1977–78 Irish Cup

{{infobox football tournament season

| title = Irish Cup

| year = 1977–78

| country = Northern Ireland

| num_teams = 16

| defending_champions = Coleraine

| winners = Linfield (31st win)

| second = Ballymena United

| matches = 18

| goals = 71

| prev_season = 1976–77

| next_season = 1978–79

}}

The 1977–78 Irish Cup was the 98th edition of the Irish Cup, Northern Ireland's premier football knock-out cup competition. It began on 4 February 1978, and concluded on 29 April 1978 with the final.

The defending champions were Coleraine, after they defeated Linfield 4–1 in the 1976–77 final.{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nilcuphist.html|title=Northern Ireland Cup Finals|work=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|publisher=RSSSF|accessdate=26 October 2012}} However, Linfield gained revenge by knocking the holders out with a 2–1 win in the first round. Linfield went on to win the cup for the 31st time, defeating Ballymena United 3–1 in the final.{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nil78.html|title=Northern Ireland 1977/78|work=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|publisher=RSSSF|accessdate=26 October 2012}}

Results

=First round=

{{OneLegStart}}

{{OneLegResult|Ards||5–2|Dungannon Swifts}}

{{OneLegResult|Ballymena United||6–2|Downpatrick Rec.}}

{{OneLegResult|Cliftonville||1–3|Bangor}}

{{OneLegResult|Dundela||1–2¹|Crusaders}}

{{OneLegResult|Glenavon||1–3|Larne}}

{{OneLegResult|Glentoran||5–1|RUC}}

{{OneLegResult|Linfield||2–1|Coleraine}}

{{OneLegResult|Portadown||5–3|Distillery}}

|}

¹This tie required a replay, after the first game was a 2–2 draw.

=Quarter-finals=

{{OneLegStart}}

{{OneLegResult|Ballymena United||1–0|Ards}}

{{OneLegResult|Bangor||0–6|Portadown}}

{{OneLegResult|Crusaders||1–0|Larne}}

{{OneLegResult|Linfield||4–3|Glentoran}}

|}

=Semi-finals=

{{OneLegStart}}

{{OneLegResult|Ballymena United||1–1
(4–1 p)²|Crusaders}}

{{OneLegResult|Linfield||2–1|Portadown}}

|}

²This tie was eventually decided by a penalty shoot-out in the second replay, after all three games ended as 1–1 draws.

=Final=

{{football box

|date=29 April 1978

|time=

|team1=Linfield

|score=3 – 1

|aet=

|report=[https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nil78.html Report]

|team2=Ballymena United

|goals1=Dornan {{goal|14}}
Garrett {{goal|39}}
Rafferty {{goal|83}}

|goals2=Nelson {{goal|67}}

|stadium=The Oval, Belfast

|attendance=

|referee=

}}

References

{{reflist}}

{{Irish Cup}}

{{1977–78 in Northern Ireland association football}}

{{1977–78 in European Football (UEFA)}}

{{Football in Northern Ireland}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1977-78 Irish Cup}}

Category:Irish Cup seasons