1997–98 Irish League Cup

Irish League Cup Wilkinson Sword League Cup 1997–98 Northern Ireland 32 Linfield (4th win) Glentoran 31 120 1996–97 1998–99 The 1997–98 Irish League Cup (known as the Wilkinson Sword League Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 12th edition of the Irish League Cup, Northern Ireland's secondary football knock-out cup competition. It concluded on 9 September 1997 with the final. Crusaders were the defending champions after their first League Cup win last season; a 1–0 victory over Glentoran in the previous final. This season they went out in the quarter-finals to eventual winners Linfield, who lifted their fourth League Cup with a 1–0 victory over arch-rivals Glentoran in the final, condemning the Glens to their second successive League Cup final defeat.https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nilleagcuphist.html Northern Ireland - List of League Cup Finals Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation RSSSF 24 December 2012https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nil98.html Northern Ireland 1997/98 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation RSSSF 24 December 2012 This was the last competition to feature clubs from the Irish League B Division. From the following season onwards, the competition would only be open to senior clubs in the top two divisions. First round Ards 7–2 Brantwood Ballyclare Comrades 1–2 RUC Carrick Rangers 1–1 (4–5 p) Banbridge Town Chimney Corner 1–0 Cliftonville Cookstown United 0–5 Larne1 Crusaders 3–0 Armagh City Dundela 1–4 Ballymena United Dungannon Swifts 1–0 Distillery Glenavon 2–0 Harland & Wolff Welders Glentoran 5–1 Tobermore United Limavady United 0–2 Bangor Linfield 7–1 Ballinamallard United Loughgall 0–1 Portadown Moyola Park 0–3 Coleraine Newry Town 3–1 Ballymoney United Omagh Town 1–6 Institute |} 1 Larne were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player. Cookstown United were reinstated. Second round Bangor 0–3 Portadown Coleraine 3–5 Crusaders Glenavon 2-1 Ards Glentoran 9–2 Dungannon Swifts Institute 5–1 Banbridge Town Linfield 3–0 Cookstown United Newry Town 1–1 (4–5 p) Ballymena United RUC 1–2 Chimney Corner |} Quarter-finals Chimney Corner 1–2 Portadown Crusaders 0–1 Linfield Glenavon 6–1 Ballymena United Glentoran 3–2 Institute |} Semi-finals Glentoran 1–0 Glenavon Portadown 1–2 Linfield |} Final 9 September 1997 Linfield 1 – 0 Report Glentoran Spiers 45 Windsor Park, Belfast References Category:Irish League Cup seasons League Cup