Crusaders FC

Crusaders FC
	Crusaders FC
Basic data
Surname	Crusaders Football Club
Seat	Belfast
founding	1898
Colours	Red Black
Website	crusadersfc.com
First soccer team
Head coach	Stephen Baxter
Venue	Seaview , Belfast
Places	3,383
league	NIFL Premiership
2019/20	3rd place
home	Away

The Crusaders FC is a Northern Irish football club in Belfast , in the NifL Premiership plays. The club, founded in 1898, plays its home games at the Seaview Stadium . The club colors are red and black.

history

founding

The club was founded in 1898 by a founding committee in the house of Thomas Palmer on North Queen Street in north Belfast not far from today's Seaview Stadium , which included three other founding members in addition to Palmer with James McEldowney, John Hume and Thomas Wade. Although there was initially disagreement about the name, it was finally decided in favor of Thomas Wade's suggestion with "Crusaders" based on the Christian crusaders of the Middle Ages, an internationally more meaningful club name.

Until it was accepted into the local amateur league, the club initially only played friendly matches. Already in the first demonstrable encounter on December 10, 1898, the Crusaders FC was able to convince with a 5-2 victory over an opponent named Bedford. The so-called "Glen" in what is now Alexandra Park in North Belfast is considered to be one of the first venues for the Crues. Crusaders FC changed homes several times in the following years and played in different locations in north Belfast until the opening of the Seaview Stadium in 1921.

Early years

Until it was accepted into the Intermediate League in 1921, the club played in several lower-class leagues in various Belfast boroughs. In the following years, the Crusaders became one of the leading amateur clubs in the country. But although the club achieved their greatest success in the 1925/26 season by winning the championship in the Intermediate League for the first time, the path to the Irish League , Northern Ireland's top football class then and now, was initially blocked. The lack of understanding about the rejection of the application for admission to the Irish League was so great within the club that at times even an application for admission to the Scottish League was no longer ruled out. The Crusaders remained in the amateur camp until after the Second World War .

post war period

It was not until 1949 that Crusaders FC finally joined the Irish League and replaced Belfast Celtic FC at the beginning of the 1949/50 season as a result of its departure from the league. Although the club celebrated a promising debut on August 20, 1949 with a victory in the City Cup against Portadown FC , after a mixed season in the Irish League, which was finally finished in penultimate place in the table, they had to worry about relegation again . The fighting spirit of the Crues, however, prevented worse and the team proved in the following years that they had the necessary stamina to survive in the upper house of Northern Irish football. All of this culminated in the 1953/54 season with the first title win, when the Crusaders, led by player-coach Jackie Vernon, surprisingly defeated favorite Linfield FC 2-1 in the final of the Ulster Cup . This success could not hide the fact that the Crusaders FC in the Irish League during the 1950s did not get beyond mediocrity and in the 1957/58 season even had to tremble again to stay in the league.

1960s and 1970s

It was not until the 1960s that more successful times awaited the North Belfast Club, which initially brought another win in the Ulster Cup and two titles in County Antrim Shield. But these successes were overshadowed by two consecutive triumphs in the Irish Cup towards the end of the decade . In the 1967 cup final they had completely unexpectedly defeated the almost overwhelming team of Glentoran FC , but the title defense against Linfield in the following year caused almost unlimited euphoria in North Belfast. The first appearances of the Crusaders at European level did the rest. These almost legendary years were only overshadowed by a major fire in July 1966, which devastated parts of the local Seaview stadium and caused considerable damage.

The reconstruction of the stadium, which lasted until the early 1970s, was completed in time to give the Crues a worthy setting for two more milestones in the club's history. Because by winning the championship title in the Irish League in the 1972/73 and 1975/76 seasons, the "Hatchetmen" achieved something that hardly anyone had previously thought possible. Winning the title in 1976 brought Crusaders FC to an unforgettable encounter in the European Cup against Liverpool FC . The English champions and later European Cup winners, who were made up of stars like Kevin Keegan and John Toshack , had to admit defeat 2: 0 at Anfield Road .

1980s and 1990s

In the following years, however, the club was no longer able to build on the successes mentioned, especially since the funds for expanding the team were simply not available. Although the Crues showed consistent performance throughout the 1980s, they lacked the potential to repeat the triumphs of the previous decade. Only under her coach Jackie Hutton, who with Roy Walker had not only signed a suitable leader of the North Belfast Elf, but also a possible successor in the coaching office, but not least with the help of promises from potential donors, the course was finally set for the way back put the top.

Almost two years after his engagement as a player, Walker finally took over the fate of the club himself as a player-coach in 1989, just at a time when the club had to fear relegation as the second-to-last. Walker was able to circumvent this cliff and in the following months and years laid the foundation for the most successful period of Crusaders FC in sporting terms. Winning the Country Antrim Shield in 1992 marked the beginning of a veritable flood of titles and trophies that would last until 1997. The runner-up and victory in the Ulster Cup in the 1992/93 season was followed two years later by the longed-for third championship in club history, a triumph that the Hatchetmen even managed once again in the 1996/97 season.

Following these successes, Crusaders FC now also showed an international presence. The Crues were able to compete in the European competitions with teams from Switzerland, Denmark, Lithuania and Georgia, even if the big hit was naturally not to be found here. With the resignation of Roy Walker in July 1998, just days before the centenary of the club's foundation, the Crusaders slowly lost that glamor that had surrounded them in previous years.

2000 until today

Walker's successor in the coaching office also had to find out that the fat years for the Crues were over for the time being. The in July 2000 signed coach Gary McCartney was able to avert relegation in the play-off matches against Lisburn Distillery during his tenure . However, the meager budget and the growing resignation in the area around the club moved him to throw in the towel after only one year.

His successor Alan Dornan, a veteran Crusaders defender, should fare no better. Although he was able to achieve the most important goal initially with relegation in the following year, the Crusaders were at best stuck in the middle of the league. Under Dornan's leadership, however, the necessary change in the team took place. But with the drastic rejuvenation of the gaming staff, there was also a visible lack of experience. The overall hapless acting Dornan was replaced by Stephen Baxter during the season in February 2005 despite reaching the finals in the County Antrim Shield competition. But even Baxter, who as a long-serving Crusaders striker could count on the support of the fans, could no longer prevent the looming relegation to the Intermediate League. As a result of the play-off games against Glenavon FC , Crusaders FC had to leave the top division for the first time since joining the Irish League 56 years earlier after the 2004/2005 season.

Despite this sporting setback, the Crues managed as champions of the Intermediate League in the following season, the direct rise. The efforts of Stephen Baxter and his team were also rewarded with two further titles, which the team was able to secure in the Intermediate League Cup and the Steel & Sons Cup. After returning to the Premier League in 2006, the four-time champion has since established himself in the upper midfield again. The fact that the Crusaders can always be good for one or the other surprise was again demonstrated in the 2007/08 season when they unexpectedly won the final in both the Country Antrim Shield (1: 2 against Glentoran FC ) and the League Cup (2: 3 against Linfield FC ) reached.

As a fixed starter in the newly founded IFA Premiership , which was reduced to 12 teams , the Crues lost in the final spurt of the 2008/09 season not unexpectedly the connection to the "Big Two", the two favorite Belfast clubs Glentoran and Linfield . With a final third place, the club reported impressively back in the upper quarter of the Northern Irish football club after a long lean period and had also qualified again for a European competition after a decade of abstinence.

However, the absolute highlight of the 2008/09 season was the Irish Cup, in which the club reached the finals for the first time since 1980 after clear victories over Portadown (5-2 in the quarter-finals) and Lisburn Distillery (4-1 in the semifinals). Here they met on May 9, 2009 in a new edition of the North Belfast Derby on local rivals Cliftonville , who had eliminated both the eventual champions Glentoran and defending champion Linfield on the way to the final. Ultimately, a goal from Mark Dickson in the second half was enough for the Hatchetmen to secure the cup again after 41 long years with a narrow and ultimately happy 1-0 win.

successes

Irish League : 7
- 1972/73, 1975/76, 1994/95, 1996/97, 2014/15 , 2015/16 , 2017/18
Irish Cup : 4th
- 1966/67, 1967/68, 2008/09, 2018/19
Irish League Cup: 2
- 1996/97, 2011/12
Setanta Sports Cup : 1st
- 2012
Gold Cup: 2
- 1985/86, 1995/1996
Ulster Cup: 3rd
- 1953/54, 1963/64, 1993/94
Carlsberg Cup: 1st
- 1973/74
County Antrim Shield: Aug.
- 1959/60, 1964/65, 1968/69, 1973/74, 1991/92, 2009/10, 2017/18, 2018/19
IFA Intermediate League: 1
- 2005/06
IFA Intermediate Cup: 3rd
- 1926/27, 1938/39, 1939/40
Intermediate League Cup: 1
- 2005/06
Steel & Sons Cup: 8
- 1922/23, 1926/27, 1928/29, 1930/31, 1933/34, 1936/37, 1947/48, 2005/06
Irish Intermediate League: 9
- 1922/23, 1925/26, 1926/27, 1928/29, 1930/31, 1932/33, 1937/38, 1938/39, 1948/49
McElroy Cup Winners: 3rd
- 1929/30, 1931/32, 1947/48
Irish Football Alliance: 3
- 1915/16, 1916/17, 1917/18
Clement Lyttle Trophy: 3rd
- 1915/16, 1917/18, 1924/25
Empire Cup: 1
- 1905/06
Polland Cup: 1st
- 1903/04

European Cup balance sheet

season	competition	round	opponent	total	To	Back
1967/68	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1 round	Spain 1945 Valencia CF	2: 8	0: 4 (A)	2: 4 (H)
1968/69	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1 round	Sweden IFK Norrköping	3: 6	2: 2 (H)	1: 4 (A)
1973/74	European Champions Cup	1 round	Romania 1965 Dinamo Bucharest	00:12	0: 1 (H)	00:11 (A)
1976/77	European Champions Cup	1 round	England Liverpool FC	0: 7	0: 2 (A)	0: 5 (H)
1980/81	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1 round	Wales AFC Newport County	0: 4	0: 4 (A)	0: 0 (H)
1993/94	Uefa cup	1 round	Switzerland Servette Geneva	0: 4	0: 0 (H)	0: 4 (A)
1995/96	Uefa cup	Preliminary round	Denmark Silkeborg IF	1: 6	1: 2 (H)	0: 4 (A)
1996/97	Uefa cup	Preliminary round	Lithuania 1989 Vilnius FK Žalgiris	2: 3	0: 2 (A)	2: 1 (H)
1997/98	UEFA Champions League	1st qualifying round	Georgia 1990 Dynamo Tbilisi	2: 8	1: 3 (H)	1: 5 (A)
2009/10	UEFA Europa League	1st qualifying round	North Macedonia Rabotnički Skopje	3: 5	1: 1 (H)	2: 4 (A)
2011/12	UEFA Europa League	2nd qualifying round	England Fulham FC	1: 7	1: 3 (H)	0: 4 (A)
2012/13	UEFA Europa League	1st qualifying round	Norway Rosenborg Trondheim	0: 4	0: 3 (H)	0: 1 (A)
2013/14	UEFA Europa League	1st qualifying round	Norway Rosenborg Trondheim	3: 9	1: 2 (H)	2: 7 (A)
2014/15	UEFA Europa League	1st qualifying round	Lithuania Ekranas Panevėžys	5: 2	3: 1 (H)	2: 1 (A)
2014/15	UEFA Europa League	2nd qualifying round	Sweden IF Brommapojkarna	1: 5	0: 4 (A)	1: 1 (H)
2015/16	UEFA Champions League	1st qualifying round	Estonia FC Levadia Tallinn	( a ) 1: 1(a)	0: 0 (H)	1: 1 (A)
2015/16	UEFA Champions League	2nd qualifying round	Albania KF Skënderbeu Korça	4: 6	1: 4 (A)	3: 2 (H)
2016/17	UEFA Champions League	2nd qualifying round	Denmark FC Copenhagen	0: 9	0: 3 (H)	0: 6 (A)
2017/18	UEFA Europa League	1st qualifying round	Latvia FK Liepāja	(a)3: 3 ( a )	3: 1 (H)	0: 2 (A)
2018/19	UEFA Champions League	1st qualifying round	Bulgaria Ludogorez Razgrad	0: 9	0: 7 (A)	0: 2 (H)
2018/19	UEFA Europa League	2nd qualifying round	Slovenia NK Olimpija Ljubljana	2: 6	1: 5 (A)	1: 1 (H)
2019/20	UEFA Europa League	1st qualifying round	Faroese B36 Tórshavn	5: 2	2: 0 (H)	3: 2 (A)
2019/20	UEFA Europa League	2nd qualifying round	England Wolverhampton Wanderers	1: 6	0: 2 (A)	1: 4 (H)