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The eighties were to see the complete dominance of Belfast's big two in the Irish soccer scene. Throughout this decade no club outside of Glentoran and Linfield were to lift the Gibson Cup, and in the Irish Cup Ballymena were the only other side, outside of the big two, to taste success.
Glentoran began the decade with Ronnie McFall steering them to an Irish League success in the 1981. This meant the Glens went into their centenary year as Irish League champions, a fitting tribute to this charismatic club. They were not to lift the trophy again until 1988 breaking a six year run of success by Linfield and adding the Bass Irish Cup to complete a wonderful double that year.
This was to be the decade Glentoran dominated the Irish Cup competition winning 5 out of ten years, twice beating their greatest rivals Linfield in the final.
Glentoran won the trophy four years on the trot, the only side ever to do so in the Irish league.
The first final came in 1983 at Windsor Park attended by 12000 people. It was a tremendously colourful occasion with both sets of fans in full voice and the ground awash with the colours of the opposite teams. Gerry Mullan gave the Glens the lead in the 20th minute causing Linfield fans to throw bottles and other missiles at Glentoran keeper Alan Patterson, play was held up for 4 minutes.
Linfield equalised in the 53rd minute with a McKeown penalty.
After the final whistle some Linfield fans climbed onto the pitch and charged the Glentoran fans packed into the Railway stand. Some Glentoran fans also got onto the pitch and running battles ensued between the sets of fans, this unfortunately made the headlines that evening and the following day and not the football.
The Glentoran team that day was as follows:
Paterson; G Neill; Keely (capt.); Harrison; Connell; Cleary; Jameson; Bowers (sub Morrison 80 mins); Manley; Mullan; D Neill
Scorer ; Mullen (20mins)
The replay was staged at the Oval in front of an 8000 crowd and the Glentoran hero that day was to be Jameson. He scored in quick succession in the 30th and 33rd minutes of the game to bring the Irish Cup home to East Belfast once again. McGaughey scored in the 74th minute for Linfield but it was to prove too little too late.
The team that day was as followes:
Paterson; G Neill; Connell; Keely (capt, sub Morrison 68mins); Harrison; Cleary; Jameson; Strain; Manley; Mullan; D Neill.
Scorers; Jameson (2)
Again in the 1985 final Glentoran were to take on their biggest rivals Linfield in the final, this time at the Oval. This final has become known as the "Pig and Chicken Final" because a pig painted in the Blue of Linfield and a Cockerel adorned in the Glentoran colours strutted around the pitch before kick-off. These had been acquired from a local farmer by a Glentoran supporters club before the big day and smothered in Vaseline to make catching the beasts virtually impossible. Ted Horner eventually trapped one of the unfortunate beasts by throwing his coat over it but the other was to appear more elusive and periodically got onto the pitch during the match.
This held up play for 8 minutes before kick-off but when the match did start in front of the 12000 crowd it was to be almost a repeat of the final 2 years previously. Glentoran again took the lead through Mullans head in the 24th minute and Linfield again equalised through McKeown to leave the match at a stalemate.
The Glentoran team that day was as followes:
Paterson; Neill; Leeman; Morrison; Dixon; Cleary (capt); Stewart; Bowers; Blackledge; Mullen;
Caskey
Sub not used; Jameson
Scorer; Mullan (24 mins)
The replay was at Windsor Park a few days later when a single goal was again to be enough for Glentoran to win the cup only this time it was from the boot of a Linfield player! In the 36th minute of the game Mooney attempted to put the ball out for a corner from the edge of the box but succeeded only in burying it in the back of the net. 1-0 Glentoran and the cup was back in East Belfast again. Glentorans team that day was as
follows:
Paterson; Neill; Leeman; Morrison; Dixon; Cleary (capt); Stewart; Bowers; Blackledge (sub Jameson 76 mins); Mullan;
Caskey
Scorer; Mooney (o.g. 36 mins)
This was the first of the historic four in a row with Coleraine, Larne and Glenavon all falling victim to the Glentoran's love affair with the Irish Cup.
In 1986 a last minute goal from Miller won the match at Windsor park in front of an 8000 strong crowd after Healy's penalty had equalised Mullan's 30th minute opener. The Team that day was as
followes:
Paterson; Neill; Leeman; Connell; Moore; Cleary (capt); Jamison; Morrison; Manley (sub Miller 78 mins); Mullan; Stewart.
Scorers; Mullan (30mins) Miller (92 mins)
Larne were to prove the next hurdle for the 1987 final at Windsor Park in front of an 8000 crowd. It was a single goal again that clinched the Cup for the Glens scored in the 33rd minute again by the prolific Gerry Mullen. The team that day was as
follows:
Paterson; J Smyth; Stewart; Bowers; Harrison; Cleary (capt); Jameson (sub Craig 83 mins); Caskey; Mullan; McCartney;
Morrison:
Sub not used; Manley ; Scorer; Mullan (33 mins)
The opposition to break the record for consecutive Irish Cup wins in 1988 was Glenavon at Windsor Park. It was a final that looked like it was heading for extra time with no goals scored from either side when in the last minute of the game Glentoran were awarded a penalty. Their Captain, Jim Cleary, stepped up and slotted the ball home to clinch an amazing four consecutive Irish Cup Final wins. It is a credit to the club and its supporters that over 100 years after its conception, and then near extinction, Glentoran were still winning trophies and setting landmarks for others to achieve. The Glory team that day was as
follows:
Smyth; Neill; Stewart; Devine; Moore (sub Mathieson 73 mins); Cleary (capt); Morrison; Caskey; McCartney; Mullan (sub Manley 73 mins); Jameson.
Scorer; Cleary (pen. 90 mins)
Two league championships in ten years was only a drop in the ocean compared to what Roy Coyle was achieving across the town at Linfield but it was a decade when the Bass Irish cup became the property of Glentoran.
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