Holders Glentoran Women will take on Linfield Women in the second round of this year’s Electric Ireland Women’s Challenge Cup competition.
The encounter between the two Belfast teams has been designated as the tie of the round.
The Glens v Blues match is due to be played on Friday 19 July at the Blanchflower Stadium in east Belfast.
Round two is the stage when NIFL Women’s Premiership teams enter the annual Challenge Cup competition. Teams competing in the early rounds all play in Northern Ireland Women’s Football Association leagues, from the Championship to the Development League (Div 7).
The Glentoran v Linfield tie is one of only two all-Premiership contests in the second round this year. The other will see newly promoted Lisburn Ladies host Cliftonville Ladies, who are currently neck and neck with the Glens in the early stages of the Premiership title race.
The Electric Ireland Women’s Challenge Cup round two draw, which was made this week, has thrown up several other intriguing ties.
Lisburn Rangers, who have made a strong start to their first campaign in the Women’s Premiership, have been drawn away to Ballymena United Women from the NIWFA Championship.
The lowest ranked team remaining in the Electric Ireland-backed competition are Belfast-based Civil Service Ladies, who play in the NIWFA development league. They are scheduled to face Premiership outfit Derry City Women at home.
Greenisland Women, who are currently top of the table in NIWFA Division One, will also be up against Premiership opposition. They have been drawn to play Crusaders Strikers at home.
Antrim Town Women, the pacesetters in NIWFA Division Four this season, will host Premiership side Mid Ulster Ladies in round two, while there’s an all-NIWFA Championship tie between Bangor Ladies and Belfast Celtic Ladies.
Sion Swifts Ladies, who top the NIWFA Championship table just now, are due to face Premiership opposition, too. Their opponents will be Larne Women.
In the first round Ballymena United Women and Belfast Celtic Ladies both progressed to the next round via walkover when their opponents failed to field teams.
Civil Service Ladies defeated Oxford Sunnyside Ladies 4-0 and Greenisland Women beat Craigavon City 5-1.
Comber Rec Ladies were beaten 8-1 by Bangor, while Antrim Town Women proved too strong for Donegal Celtic Ladies, winning 10-1, however Sion Swifts Ladies were the biggest scorers. They netted 12 times against Wellington Rec Women without reply.
Second round ties in the competition will all be played on Friday 19 July (7.30pm starts).
The ties are as follows:
Antrim Town Women v Mid Ulster Ladies
Greenisland Women v Crusaders Strikers
Bangor FC Ladies v Belfast Celtic Ladies
Glentoran Women v Linfield Women
Sion Swifts Ladies v Larne FC Women
Lisburn Ladies v Cliftonville Ladies
Ballymena United Women v Lisburn Rangers Ladies
Civil Service Ladies v Derry City Women
Image: Electric Ireland’s Anne Smyth and Elaine Junk from the Irish FA Women’s Challenge Cup Committee conducted the draw for round two.
