| QUARTER-FINAL - Thursday, 11th August, 1988 - Solitude |
| CLIFTONVILLE 0 |
| - |
| BALLYMENA UNITED 1 |
| (Pyper '80) |
| Team: ... |
| Match Description: ... |
| SEMI-FINAL - Thursday, 6th October, 1988 - The Oval |
| GLENTORAN 0 |
| - |
| BALLYMENA UNITED 1 |
| (Conville '52) |
| Team: Grant, Nicholl, Smyth, Scott, Elliott (sub Hamilton), Donnelly, Conville, Donaghy, Pyper, Quinn, Simpson. Sub (not used): Love. |
| Match Description: ... |
| FINAL - Friday, 25th November, 1988 - The Oval - Attendance: 1,000 |
| BALLYMENA UNITED 1 |
| (Dougherty '6) |
| NEWRY TOWN 2 |
| (Magee '30; Hawkins '76) |
| Newry Town Team: O'Shea, McLaughlin, Hawkins, Buchanan, Gray, Ralph (sub Murphy 88), Fay, Crawley, Magee, Patterson (sub McGuinness 64), Cunningham. |
| Ballymena United Team: Grant, Scott, Smyth, Garrett, Donnelly, Young, Conville, Hamilton, Pyper (sub Quinn 79), Dougherty, Simpson. Sub (not used): Donaghy. |
| Referee: Walter Clarke (Newtonards) |
| Match Description: The final was in doubt after a number of bomb alerts in Belfast distrupting the attendance, but United started well when the game did get underway. They took the lead in the sixth minute when John Garrett found David Dougherty who fired low and hard past Brian O'Shea. Newry equalised on the half hour through Marty Magee, and on 76 minutes referee Walter Clarke awarded a penalty to Town after John Garrett handled in the box. Eamon Hawkins tucked the ball past Damien Grant to seal Newry Town's first ever senior trophy. |
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