Glentoran Faces Uphill Battle for Women’s Premiership Title After Defeat by Cliftonville
Glentoran captain Jess Foy stated that the team’s effort to defend the Women’s Premiership title has turned into “an uphill battle” following a challenging defeat against Cliftonville on Sunday.
The Reds secured a vital 2-1 victory at the Blanchflower Stadium, which solidified their lead atop the league table with an eight-point advantage over second place Linfield and third place Glentoran.
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Despite the loss, both Linfield and Glentoran have a game in hand over the league leaders and are set to meet each other before the season splits.
“Football is all about the one percent and, unfortunately, we didn’t win enough of them today. We have left ourselves with a bit of an uphill battle,” Foy told BBC Sport NI.
“As we’ve seen at the start of the season, there are a few different teams that can take points off the top two. I think, unfortunately for us now, it looks like it’s going to be a bit out of our hands.
“We’ll just be having to focus on us, keep tallying away at the points as much as we can, and see where we’re sitting whenever we come into the split.”
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‘We must make sure that we get our hands on the Irish Cup’
The Glens clinched the title in 2025 in dramatic fashion, defeating Cliftonville 1-0 on the final day of the season.
However, Foy noted that they currently lack control over the outcome of the Premiership trophy’s ribbons this year.
“I think if you rely on other teams doing you favours, you’re already at a loss in football,” she explained.
“For us, unfortunately, we didn’t want to take it out of our hands at the end of the day, and that’s what we’ve done. We’ll have to keep an eye on the results, and we’ll have to rebuild here and go forward.
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“There is probably not too much time to sit and feel sorry for yourself. You have to pick yourselves up again.”
While their league ambitions have taken a hit, the Glens still have another opportunity to claim silverware.
They are set to face Lisburn Ladies in the semi-finals of the Irish Cup, a trophy claimed by the Reds last season.
Foy emphasized that winning this trophy is crucial for the Glens to fulfill their season expectations.
“We’re at this club for a reason,” she stated.
“We’re here because we want to win trophies. If we don’t do that, we’ve by far not met our expectations for the year.
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“Unfortunately, we’ve ruled ourselves out of a few, and we’re hoping for the best in the league; we’ll have to make sure that we get our hands on the Irish Cup again.”
‘No pressure’ on Cliftonville – Carleton
On the other hand, Cliftonville has experienced only one loss in this Premiership season, while boasting the highest goals scored and the lowest goals conceded.
Despite their advantageous position, midfielder Vicky Carleton affirmed that complacency is not an option.
“The league is always so tight; you can’t afford to drop barely any points, and to go through and win the league speaks volumes about a team,” Carleton told BBC Sport NI.
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“We would love to get it back, obviously, with the performances we’ve put in already this season.
“The only pressure, as we say, or as Brendie [Brendan Lynch] says, is the pressure we put on ourselves. All we can do is train well, play well and see out the rest of the season.”
The Reds strengthened their squad with the return of Toni-Leigh Finnegan and Louise McDaniel, both former players who rejoined the club after time at Aberdeen and Burnley.
“The signings that Brendie brought back in have really strengthened us compared to what we were at the start of the season,” she added.
“I think everything’s just flowing now, and we’re playing really good football that will be hard to beat.”
Glentoran captain Jess Foy said for the side to defend the Women’s Premiership title is “an uphill battle” after Sunday’s damaging defeat by Cliftonville.
The Reds strengthened their position at the top table with a crucial 2-1 victory at the Blanchflower Stadium, opening up an eight-point lead over second place Linfield and Glentoran in third.
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However, both the Blues and Glens have a game in hand on the league leaders and still have to face each other before the split.
“Football is all about the one percent and, unfortunately, we didn’t win enough of them today. We have left ourselves with a bit of an uphill battle,” Foy told BBC Sport NI.
“As we’ve seen at the start of the season, there are a few different teams that can take points off the top two. I think, unfortunately for us now, it looks like it’s going to be a bit out of our hands.
“We’ll just be having to focus on us, keep tallying away at the points as much as we can, and see where we’re sitting whenever we come into the split.”
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‘We must make sure that we get our hands on the Irish Cup’
The Glens won the title in 2025 in dramatic fashion when they beat Cliftonville 1-0 on the final day of the season.
However, Foy added that they are not in control of the colour of ribbons that will be on the Premiership trophy this year now.
“I think if you rely on other teams doing you favours, you’re already at a loss in football,” she continued.
“For us, unfortunately, we didn’t want to take it out of our hands at the end of the day, and that’s what we’ve done. We’ll have to keep an eye on the results, and we’ll have to rebuild here and go forward.
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“There is probably not too much time to sit and feel sorry for yourself. You have to pick yourselves up again.”
While their league hopes have suffered a setback, the Glens still have another route to silverware.
They face Lisburn Ladies in the semi-finals of the Irish Cup, a trophy that the Reds won last campaign.
Foy added that securing silverware is essential now if the Glens are to meet their own expectations for the season.
“We’re at this club for a reason,” she added.
“We’re here because we want to win trophies. If we don’t do that, we’ve by far not met our expectations for the year.
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“Unfortunately, we’ve ruled ourselves out of a few, and we’re hoping for the best in the league, we’ll have to make sure that we get our hands on the Irish Cup again.”
‘No pressure’ on Cliftonville – Carleton
Cliftonville, meanwhile, have lost just one match so far this Premiership campaign and have scored the most goals, while also conceding the least.
However, midfielder Vicky Carleton said there is no danger of complacency despite their commanding advantage.
“The league is always so tight, you can’t afford to drop barely any points and to go through and win the league, it says a lot about a team,” midfielder Vicky Carleton told BBC Sport NI.
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“We would love to get it back, obviously, with the performances we’ve put in already this season.
“The only pressure, as we say, or as Brendie [Brendan Lynch] says, is the pressure we put on ourselves. All we can do is train well, play well and see out the rest of the season.”
The Reds have also been bolstered with the return of Toni-Leigh Finnegan and Louise McDaniel, who returned to the club following spells at Aberdeen and Burnley.
“The signings that Brendie brought back in have really strengthened us, compared to what we were at the start of the season,” she continued.
“I think everything’s just flowing now and we’re playing really good football that will be hard to beat.”
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