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Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts BBC Two Northern Ireland This video can not be played Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts BBC Two Northern Ireland Irish Cup semi-final Cliftonville 0-0 Dungannon Swifts (19: 45 BST) Stephen Alexander Cliftonville 0-0 Dungannon Swifts Kobei Moore cuts in from the right flank for Dungannon but his left-footed shot is off-target. Cliftonville 0-0 Dungannon Swifts Paul Leeman Former Glentoran captain on BBC Sport NI Cliftonville in the first five minutes are enjoying more of the ball and Dungannon are retreating and letting them have it. Cliftonville 0-0 Dungannon Swifts Cliftonville make strides on the right flank and although Joe Toole's cross is missed by Brian Healy in the middle, it falls to Micheal Glynn at the back post. He swings that trusty left foot, but his effort is well blocked by Shea Gordon. Cliftonville 0-0 Dungannon Swifts Dungannon break quickly and move the ball at pace but Paul Doyle takes an errant first touch just outside the penalty area and Cliftonville are able to snuff out the danger. Cliftonville 0-0 Dungannon Swifts Rory Hale swings in a deep free-kick from the left flank but it eludes everyone and drifts behind for a goal kick. Jonny Addis is eased out of the way as he attempts to get on the end of it, leading to appeals for a penalty from the Cliftonville support but Christopher Morrison firmly shakes his head. Cliftonville 0-0 Dungannon Swifts It’s perhaps indicative of the period of transition that Jim
Magilton has overseen in the past year that only four of the side which started
last season’s Irish Cup final between these two teams are in tonight’s starting
line-up. Another player who started for the Reds in that game – Shea Gordon
– is in the opposing line-up this evening following his January switch between
the clubs. Dungannon boss Rodney Mc Aree can call upon six players who
took to the field last May as the Swifts lifted the trophy for the first time. Cliftonville 0-0 Dungannon Swifts Referee Christopher Morrison gets the action under way at an
expectant Windsor Park. The national stadium pitch has borne the brunt of some
criticism in some quarters this season, but the ground staff has worked hard to
produce a decent surface ahead of back-to-back semi-finals tonight and tomorrow. Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts (19: 45 BST) Paul Leeman Former Glentoran captain on BBC Sport NI They are very evenly matched both sides. It is a massive occasion for both and I think it is going to be a very close encounter. Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts (19: 45 BST) Cliftonville make three changes from the side which lost 2-0 at Larne in last weekend's league game. Rory Hale returns from suspension while Reds boss Jim Magilton strengthens his defensive options by drafting in Shaun Leppard and Luke Conlan. Conor Pepper, Ryan Curran and Aidan Kelly drop to the bench, where they are joined by Keevan Hawthorne and Joe Sheridan following their return from under-age international duty with Northern Ireland. Dungannon boss Rodney Mc Aree also makes a trio of changes from his side's defeat at the hands of Coleraine a week ago. Declan Dunne, the hero of last season's penalty shootout success in the cup final, returns in goal, while there are also recalls for Leo Alves and Cahal Mc Ginty. They replace Alex Henderson, Caolan Marron and Mal Smith, who are listed among the substitutes for the Swifts. Cliftonville: Morrison, Toole, Leppard, Addis, Conlan, Glynn, Wilson, J Kelly, Hale, Mc Stravick, Healy. Subs: Ridd, Pepper, Curran, Gormley, A Kelly, Hawthorne, Sheridan. Dungannon Swifts: Dunne, Gordon, Mc Ginty, Wallace, Glenny, Kelly, Doyle, Bigirimana, Dillon, Alves, Moore. Subs: Henderson, Maguire, Marron, Knowles, Smith, Mitchell, Mc Allister. Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts (19: 45 BST) Dungannon Swifts boss Rodney Mc Aree said it is "going to be extremely difficult" for his side to progress past Cliftonville in their Irish Cup semi-final. The holders meet the Reds at Windsor Park on Friday in a game that will be live on BBC i Player in a repeat of last year's final which the Swifts won on penalties to clinch the Irish Cup for the first time. With Larne or Coleraine to come in the decider if they get there, Mc Aree knows his side face a tough task to retain the trophy, but he wants a big performance against Cliftonville to keep Swifts fans dreaming of the making that a possibility. "If you don't win a semi-final you don't have those memories [of winning a final], " he told BBC Sport NI. Dungannon manager Rodney Mc Aree and goalkeeper Declan Dunne celebrate after they win the Irish Cup final on penalties Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts (19: 45 BST) Dungannon Swifts and Cliftonville had relatively straightforward fifth round ties as they swept aside Ards and Dundela respectively without conceding a goal. In the sixth round, the Reds and Swifts beat the mid-Ulster duo, Glenavon and Portadown, respectively by two goals to one. Keevan Hawthorne, Shaun Leppard and Liam Mc Stravick were all on the scoresheet as Cliftonville swept past Loughgall in the quarter-finals, who they also beat on their way to winning the competition in 2024. Mc Aree's Swifts kept their cup defence alive as they also eased past Championship opposition in the shape of H&W Welders thanks to goals from Steven Scott, Cahal Mc Ginty and Kobei Moore. Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts (19: 45 BST) Dungannon Swifts wrote a new chapter in the history books at Stangmore Park last season when they lifted the Irish Cup for the very first time. The Swifts erased their penalty shootout agony from 2007's showpiece final against Linfield as they overcame Cliftonville on spot kicks to seal a famous victory for the County Tyrone side. Rodney Mc Aree's side showed their mettle to keep going despite Shea Kearney cancelling out John Mc Govern's first-half header and having to play for over an hour with 10 men after Steven Scott's dismissal. The Reds' relationship with the Irish Cup has been a love/hate one. Jim Magilton's side ended 45 years of hurt with a 3-1 win over Linfield in the 2024 final, then came out second best last year, and now have the opportunity to reach the decider for a third season in a row. The 2024 final will live long in the memory of the Solitude faithful especially after Ronan Hale's iconic second goal in extra time, when he ran two-thirds of the pitch to fire into an empty goal. After winning the cup seven times between 1883 and 1909 Cliftonville had to wait another 70 years for that legendary 3-2 win over Portadown in 1979. Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts (19: 45 BST) One point currently separates Dungannon Swifts and Cliftonville in the Irish Premiership table with Rodney Mc Aree's side coming out on top in two of their previous three meetings so far this season. A last-minute penalty from Adam Glenny sealed all three points for the Swifts in their last meeting six weeks ago. Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts (19: 45 BST) It's all or nothing for the four remaining teams in the Irish Cup this weekend as they battle it out for a place in May's showpiece final. Cup holders Dungannon Swifts, Cliftonville, Larne and Coleraine are the last ones standing in this season's competition with two mouth-watering semi-final ties up for decision. Not only is the glory of winning a major piece of silverware at stake but a place in the qualifying rounds of the Conference League is also up for grabs for the eventual winners. Windsor Park will host both last-four games - on Friday night and Saturday afternoon - with bumper crowds expected to be in attendance. Read here all you need to know about the ties. Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts (19: 45 BST) Watch highlights as Dungannon Swifts win the Irish Cup for the first time by beating Cliftonville 4-3 in a penalty shootout after the final at Windsor Park ended 1-1 after extra-time. Read the match report here. This video can not be played Highlights: Swifts beat Cliftonville on penalties to win first Irish Cup Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts (19: 45 BST) A reminder of the Irish Cup action ahead this weekend. Irish Cup semi-final fixtures Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts (19: 45 BST) Hello and welcome to our live text commentary of tonight's Irish Cup semi-final between Cliftonville and Dungannon Swifts. It's a meeting of last year's finalists with holders the Swifts aiming to reach back-to-back finals and retain the cup for the first time. Jim Magilton's side will aim to get revenge tonight after their penalty shootout heartbreak last May. As well as live text and in-play clips, we will have a stream of tonight's game on the BBC i Player and app with a report, highlights and reaction to follow. Thanks for joining us. Enjoy the game! Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.