Tyler Cup Explained

Tyler Cup
Organiser:Irish Football Association
Founded:1978
Abolished:1980
Region:
Most Successful Club:Shamrock Rovers
Athlone Town
Linfield
(1 title each)

The Tyler Cup was an association football competition played between clubs in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The competition ran from 1978 to 1980, and was similar to the earlier Blaxnit Cup, North-South Cup, Dublin and Belfast Intercity Cup, or the Setanta Sports Cup inaugurated in the 2000s.[1]

Format

The tournament began late in the 1977–78 season, before skipping a year and returning for the 1979–80 season. It ran again, for the last time, at the beginning of the 1980–81 season and was sponsored by a footwear company. The format for the first competition involved four teams from each country taking part in a knock-out first round, then semi-finals and a final. All ties were decided by a single match and the tournament was won by Shamrock Rovers.[2] [3] For the second and third seasons eight teams from each country took part. Again it was a knock-out with a first round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final. The final was over two legs but the preceding matches were all single ties. These two editions were won by Athlone Town[4] [5] [6] [7] and Linfield[8] [9] [10] respectively.

List of finals

[11]

SeasonWinner
(number of titles)
ScoreRunner-upVenue
1977–78 Shamrock Rovers (1)1 – 0 Finn HarpsGlenmalure Park, Dublin
1978–79Not held
1979–80 Athlone Town (1)2 – 0 Drogheda UnitedSt Mel's Park, Athlone
2 – 1 (3 – 2 agg.)United Park, Drogheda
1980–81 Linfield (1)0 – 0 Athlone TownWindsor Park, Belfast
2 – 1 (2 – 1 agg.)St Mel's Park, Athlone

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Irish League Archive, Tyler Cup. Irish League Archive. 29 April 2023.
  2. News: Lynex Header Sees Rovers Through!. Irish Press. 18 May 1978. 16.
  3. News: Another Title For Giles' Men. Irish Independent. 18 May 1978. 13.
  4. News: Athlone Go Two Up In Tyler. Irish Independent. 7 September 1979. 10.
  5. News: Athlone Well In Command. Irish Press. 7 September 1979. 12.
  6. News: Athlone's Joy Night. Irish Independent. 13 September 1979. 16.
  7. News: Salmon Poaches It For Athlone!. Irish Press. 13 September 1979. 11.
  8. News: It's One Big Bore. Ireland's Saturday Night. 9 August 1980. 1.
  9. News: McCurdy at the double. Belfast Telegraph. 14 August 1980. 27.
  10. News: Trophy For Linfield. Irish Independent. 14 August 1980. 14.
  11. Web site: Tyler Cup Results. Irish League Archive. 29 April 2023.