The 1987–88 Gold Cup was the 69th edition of the Gold Cup, a cup competition in Northern Irish football.[1]

1987–88 Gold Cup
Tournament details
Country Northern Ireland
Teams14
Defending championsGlentoran
Final positions
ChampionsLinfield (30th win)
Runner-upNewry Town
Tournament statistics
Matches played52
Goals scored156 (3 per match)

The tournament was won by Linfield for the 30th time, defeating Newry Town 3–0 in the final at The Oval.[2]

The format was again changed for this season, with each team playing the other teams in their section once plus one match against a team from the other section. The top two from each section progressed to the semi-finals.[3]

Group standings

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[4]

Section A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Result
1 Linfield 7 6 1 0 28 4 +24 19 Advance to semi-final
2 Larne 7 4 1 2 14 7 +7 13
3 Ballymena United 7 3 0 4 7 11 −4 9
4 Crusaders 7 3 0 4 7 11 −4 9
5 Portadown 7 3 0 4 6 14 −8 9
6 Coleraine 7 2 1 4 9 12 −3 7
7 Carrick Rangers 7 2 1 4 6 15 −9 7

Section B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Result
1 Newry Town 7 6 0 1 13 2 +11 18 Advance to semi-final
2 Glentoran 7 5 0 2 19 9 +10 15
3 Distillery 7 3 1 3 9 16 −7 10
4 Cliftonville 7 3 0 4 10 10 0 9
5 Glenavon 7 2 1 4 9 11 −2 7
6 Bangor 7 2 0 5 6 16 −10 6
7 Ards 7 1 2 4 5 10 −5 5

Semi-finals

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Team 1  Score  Team 2
Glentoran 2–0 Larne
Linfield 2–1 Ards

Final

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Linfield3–0Newry Town
McGaughey   17', 42'
Baxter   39'
Knell   44'
Report Buchanan   44'
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Sidney Spence (Lambeg)

References

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  1. ^ "Irish League Archive, Gold Cup". Irish League Archive. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Gold Top Blues". Ireland's Saturday Night. 14 November 1987. p. 1.
  3. ^ "Good As Gold For £1,000". Belfast Telegraph. 21 August 1987. p. 22.
  4. ^ "TNT Gold Cup". Ireland's Saturday Night. 10 October 1987. p. 12.
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