Connacht Senior League Challenge Cup

Last updated

Connacht Senior League Challenge Cup
Organising body Connacht Senior League
Founded1981
Region Flag of Connacht.svg Connacht
Most successful club(s) Mervue United (6)

The Connacht Senior League Challenge Cup was an association football cup competition featuring teams from the Connacht Senior League. It was the senior league cup competition of the Connacht Senior League between 1981 and 2000. It was later remained the Connacht Senior League Premiership Cup and in its final season was known as the Connacht Senior League Millennium Cup. The inaugural winners were Mervue United who also went on to become the competition's most successful club, winning the cup six times in total.

Single-elimination tournament knock-out sports competition

A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, whose winner becomes the tournament champion. Each match-up may be a single match or several, for example two-legged ties in European football or best-of series in American pro sports. Defeated competitors may play no further part after losing, or may participate in "consolation" or "classification" matches against other losers to determine the lower final rankings; for example, a third place playoff between losing semi-finalists. In a shootout poker tournament, there are more than two players competing at each table, and sometimes more than one progressing to the next round. Some competitions are held with a pure single-elimination tournament system. Others have many phases, with the last being a single-elimination final stage, often called playoffs.

The Connacht Senior League was an association football league featuring amateur, intermediate, and League of Ireland reserve teams affiliated to the Connacht Football Association. It was a third level league in the Republic of Ireland football league system. An earlier provincial league, the Western League, had been active, on and off, since the 1930s before the Connacht Football Association decided to establish a more permanent league. The CSL was active between 1981 and 2000. In 2013 discussions were held about relaunching the league.

Mervue United A.F.C.

Mervue United A.F.C. is an Irish association football club based in Mervue, Galway. Their senior men's team currently plays in the Galway & District League. The club has previously fielded teams in the Connacht Senior League, the League of Ireland U21 Division, the A Championship and the League of Ireland First Division.

Contents

History

When the Connacht Senior League was established in 1981–82 the organisers also introduced two league cup competitions. Mervue United defeated Sligo Rovers Reserves in the final of the inaugural League Cup, a pre-season competition featuring two legs per round. In 1988–89 this competition was renamed the League Shield. The second cup competition was the Connacht Senior League Challenge Cup. This was played at the end of the season. Mervue United were the inaugural winners and went on to win it four times in a row. In 1982–83 a third cup, the Incentive Cup, was introduced. It initially featured the two most improved sides who had failed to win another trophy. Tuam Celtic were the first winners. In 1989–90 the format was changed to include teams knocked out in the first round of the Challenge Cup. Castlebar Celtic became the first winners under the new format. Connacht Senior League teams also played in the separate Connacht Senior Cup which also featured teams from the four junior leagues based in the province – the Galway & District League, the Sligo-Leitrim League, the Mayo Association Football League and the Roscommon & District League. In 1994–95 when the Connacht Senior League was split into two groups the competition did not take place. In 1995–96 when the league featured two divisions there was also two league cups, the Premiership Cup and the First Division Cup. When the two divisions were scrapped after one season, the Premiership Cup name was retained. [1] [2] [3]

Sligo Rovers F.C. Irish association football club

Sligo Rovers Football Club is a professional Irish football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 and have been in the League of Ireland since 1934. The club is a co-operative venture, owned by the people of Sligo. Rovers have played at The Showgrounds since their inception. They recently won a third FAI Cup in four years and in the season previous to this recent cup win became the 2012 Premier Division Champions, winning the league with two games to spare. In total they have won three Leagues, five FAI Cups, two League cups.

Tuam Celtic A.F.C.

Tuam Celtic A.F.C. is an Irish association football club based in Tuam, County Galway. Their senior men's currently competes in the Galway & District League. The club also operates a ladies team a number of schoolboy teams.

Castlebar Celtic F.C. is an Irish association football club based in Castlebar, County Mayo. They currently play in the Mayo Association Football League. They have previously fielded teams in the League of Ireland U20 Division, the A Championship and the Connacht Senior League. The club previously operated a women's team.

List of finals

SeasonWinnerScoreRunners-up
1999–00St Peters (Athlone)3–0 Salthill Devon
1998–99 Galway United Reserves 2–0 Castlebar Celtic
1997–98 Castlebar Celtic 2–1 Mervue United
1996–97 UCG 2–1Straide & Foxford United
1995–96 UCG 4–0 Salthill Devon
1994–95No competition
1993–94 Sligo Rovers Reserves 1–0 Galway United Reserves
1992–93 Mervue United 2–1Balinasloe Town
1991–92 Salthill Devon 2–0 Castlebar Celtic
1990–91 Sligo Rovers Reserves 1–0 Salthill Devon
1989–90 Salthill Devon 1–0 UCG
1988–89 Mervue United 1–0 UCG
1987–88 UCG 1–0 Castlebar Celtic
1986–87 UCG 1–0 Galway United Reserves
1985–86 Salthill Devon 1–0 Mervue United
1984–85 Mervue United 4–2Castlerea Celtic
1983–84 Mervue United 1–0Balinasloe Town
1982–83 Mervue United 4–0Castlerea Celtic
1981–82 Mervue United 3–0 UCG

Source: [4] [5] [6] [7]

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References

  1. ↑ "Connacht Senior League 1980s". connacht-sl.netne.net. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "Connacht Senior League 1990s". connacht-sl.netne.net. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Mervue United Club Role of Honour". mervueunited.com. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  4. ↑ Connacht Sentinel @ Irish Newspaper Archives
  5. ↑ Galway City Tribune @ Irish Newspaper Archives
  6. ↑ The Connaught Telegraph @ Irish Newspaper Archives
  7. ↑ Galway Advertiser Archives
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