The Irish News - February 5 2005: Cliftonville ace Chris Scannell has described their Irish Cup exit to minnows Warrenpoint Town as the “lowest point” in his career – but was delighted with how the Reds bounced back against Glenavon on Monday night.
A comprehensive 2-0 win over the Lurgan Blues at Mourneview edged the fourth-placed Reds to within a point of Glentoran.
Linfield have all but secured another league championship with the Blues a massive 10 points clear of nearest rivals Crusaders.
Ahead of this afternoon’s home clash with Ballymena United, Scannell insisted there is plenty to play for despite the club’s gut-wrenching cup exit.
A third place finish would secure European football at Solitude next season, while fourth may still be enough to qualify depending on the outcome of the Irish Cup.
“The Warrenpoint defeat was pretty much the lowest point in my career,” revealed the 31-year-old striker. “Personally, it was a crap night for me.''
Irish Premiership Table: Top Four
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linfield | 26 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 55 | 22 | 56 |
| Crusaders | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 51 | 47 | 46 |
| Glentoran | 24 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 38 | 21 | 44 |
| Cliftonville | 25 | 13 | 4 | 8 | 41 | 33 | 43 |
SPORT BIRTHDAYS-
Sven-Goran Eriksson
soccer
former England and Manchester City manager, born 1948.
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Gheorghe Hagi
soccer
former Romania and Barcelona forward, born 1965.
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Jose Maria Olazabal
golf
double Masters champion and victorious European Ryder Cup captain in 2012, born 1966.
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Marcus Gronholm
motor racing
double World Rally champion from Finland, born 1968.
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Billy Dodds
soccer
former Aberdeen, Rangers and Scotland striker, born 1969.
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Darren Lehmann
cricket
former Yorkshire and Australia batsman, and former coach of Australia, born 1970.
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Giovanni Van Bronckhorst
soccer
former Arsenal and Rangers midfielder who won 107 caps for Holland, now manager of Guangzhou R&F, born 1975.
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John Aloisi
soccer
former Australia, Portsmouth and Coventry striker, and ex-manager of Brisbane Roar, born 1976.
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Sir Ben Ainslie
sailing
British sailor and four-time Olympic champion, born 1977.
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Carlos Tevez
soccer
Boca Juniors and Argentina striker, formerly with Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus, born 1984.
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Cristiano Ronaldo
soccer
Juventus and Portugal forward who has won the Ballon d'Or five times, born 1985.
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Neymar
soccer
Paris St Germain and Brazil forward, born 1992.
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Adnan Januzaj
soccer
Real Sociedad and Belgium winger, born 1995.
ON THIS DAY IN SPORT- 1923
Bill Ponsford's then world-record 429 helped Victoria become the first team to reach a four-figure total in first-class cricket. They scored 1,059 against Tasmania in Melbourne.
- 1974
Football League attendances hit a new low when only 450 people watched Rochdale's Fourth Division match against Cambridge at Spotland.
- 2002
Former England boss Graham Taylor was appointed manager of Aston Villa for the second time after John Gregory's departure.
- 2004
Ernie Els fired 11 birdies as he carded a course-record 60 in the first round of the Heineken Classic at Royal Melbourne.
- 2007
Real Madrid agreed the permanent transfer of England defender Jonathan Woodgate to Middlesbrough.
- 2008
England manager Fabio Capello announced Steven Gerrard would be England captain for the Italian's first game in charge against Switzerland.
- 2009
Undefeated world super-middleweight and light-heavyweight champion Joe Calzaghe announced his retirement from boxing.
- 2013
Double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington announced her retirement from competitive swimming.
- 2014
David Beckham announced he had taken up the option to buy a new Major League Soccer franchise in Miami.
- 2017
The New England Patriots overcame a 25-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 after overtime at Super Bowl LI, with coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady winning their fifth rings with the franchise.
QUICK QUIZ- At which club did Gary Lineker begin his career?
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SPORT ON TVWednesday, February 5
- SOCCER
Ligue 1, Lyon v Amiens - BT Sport 2 1800, St Etienne v Marseille - BT Sport 2 2000; Ladbrokes Premiership, Motherwell v Celtic - BT Sport 1 1915; FA Cup, Tottenham v Southampton - BT Sport 1 1915.
- CRICKET
One-day international, New Zealand v India - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Cricket 0600; Under-19 World Cup seventh/eighth place play-off, South Africa v Afghanistan - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Cricket 1000.
- CYCLING
Tour of Valencia, stage one - Eurosport 2 1400.
- GOLF
European Tour, The ISPS Handa Vic Open - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Golf 0400 (Thu).
- SNOOKER
World Grand Prix - ITV4 1245, 1845.
- BASKETBALL
NBA, Brooklyn Nets v Golden State Warriors - Sky Sports Main Event 0030 (Thu).
Thursday, February 6
- CRICKET
Under-19 World Cup semi-final, New Zealand v Bangladesh - Sky Sports Cricket 0745, Sky Sports Main Event 0800; Big Bash League, Melbourne Stars v Sydney Thunder - BT Sport 1 0830; Women's T20, India v England - BT Sport 1 0300 (Fri).
- GOLF
European Tour, The ISPS Handa Vic Open - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Golf 0600, 0400 (Fri); PGA Tour, The AT&T Pebble Beach National - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Golf 1600, 2000.
- RUGBY LEAGUE
Super League, Warrington v St Helens - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Arena 1900.
- CYCLING
Tour of Valencia, stage two - Eurosport 2 1400.
- DARTS
Premier League - Sky Sports Action 1900.
- SNOOKER
World Grand Prix - ITV4 1245, 1845.
- BASKETBALL
NBA, Milwaukee Bucks v Philadelphia 76ers - Sky Sports Main Event 0100 (Fri).
