Chris Gallagher determined to play his part in ending Cliftonville's 44-year wait for Irish Cup glory

The Reds last reigned supreme in this tournament back in 1978/79 when they defeated Portadown 3-2 at Windsor Park, but haven’t been able to get over the line in any of their four finals since – including one against the Bannsiders (2017/18).

These two are familiar foes having met in the sixth round of the same tournament last season when Cliftonville won on penalties, while they’ve also contested both a BetMcLean League Cup semi-final and final in recent years.

Since the start of 2022, the pair have faced off 13 times across competitions with the Reds winning nine, Coleraine twice and two league meetings ended in draws.

As the list of potential opponents began to whittle away at Wednesday’s draw, there was a sense of inevitability about the outcome for Gallagher and he’s relishing the opportunity to play in the standout fixture.

"It's exciting,” he said. “It's probably the standout tie – we're sick of seeing Coleraine in cup ties over the last few seasons!

"We can only play what's in front of us and that's Coleraine again so it's one we're looking forward to. It'll give that extra bite to it and it'll be a big occasion. There's talk that there will be a game on Friday night so that could be the one streamed with plenty of eyes on it.

"It's 44 years since Cliftonville have won it so it has that bit of extra meaning to it for us with the players and fans wanting to do well. It's going to be a tough ask, but hopefully we can put a good run together."

Gallagher has played a key role this season to help Jim Magilton’s men roar into Premiership title contention with the Solitude outfit sitting just two points adrift of current leaders Linfield, who have one game in hand over them and second-placed Larne.

Only the Blues (44) have scored more league goals than Cliftonville (43) this term while they boast the best defensive record having conceded a measly 10 times in 19 outings to date.

They host Glentoran on Saturday where they’ll be aiming to maintain the momentum created by winning four league games on the spin.

"I'm loving it,” added former Shrewsbury Town midfielder Gallagher. “Things are going really well and we're still in the mix in the league which is key and we'll take it game by game and see where it takes us.

"We want to be a team that is exciting to watch and get our fans off their seats. We've the second-most goals in the league so we're doing something right.

"Momentum is very important. You can have little hiccups along the way but it's important when you get to the next game that you try to get the win and we're on a bit of form now so we'll look to take that into the next games. The festive schedule is busy but it's important that you keep that momentum going into the new year."