All-Island Cup final: Cliftonville keen to add more trophies says midfielder McDaniel

Louise McDaniel says Cliftonville are "hungry" to bring more trophies to the club as they prepare for Sunday's All-Island Cup final against Galway.

The Reds made history last year by winning the Women's Premiership for the first time in their history.

And McDaniel believes the squad now have the appetite for winning trophies ahead of the first of three cup finals.

"With the success of last season everyone is hungry to bring more trophies to the club," she said.

"We want to win each game in every competition and I think that will serve us well going forward".

Cliftonville breezed through the group stages of the All-Island Cup, with two wins and a draw enough to help them top Group C.

They then edged past Cork City courtesy of a Caitlin McGuinness goal to seal their place in the final, although it could have been by a greater margin as they missed a host of chances.

Galway won their group which included Linfield, before overcoming Wexford Youths 4-3 on penalties in the semi-final after they game had ended 1-1 after normal time.

They are currently fifth in the League of Ireland Premier Division table and McDaniel, who joined the Reds in April 2021, is braced for a bruising encounter at Sligo Showgrounds.

"We are really excited, the first ever final of this cup, so we are really looking forward to it and hoping to get a good result and be the first team to win it.

"Galway play in a really competitive league so I expect a really competitive game we are prepared for it. It will be a real physical battle with the cup on the line".

The Northern Ireland international has enjoyed the experience of playing against League of Ireland sides and hopes the All-Island Cup is here to stay.

"The standards have been really good playing against the top teams from the south and a mixture from the teams in the north.

"It is good to have more fixtures for women's football, I think it would be good to have it permanently."

McDaniel, who won four league titles with fellow Women's Premiership side Linfield, was left out of the Northern Ireland squad for their friendlies against Scotland and Czechia.

Whilst disappointed to miss out on selection, the former Blackburn Rovers player welcomed the break from competitive action after a busy start to the campaign.

"It was good for myself to get a break while the girls were away on international duty because of the amount of fixtures we have had with Cliftonville.

"I had been playing well, so we will see what happens in the future".

Sunday's inaugural All-Island Cup final is the first of three cup finals the Reds have coming up, alongside the League Cup final against Sion Swifts and County Antrim Cup final against Crusaders.

With a Champions League tie against Benfica on the horizon too, Cliftonville have a stacked fixture list, but McDaniel is enjoying the amount of game time that being involved in numerous competitions brings.

The 23-year old also believes Cliftonville's mentality and squad depth have helped them to deal with the demands this season.

"I have loved playing so many games, I prefer playing to training any day of the week!" she joked.

"At the start it was physically challenging but now were used to it and enjoying it.

"Having those tight games last year where we needed to win and we came through, we have used that experience and been really clinical. We have learnt to manage the game a lot more," explained McDaniel.

"We do have a big squad and younger players coming through and we have used different competitions to rotate players.

"I think we have such a good squad as a whole, which were so lucky for as it has helped to keep players fit."