Soccer

Fixture headache in Derry eased as Clearer Water Irish Cup quarter-final tie pushed back

The Allianz NFL clash of Dublin and Derry is set to remain a Saturday evening throw in on March 2

Dublin's James McCarthy and Derry's Brendan Rogers compete for possession during the 2023 Division Two final
Dublin's James McCarthy and Derry's Brendan Rogers compete for possession during the 2023 Division Two final

NIFL Championship leaders Institute and Linfield today reached an agreement with the PSNI to move their Clearer Water Irish Cup quarter-final to Sunday March 3 at 1pm.

The fixture had been pencilled in for The Brandywell at 3pm on Saturday March 2, and concerns had existed regarding traffic and policing presence due to the Celtic Park in Division One of the Allianz League, with throw-in there just two hours later.

Calls for change were originally played down by the police organisation, in a statement that said: “appropriate and proportionate policing operations will be in place in order to keep people safe”.

Linfield's manager David Healy acknowledges Matthew Fitzpatrick after victory over Glentoran Picture: David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press (David Maginnis/David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press)

Prior to today’s announcement, further logistical complications had existed regarding RTÉ's decision to televise the GAA match, but those have now been eased.

The rescheduling also means the Clearer Water Irish Cup quarter-finals fixtures schedule will now be spread across three days. The other big clash of the last eight sees Portadown and Cliftonville clash on Friday, March 1 at 7:45pm.