Carrick Rangers F.C.

Carrick Rangers
Full name Carrick Rangers Football Club
Nickname(s) The Gers
Founded 1939 (1939)
Ground Loughshore Hotel Arena, Taylors Avenue, Carrickfergus
Ground Capacity 6,000[1] (400 seats)
Chairman Peter Clarke
Manager Aaron Callaghan
League NIFL Premiership
2015–16 NIFL Premiership, 10th

Carrick Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1939, hails from Carrickfergus, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Taylors Avenue which is known as the Belfast Loughshore Hotel Arena due to sponsorship reasons. The 'Gers ground is the only sponsored stadium in Northern Irish Premiership. Carrick Rangers main rivals are Larne, with matches between the sides being known as, "The East Antrim Derby."

History

The club was formed in 1939, when two teams from the Carrickfergus & District Summer League - Barn Mills and Bubbles decided to merge.[2] In 1940, the new club joined the Belfast Minor League and took up residence at Taylors Avenue, then known as the Barn Field[2]:21–22 They won the County Antrim Junior Shield in 1941–42[2]:28 and in 1943 gained admission to the Northern Amateur League,[2]:31 of which they were the champions in 1948–49 and 1951–52.[2]:55, 63 1952 saw the club's elevation to the Intermediate League, necessary ground improvements being made at the Barn Field, now known as Taylors Avenue,[2]:65 and then, following the demise of that competition, to the Irish Alliance in 1954 and eventually the Irish League B Division in 1957.[2]:73, 81–82 As members of the Alliance, Carrick won the McKelvey Cup, a knock-out cup for league members, in 1956-57.[2]:81

From 1983 until 2003, the club enjoyed senior status, but reverted to intermediate status when the Irish Premier League was established and the number of senior clubs was reduced from 20 to 16. The club's greatest achievement was winning the Irish Cup in 1976, when, as a B Division team they beat Linfield in the final in one of the greatest cup shocks.

On 2 May 2011, the club secured a return to top flight football for the first time since the 1994–95 season, after being crowned champions of Championship 1. However, they were unable to adapt to the step up in quality and lasted only one season in the top flight, finishing the 2011–12 IFA Premiership in last place which resulted in relegation back down to Championship 1 for the 2012–13 season.

On 25 April 2015, Carrick sealed promotion back to the Premiership as champions following a 1–0 win over Dundela.

In the 2015–16 season they performed reasonably well in their first season back in the Premiership for three years getting good wins against the likes of Dungannon Swifts back to back and also on the first day of the season, an incredible 4–3 home victory over champions Crusaders and got draws with Glenavon, Portadown and Linfield and secured their survival in the NIFL Premiership on the last day of the season after two late goals from Mark Surgenor and Miguel Chines. Miguel's goal coming in the 90+3 minute after an incredible acrobatic effort to keep the 'Gers up.

Europe

Having qualified for the 1976–77 European Cup Winners' Cup, the club very creditably defeated Aris Bonnevoie of Luxembourg 4–3 on aggregate in the first round, before going out 9–3 on aggregate to English club Southampton in the second round.

Honours

Senior honours

Intermediate honours

Junior honours

Players

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Northern Ireland GK Brian Neeson
2 Northern Ireland DF Seanna Foster (on loan from Linfield)
4 Northern Ireland MF Mark Surgenor
5 Northern Ireland DF Daniel Kelly
6 Northern Ireland DF Patrick McNally
7 Northern Ireland MF Brian McCaul
8 Northern Ireland DF Glenn Taggart
10 Northern Ireland FW Gary Lavery
11 Northern Ireland DF Steven McCullough
12 Northern Ireland MF Francis Rice
13 Northern Ireland MF Chris Morrow
14 Northern Ireland MF Nathan Hanley
15 Northern Ireland MF Mark Clarke
No. Position Player
17 Northern Ireland FW Elliot English
18 Northern Ireland MF Tiaran McNicholl (on loan from Cliftonville)
19 Northern Ireland FW Adam Salley (on loan from Linfield)
20 Northern Ireland MF TJ Murray (on loan from Linfield)
21 Canada MF Connor McFall
22 Republic of Ireland MF Jonathan Wilson
24 Northern Ireland GK Chris Kerr
25 Northern Ireland FW Martin Murray
26 Northern Ireland FW Tyler Waide
27 Northern Ireland MF Lee Chapman

References

  1. ↑ www.worldstadiums.com
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 J. Gorrod, A. Hack & A. Simpson (2014). Kings of the Castle: A History of Carrick Rangers Football Club 1939-2014. Unknown publisher.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.