Cliftonville vs Linfield 04/05/24

They will all no doubt be wearing glistening white shirts and accompanying ties in the relevant colour (red or blue today I guess) and all with a striking buttonhole in the proper colour to set off the ensemble. Football players, who probably rarely don a suit and tie, and are more at home in a tracksuit, will arrive at the match and step off the team bus in their cup final finery. It is another indication that this is a special day, a special occasion. Only two teams each year can enjoy the experience. Suitmakers across the land will not make their fortunes on cup final suits but boy do they all look dashing. Those of us of a certain age will no doubt remember Liverpool’s iconic white Armani suits which they donned for the FA Cup Final in 1996. They may have topped the charts in elegance but at the end of the match the cup was travelling to Manchester - Eric Cantona was on fire that day - rather than Liverpool. They do say clothes maketh the man. In a cup final suit everyone is a superstar, looking more likely to be destined for the catwalk rather than the penalty area. Of course it is not sartorial elegance that brings the cup home, but maybe, just maybe, on some occasions it just might help. Enjoy today’s show.

Players celebrating with their children on the pitch – self-explanatory with junior in the replica kit with daddy’s name on the back (last year the match referee even had his son in a mini referees kit!); The BBC’s Stephen Watson interviewing the goalscorers and managers in the corner of the pitch – ‘can you talk us through the goal?’. I am not sure if our forebearers at the Irish FA, at their inaugural meeting on 18 November 1880 when deciding to have a Challenge Cup competition, would have envisaged all that the Irish Cup Final now represents. One common theme across the decades, however, is the trophy. The striking original Irish Cup stands proudly in the Irish FA’s Education and Heritage Centre in the stadium (and is well worth a visit). It was retired when the silver became too delicate. Its replacement is also a magnificent trophy, which is on show and ready to be presented to the winners today. Naturally, the ribbons featuring the colours of the winning team will be attached to it when it is presented to the victorious captain and players. But of all the cup final fripperies, the one I like most is the cup final suit. Players, backroom staff and board members of the competing clubs will arrive in their pristine cup final suits. Whether two- or three-piece, single or double breasted, they will be perfect accompaniments to the main event.

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