Reds being stripped of League Cup 'not Man City-esque' – Lynch

Cliftonville manager Brendan Lynch says being stripped of the Women's League Cup is "not quite Man City-esque" after an administration error denied the club the chance at a domestic treble. The Reds beat Glentoran 4-0 in the final at Seaview in July but the result was overturned after it was ruled that Cliftonville had fielded two ineligible players. The Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL), which runs the competition, said it was a registration error and Cliftonville, who were fined £500, had shown integrity and complied with the process. Cliftonville beat Glentoran to the Women's Premiership title and the sides meet again in the Women's Challenge Cup final at Windsor Park on Saturday, which is live on BBC iPlayer.

While Lynch feels that losing the chance to complete the domestic treble is "unfair" despite a dominant performance in the League Cup decider, he acknowledges "it is what it is". "It's not quite Man City-esque, it's a technicality if you want," Lynch told BBC Sport NI, as he referenced the English club's guilty verdict of breaking the Premier League's financial rules. "We put it aside and we go on. There's no point dwelling on it, we have to go forward and that's it." Caitlin McGuinness had scored twice in the final while Kirsty McGuinness and Danielle Maxwell – who was one of