WASP Solutions League Cup | |||
Country | Northern Ireland | ||
---|---|---|---|
Teams | 42 | ||
Champions | Cliftonville (3rd win) | ||
Runners-up | Crusaders | ||
Matches played | 41 | ||
Goals scored | 154 (3.76 per match) | ||
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The 2013–14 Northern Ireland Football League Cup (known as the WASP Solutions League Cup in the final for sponsorship purposes) was the 28th edition of Northern Ireland's secondary football knock-out cup competition, and the first season under the control of the Northern Ireland Football League. It was contested by the 12 members of the NIFL Premiership and the 30 members of the NIFL Championship. The competition began on 13 August 2013 and ended on 25 January 2014 with the final. The competition was without a principal sponsor up until the final, as Irn Bru ended their sponsorship following the conclusion of the 2012–13 competition. WASP Solutions became the Cup's new sponsor in January 2014.
Cliftonville were the defending champions after defeating Crusaders 4–0 in the 2012–13 final to become the sixth different winner of the cup in six seasons.Newington made their debut in the competition this season, following their promotion to the NIFL Championship for the first time in the club's history.
In a repeat of the previous season, Cliftonville and Crusaders met in the final once again, which was played at Solitude for the first time. Cliftonville retained the trophy to lift it for the third time by winning 3–2 on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra time. They became the first club to retain the trophy since Linfield won three consecutive cups in 1997–98, 1998–99 and 1999–2000.