23 April 1998 Edition
Sportsview: Red Army conquers all
By Peadar Whelan
``I didn't know whether I was blew up or stuffed,'' said Joe. He was talking about his reaction to Cliftonville's first league title in 88 years. That was in the years before partition, thus making last week's title win a first for the North Belfast club in the IFA. A moment to truly savour.
The draw against Glentoran on Saturday was enough to clinch the title when all Linfield, the Reds' nearest challengers, could manage was a point in a nil-all affair with Coleraine. So with one game remaining and the Reds four points clear it was celebration time.
The last game of the season is against Portadown on Saturday and according to Joe, who's glad that the team doesn't have to travel to Shamrock Park to win, ``it's a relief it's over''.
For the fans, pipping Linfield at the post added spice to what was a particularly satisfying day.
Linfield beat Cliftonville 0-3 at Windsor just two weeks ago in what was a home match for the Reds.
The RUC (it seems the major fixture-riggers in the IFA) won't let Cliftonville play their home matches against the Blues at Solitude so that home match was played at their main rival's ground. These `home games' have been the rule since 1970 and it is notable that the main nationalist soccer team is the only team which this RUC rule applies to. Cliftonville fans refer ironically to this as, `The re-routing of Cliftonville FC'.
Cliftonville's Jody Tolan was sent off in that game and as he left the pitch he blessed himself and made a clenched fist gesture at the Linfield supporters in Section F. Says Joe, ``Jody is a young lad and the Bluesmen had been jeering him and throwing coins at him all day.''
At the end of the match, in scenes reminiscent of that notorious night in November and Billy Bingham's shenanigans, David Jeffries, Linfield's manager, took the acclaim of the Linfield fans by joining them in the singing of the `Billy Boys'.
``We are the Billy Boys ...... up to our neck in Fenian blood, surrender or you'll die. We are the Billy, Billy boys''.
Typically, the Six County media, when reporting the incident described Tolan's actions as ``provocative''. Jeffries behaviour wasn't similarly described.
In the past hand grenades have been thrown at the Cliftonville fans (the club's following is mostly nationalist) at Windsor Park and also during crowd-trouble in the 1979 cup final with Portadown (typically again at Windsor Park) the RUC fired plastic bullets at the Cliftonville supporters. RUC plastic bullets were also fired at fans when a friendly match between the Reds and Celtic was held at Solitude in 1984.
In the aftermath of Drumcree `96 the more notorious loyalist supporters threatened the Cliftonville fans and in one of the worst cases, at Portadown, buses carrying Reds followers were stopped by the RUC and attacked by the Portadown supporters.
Cliftonville, candidates for relegation last season, deserved their title. The team came back strongly and consistently, never losing two games in a row. ``The team is really solid,'' says Joe, `` with a good spirit and with Tim McCann, Harry McCourt and Jody Tolan able to turn on the flair it was good all-round performances that brought us the glory''.
``I didn't know whether I was blew up or stuffed,'' said Joe. He was talking about his reaction to Cliftonville's first league title in 88 years. That was in the years before partition, thus making last week's title win a first for the North Belfast club in the IFA. A moment to truly savour.
The draw against Glentoran on Saturday was enough to clinch the title when all Linfield, the Reds' nearest challengers, could manage was a point in a nil-all affair with Coleraine. So with one game remaining and the Reds four points clear it was celebration time.
The last game of the season is against Portadown on Saturday and according to Joe, who's glad that the team doesn't have to travel to Shamrock Park to win, ``it's a relief it's over''.
For the fans, pipping Linfield at the post added spice to what was a particularly satisfying day.
Linfield beat Cliftonville 0-3 at Windsor just two weeks ago in what was a home match for the Reds.
The RUC (it seems the major fixture-riggers in the IFA) won't let Cliftonville play their home matches against the Blues at Solitude so that home match was played at their main rival's ground. These `home games' have been the rule since 1970 and it is notable that the main nationalist soccer team is the only team which this RUC rule applies to. Cliftonville fans refer ironically to this as, `The re-routing of Cliftonville FC'.
Cliftonville's Jody Tolan was sent off in that game and as he left the pitch he blessed himself and made a clenched fist gesture at the Linfield supporters in Section F. Says Joe, ``Jody is a young lad and the Bluesmen had been jeering him and throwing coins at him all day.''
At the end of the match, in scenes reminiscent of that notorious night in November and Billy Bingham's shenanigans, David Jeffries, Linfield's manager, took the acclaim of the Linfield fans by joining them in the singing of the `Billy Boys'.
``We are the Billy Boys ...... up to our neck in Fenian blood, surrender or you'll die. We are the Billy, Billy boys''.
Typically, the Six County media, when reporting the incident described Tolan's actions as ``provocative''. Jeffries behaviour wasn't similarly described.
In the past hand grenades have been thrown at the Cliftonville fans (the club's following is mostly nationalist) at Windsor Park and also during crowd-trouble in the 1979 cup final with Portadown (typically again at Windsor Park) the RUC fired plastic bullets at the Cliftonville supporters. RUC plastic bullets were also fired at fans when a friendly match between the Reds and Celtic was held at Solitude in 1984.
In the aftermath of Drumcree `96 the more notorious loyalist supporters threatened the Cliftonville fans and in one of the worst cases, at Portadown, buses carrying Reds followers were stopped by the RUC and attacked by the Portadown supporters.
Cliftonville, candidates for relegation last season, deserved their title. The team came back strongly and consistently, never losing two games in a row. ``The team is really solid,'' says Joe, `` with a good spirit and with Tim McCann, Harry McCourt and Jody Tolan able to turn on the flair it was good all-round performances that brought us the glory''.