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© Moyola Park AFC
Moyola Park pictured during the 2019/2020 season
There can be no doubt that Moyola Park's place in the annals of Northern Ireland's footballing history will be forever assured.
Not only were the club amongst the founding members of the fledgling Irish FA, their landlord Lord Spencer Chichester acted as first President of the association and, above all that, they defeated Cliftonville 3-0 in the final to become the inaugural winners of the prestigious Irish Cup in 1881.
Despite such impressive beginnings, Moyola Park decided not to enter the Irish League when it was launched in 1890, electing instead to play in junior circles for much of their existence.
Indeed, it wasn't until the 1970s that the club began to make their presence felt outside their locality again. They lifted the IFA Junior Cup in successive seasons, 1972/73 and 1973/74, before stepping up a level towards the end of the decade upon the formation of the Northern Ireland Intermediate League.
Success followed in the early 80s in the form of the Craig Memorial Cup in 1981/82, but it was still a further ten years before Moyola gained admission into the old Irish League 'B' Division, the second tier of domestic football.
After several seasons of consolidation at that level, Moyola enjoyed a period of success with victories in the Smirnoff Cup, the Second Division championship and five Craig Memorial Cup wins in six years between 2001 and 2007.
