'My dad was my biggest fan, I wish he was here to see Irish Cup win'

In a quiet moment of solitary reflection following the chaos of Cliftonville's Irish Cup win, Gerard Lyttle's thoughts immediately turned to his father. The club had just ended 45 years of misery by lifting the famous trophy at Windsor Park .

And one constant throughout was his father - also called Gerard and known as 'Skin' - who sadly passed away in March, 2022. "When I was coach under Bressy , and then as manager, my dad always had a seat there. When I walked off the pitch I would look over and see him smiling. He joked that his dad, who died in March 2022, would have "had someone by the throat" following the axe.

"When my contract wasn't renewed with Northern Ireland, he would have been up in arms. He would probably have had someone by the throat. While his father's memory wasn't far away following this month's Irish Cup win, Lyttle says there was another man who was close to thought."I just remember Gerard from when I was a player, coach and manager. He was around the club the whole time in various roles, and then he was obviously chairman. I saw his desire to win the Irish Cup.

IFA Irish Cup Tommy Breslin Solitude Windsor Park

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