Limavady United host Rathfriland in the Northern Ireland League Cup. Both sides have had a stop-start season so far, picking up wins and losses in fairly equal measure.
Limavady play in the Premiership while Rathfriland sit in the Championship below them, so this cup tie brings two different levels together. Recent results for both clubs have swung from one week to the next, which makes the formbook worth a closer look.
Analysis updated .
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Mixed form on both sides
Limavady United have won 8, drawn 2 and lost 10 of their last 20 matches, scoring 23 and conceding 29. That's a fairly even but unspectacular record, and their last five games have swung between a win, two defeats and a draw, so there's no clear momentum either way.
Limavady United: 20 completed matches; Rathfriland: 20 completed matches.
Limavady United
- Win
- 40% 8 / 20
- Draw
- 10% 2 / 20
- Loss
- 50% 10 / 20
- Scored
- 23
- Conceded
- 29
- Difference
- -6
Rathfriland
- Win
- 45% 9 / 20
- Draw
- 5% 1 / 20
- Loss
- 50% 10 / 20
- Scored
- 27
- Conceded
- 30
- Difference
- -3
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiership | Carrick Rangers | Limavady United | 24.10.2026 | 1-1 |
| League Cup | Annagh United | Limavady United | 20.10.2026 | 3-4 |
| Premiership | Glentoran | Limavady United | 17.10.2026 | 1-0 |
| Premiership | Limavady United | Ballymena United | 10.10.2026 | 3-2 |
| Premiership | Portadown | Limavady United | 03.10.2026 | 3-1 |
| Premiership | Limavady United | Cliftonville FC | 26.09.2026 | 1-0 |
| Premiership | Coleraine FC | Limavady United | 19.09.2026 | 1-0 |
| Premiership | Limavady United | Bangor | 15.09.2026 | 3-1 |
| Premiership | Crusaders FC | Limavady United | 12.09.2026 | 1-2 |
| Premiership | Limavady United | Dungannon Swifts | 05.09.2026 | 0-2 |
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League Cup | Rathfriland | Ards | 20.10.2026 | 0-0 |
| Championship | Dundela | Rathfriland | 17.10.2026 | 0-1 |
| Championship | Rathfriland | Armagh City | 09.10.2026 | 2-1 |
| Championship | H&W Welders | Rathfriland | 03.10.2026 | 1-3 |
| Championship | Rathfriland | Warrenpoint Town | 25.09.2026 | 0-2 |
| Championship | Rathfriland | Queen's University | 19.09.2026 | 1-0 |
| Championship | Ards | Rathfriland | 12.09.2026 | 1-0 |
| Championship | Rathfriland | Institute | 05.09.2026 | 0-2 |
| Championship | Glenavon FC | Rathfriland | 28.08.2026 | 3-1 |
| Championship | Newington Youth | Rathfriland | 22.08.2026 | 4-0 |
Rathfriland's overall numbers look similar - 9 wins, 1 draw and 10 defeats from 20 games - but the shape of their season tells a different story. After some heavy defeats earlier in the year, they've won three Championship matches in a row and followed that with a goalless League Cup draw, their best run of the campaign.
Rathfriland arrive with more recent momentum than their season record alone suggests.
Comparative Team Statistics: Limavady United vs Rathfriland
A head-to-head that doesn't tell us much
These two have only met twice on record, both in the Premier Intermediate League back in late 2023 and early 2024. Limavady won 3-0 at home in December 2023, then the sides drew 1-1 when Limavady visited Rathfriland the following month.
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier Intermediate League | Rathfriland | Limavady United | 27.01.2024 | 1-1 |
| Premier Intermediate League | Limavady United | Rathfriland | 02.12.2023 | 0-3 |
Both of those meetings came at a lower level than either club plays at now, so they offer little real guide to how this cup tie might unfold.
A cup tie across two divisions
This is a League Cup match rather than a league fixture, and it pits a Premiership side against Championship opposition. Limavady have home advantage and play at the higher level, but their form in recent weeks has been inconsistent.
Rathfriland travel in better shape, with that three-game winning run fresh in the memory, even if their season record against similar-level opponents has been patchy overall. How that recent upturn holds up against top-flight hosts is the open question here.
Squad lists and player details
Squad and player details
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L. Doherty | Northern Ireland | 21 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| D. Brown | Northern Ireland | 28 | Midfielder | 180 cm | n/a |
| J. McCready | Northern Ireland | 36 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| J. Moffatt | Northern Ireland | 21 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| L. McKendry | Northern Ireland | 25 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| P. Owens | Northern Ireland | 43 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| A. Whiteside | Northern Ireland | 25 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| R. Doherty | Northern Ireland | 30 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| A. Pomeroy | Northern Ireland | 29 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| M. McCrudden | Northern Ireland | 35 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| L. Tosh | Northern Ireland | 23 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| J. Tennant | Northern Ireland | 26 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| M. O'Kane | Northern Ireland | 34 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| I. Parkhill | Northern Ireland | 36 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| E. Devlin | Northern Ireland | 20 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| C. McCloskey | Northern Ireland | 31 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| S. Lowry | Northern Ireland | 40 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| J. Butcher | Northern Ireland | 24 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| R. Boorman | Northern Ireland | 25 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Jake Wallace | Northern Ireland | 22 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Loughlin | Northern Ireland | 25 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| Peter Telford | Northern Ireland | 44 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Jonathan Scannell | Northern Ireland | 33 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Stephen Hughes | Northern Ireland | 39 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| Nigel Prentice | Northern Ireland | 33 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Marty Havern | Northern Ireland | 39 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Andrew Kilmartin | Northern Ireland | 43 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Robert Graham | Northern Ireland | 28 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Jonathan Roy | Northern Ireland | 39 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| Daryl Evans | Northern Ireland | 32 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| Joshua Buchanan | Northern Ireland | 29 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| Harry Campbell | Northern Ireland | 25 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Ross Black | Northern Ireland | 38 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| Jonathan Parr | Northern Ireland | 40 | Goalkeeper | n/a | n/a |
| R. Burns | Northern Ireland | 21 | Goalkeeper | n/a | n/a |
With no market price to weigh up and both sides blowing hot and cold in recent weeks, there isn't enough to back a clear favourite here.
Rathfriland's form is the more encouraging story right now, but it has come against Championship sides rather than a Premiership team on their own ground, which leaves plenty of uncertainty.
Who will win?
