The NIFL Premiership: How this is shaping up to be the best title race in years
Ryan Brolly
The NIFL Premiership in 2023 is quietly shaping up to having one of the most exciting title races in European football. There are six teams who can viably be considered to be in the picture to lift the Gibson Cup, with just five points separating league leaders Larne and 5th placed side Colerinae.
Additionally, 6th placed Glentoran possess three games in hand over Larne, and if they win all three it could fire them right into contention after a difficult spell.
This is a welcome change to the landscape of football in Northern Ireland, where the Premiership in recent times has become something of a foregone conclusion before a ball had been kicked, proven by Linfield winning the last four titles in a row, although last year was a close call.
Leaders on goal difference, Larne have an interesting role in this title race. Following their takeover in 2018 by Purplebricks co-founder Kenny Bruce and the publishing of their Aspire to Inspire document, they have yet to reach the zenith of Northern Irish football despite sizeable investment into the playing squad and a facelift to their home ground Inver Park.
This will give them greater motivation to try and capitalise on the faltering of Linfield in 2022/23. To their credit, Larne are an impressive outfit under the leadership of Tiernan Lynch and they have really seemed to find a system of play this term which allows them to compete and dominate against the other big sides around them.
They have won the County Antrim Shield 3 times in a row and boast fantastic players such as Rohan Ferguson in goal, midfielder Fuad Sule and talisman Lee Bonis, who is a contender for the league’s Player of the Year award and could fire Larne to their first ever Gibson Cup.
Cliftonville are hoping to go one better than last season where they pushed the Blues all the way, finishing one point behind the South Belfast club, with the title race going to the final day.
Under Paddy McLaughlin they are one of the best organised teams within the Irish League, playing an effective brand of football which has been enhanced by great recruitment.
The signing of Nathan Gartside from Derry City has proved to be an inspired one. He has secured 11 clean sheets so far this season and has stepped up well to fill the huge gap left by Luke McNicholas’ return to Sligo Rovers.
The long awaited capture of Ronan Hale from Larne in the summer has added another serious goal threat at Solitude to what is an already potent frontline with Joe Gormley and Ryan Curran. David Parkhouse’s loan arrival from Ballymena in January has also added another dimension to their array of attacking talent.
Alongside these notable signings the emergence of 17-year-old Sean Moore has been a bright spark for the league in general, with his talents not going unnoticed from teams across the water. Notably West Ham United made a late push to sign him on deadline day, but he ended up staying put at Solitude at least until the summer anyway.
If they can remain consistent and improve on their away form, there is a strong chance that Cliftonville can lift their first Irish League title since the 2013/14 campaign.
Current champions Linfield have had something of a season to forget so far by their standards, but results of late have propelled them back into title contention.
Their early season form could be said to be a symptom of their exit from the UEFA Europa Conference League to RFS of Latvia on penalties, when they were seconds away from becoming the first team from Northern Ireland to qualify for the group stages of European competition.
The Blues have largely been playing catch up, forming part of the chasing pack for most of the season after suffering six defeats after 26 games. Yet, under manager David Healy, they have stayed within touching distance of top spot ahead of the business end of the season, when they really start to show their experience.
Alongside this upturn in form, they have made a serious statement of intent to secure their fifth title in a row by signing free agent Kyle Lafferty. The Northern Irish striker once outscored AS Roma ace Paulo Dybala when they both played for Italian outfit Palermo and will hope to hit the ground running and deliver the title for Linfield once more. However, with the calibre of those around them this may be the toughest challenge to their dominance they have faced yet.
The last winners of the Gibson Cup before the most recent string of Linfield dominance, Crusaders have been quietly putting together their title challenge in the background of the league’s other big hitters.
Stephen Baxter who is now the longest serving manager in world football after being appointed in February 2005, has consistently guided Crusaders to involvement in UEFA competition since 2009/10.
They have formed their success on the back of a tight defensive unit and the goalscoring prowess of Philip Lowry, who has really stepped up to the plate in terms of filling the creative hole left by the long term injury to star player Ben Kennedy.
With Kennedy returning from injury just in time for the run in, you cannot count out the North Belfast club in this title battle as we enter the business end of the season, especially given their impressive performances against other sides in the top six so far this campaign.
League Cup finalists for a second year running, Coleraine still have an outside chance of adding to the one title they won back in 1973/74. The Bannsiders will be determined to show they have what it takes to challenge the established contenders all the way, as they have done in years gone by.
The league’s top goal scorer Matthew Shevlin has been electric this season netting 20 times in his attempt to win the Golden Boot, and he must continue this run of form to keep Oran Kearney’s men in contention. He is supported by a capable team of established Irish League players including the likes of Dean Jarvis and Lee Lynch, who were brought in during the summer window.
With Kearney at the helm, it would be foolish to count out the men playing out of The Showgrounds, although they will have to start turning draws into wins against the sides around them when the split comes.
Glentoran are still in the title race with three games in hand over league leaders Larne.
As aforementioned, Glentoran possess three games in hand on their rivals above them, which if they can capitalise on, will propel them toward the top of the league ahead of the split.
A promising start, including a statement 4-0 win over Larne at the Oval, has been washed out by a rough winter which saw manager Mick McDermott relieved of his duties after six straight defeats.
Since his dismissal, the Glens have found some good form under new boss Rodney McAree and with the addition of Northern Ireland winger Niall McGinn to the ranks and Conor McMenamin returning with a fine goal in a draw against Coleraine at the weekend, there is a real chance that the Irish League title could be returning to The Oval for the first time since the 2008/09 campaign.
However, with three games to fit in before the split next month, the Glens are set to have a more congested fixture list.
Yet, the addition of players like McGinn and Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe, who has starred in the League of Ireland previously, alongside the stacked squad they already have, shows intent from the board to really pursue a title charge, especially in a year when Linfield have been far below their best.
With another tight title race on the horizon only set to ramp up after the split, we appear to be entering into a golden age for domestic football in Northern Ireland. Strap yourselves in, it is going to be an exciting ride with plenty of twists and turns between now and the end of April.
Ryan Brolly is a History and International Relations student at Queen’s University Belfast and a Sport Reporter for The Scoop.