1987–88 Irish Cup

{{infobox football tournament season

| title = Irish Cup

| year = 1987–88

| country = Northern Ireland

| num_teams = 23

| defending_champions = Glentoran

| winners = Glentoran (14th win)

| second = Glenavon

| matches = 25

| goals = 77

| prev_season = 1986–87

| next_season = 1988–89

}}

The 1987–88 Irish Cup was the 108th edition of the Irish Cup, Northern Ireland's premier football knock-out cup competition. It concluded on 30 April 1988 with the final.

Glentoran were the defending champions after winning their 13th Irish Cup last season by beating Larne 1–0 in the 1987 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=27 October 2012}} They successfully defended the cup to win it for the fourth year running by beating Glenavon 1–0 in the final. In doing so, they became the first club in history to win four consecutive Irish Cups. To date, the feat has not been achieved again.{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nil88.html|title=Northern Ireland 1987/88|work=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|publisher=RSSSF|accessdate=27 October 2012}}

Results

=Qualifying round=

{{OneLegStart}}

{{OneLegResult|Omagh Town||1–2|Brantwood}}

|}

=First preliminary round=

{{OneLegStart}}

{{OneLegResult|Banbridge Town||2–1|Dungannon Swifts}}

{{OneLegResult|Brantwood||2–0|Tobermore United}}

{{OneLegResult|Chimney Corner||2–1|Ballyclare Comrades}}

{{OneLegResult|Cookstown United||0–3|Dunmurry Rec.}}

|}

=Second preliminary round=

{{OneLegStart}}

{{OneLegResult|Banbridge Town||4–2|Brantwood}}

{{OneLegResult|Dunmurry Rec.||6–1|Chimney Corner}}

|}

=First round=

The 14 top flight clubs entered in this round, along with the 2 lower league winners from the second preliminary round.

{{OneLegStart}}

{{OneLegResult|Ards||4–2|Bangor}}

{{OneLegResult|Ballymena United||4–0|Dunmurry Rec.}}

{{OneLegResult|Carrick Rangers||1–2|Glenavon}}

{{OneLegResult|Cliftonville||0–1|Distillery}}

{{OneLegResult|Larne||1–1|Linfield}}

{{OneLegResult|Portadown||3–1|Banbridge Town}}

{{OneLegResult|Glentoran||3–0|Coleraine}}

{{OneLegResult|Newry Town||3–0|Crusaders}}

|}

==Replay==

{{OneLegStart}}

{{OneLegResult|Linfield||1–0|Larne}}

|}

=Quarter-finals=

{{OneLegStart}}

{{OneLegResult|Ballymena United||0–0|Distillery}}

{{OneLegResult|Glenavon||2–1|Ards}}

{{OneLegResult|Glentoran||5–0|Newry Town}}

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

|}

==Replays==

{{OneLegStart}}

{{OneLegResult|Distillery||0–3|Ballymena United}}

{{OneLegResult|Portadown||2–0|Linfield}}

|}

=Semi-finals=

{{OneLegStart}}

{{OneLegResult|Glenavon||2–0|Ballymena United}}

{{OneLegResult|Glentoran||3–2|Portadown}}

|}

=Final=

{{football box

|date=30 April 1988

|time=

|team1=Glentoran

|score=1 – 0

|aet=

|report=[https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nil88.html Report]

|team2=Glenavon

|goals1=Cleary {{goal|89|pen.}}

|goals2=

|stadium=Windsor Park, Belfast

|attendance=

|referee=

}}

References

{{reflist}}

{{Irish Cup}}

{{1987–88 in Northern Ireland association football}}

{{1987–88 in European Football (UEFA)}}

{{Football in Northern Ireland}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1987-88 Irish Cup}}

Category:Irish Cup seasons