2021–22 Northern Ireland Football League Cup
Football tournament season / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2021–22 Northern Ireland Football League Cup (known as the BetMcLean League Cup for sponsorship purposes)[1] was the 35th edition of Northern Ireland's football knock-out cup competition for national league clubs, and the seventh edition of the competition as the Northern Ireland Football League Cup. The competition was contested by the 35 member clubs of the Northern Ireland Football League, commencing on 31 July 2021 with the first round and concluding with the final on 13 March 2022.[2] The competition was sponsored by McLean Bookmakers, the title sponsors of the cup since the 2017–18 season.[1]
BetMcLean League Cup | |
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Tournament details | |
Country | Northern Ireland |
Dates | 31 Jul 2021 – 13 Mar 2022 |
Teams | 35 |
Defending champions | Coleraine |
Final positions | |
Champions | Cliftonville (6th win) |
Runner-up | Coleraine |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 34 |
Goals scored | 149 (4.38 per match) |
The cup returned this season after a one-year hiatus, following the cancellation of the 2020–21 competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland. Coleraine were the defending champions from the 2019–20 season, after a 2–1 win over Crusaders in the 2020 final secured their second League Cup win overall; their first in 32 years.[3] Coleraine once again reached the final this season, however they were defeated 4–3 in extra time by Cliftonville, who won the League Cup for the sixth time overall, and the first time since their fourth consecutive cup win in 2016. This season saw the final being played on a Sunday for the first time in the competition's history, attracting a League Cup final record crowd of 11,103 at Windsor Park. This also became the highest scoring final in the cup's history.[4] Coleraine suffered defeat in a League Cup final for the sixth time, a joint record with Crusaders for the most final defeats.