | Annagh United (2) |
| Loughgall (2) | v | Glentoran (1) |
Semi-finals[edit]
The quarter-final round draw was made on 12 October 2022 after the quarter-final draw. The four quarter-final winners will enter the semi-finals. The matches will be played on 6 and 7 December 2022.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Cliftonville (1) or Newry City (1) | v | Coleraine (1) or Dungannon Swifts (1) |
| Loughgall (2) or Glentoran (1) | v | Linfield (1) or Annagh United (2) |
Final[edit]
The final is due to be played in March 2023 at Windsor Park, Belfast.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "BETMcLEAN EXTEND LEAGUE CUP SPONSORSHIP". Northern Ireland Football League. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "BETMcLEAN LEAGUE CUP - ROUND 1 DRAW". Northern Ireland Football League. 20 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
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2022-23
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