Cleary Celtic will be hoping Stangmore Park brings them luck once again when they take on Enniskillen Rangers in the final of this season’s fonaCAB Craig Stanfield Junior Cup.
The home of Dungannon Swifts has been confirmed as the venue for the decider, which will take place on Friday 24 May (7.45pm).
Carnbane League side Cleary Celtic reached the final for the first time in their history after defeating Lincoln Courts in the last four at the Dungannon venue.
David Walker and Neil Barr were on target for the Newry-based team in the 2-0 success against the Derry-Londonderry side at the end of March.
This season’s Irish Junior Cup Final was originally meant to have been played at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast on 6 May, however it had to be rescheduled and switched to Stangmore following a dispute involving the two other semi-finalists, Fermanagh and Western League teams Enniskillen Rangers and Tummery Athletic.
The last four game between Enniskillen-based Rangers and Dromore side Tummery at the end of March was won 3-1 by Rangers.
Nathan Khan, Mark Cutler and Joel Byrne scored for the Fermanagh team at Ferney Park in Ballinamallard, while Padraig Dillon netted for the Tyrone outfit.
After the game, however, Tummery submitted a complaint of misconduct against their opponents for having a suspended player in attendance during the match.
The protest was upheld by the Irish FA’s Disciplinary Committee, and Rangers were dismissed from the competition and ordered to pay a £350 fine for breaching Article 22.1 of the association’s Disciplinary Code.
But last week an Irish FA Appeals Committee overturned the decision to remove Rangers from the final and the Enniskillen team were reinstated.
The Appeals Committee found Article 22.1 had been breached by Rangers and therefore the fine stood.
However, the appeals panel found the Disciplinary Committee should have considered the proportionality of sanction under Article 17.9 of the Disciplinary Code.
And it ruled that the sanction was not proportionate in all the circumstances and accordingly overturned the decision of the Disciplinary Committee in relation to Rangers being removed from the competition.
It means Cleary Celtic and Enniskillen Rangers will now meet each other in the decider later this month.
Tickets for the final in Dungannon on 24 May are priced at £5 for adults and £3 concessions. A cash turnstile will be in operation and gates will open at 6.45pm.
The Appeals Committee’s decision can be read here.
Image: Action from the Junior Cup last four game between Cleary Celtic and Lincoln Courts at Stangmore Park, which is now also hosting this year’s Junior Cup final.
