CLIFTONVILLE Ladies have boosted their squad just as they are about to begin their defence of the Irish FA Challenge Cup by bringing Toni-Leigh Finnegan back to the club.
The Northern Ireland international returns to Solitude after spending the last 18 months in Scotland with Aberdeen Women and will immediately be in contention to face Lisburn Rangers in the second round of this season’s Irish Cup.
Cliftonville had been keen to re-sign Finnegan as soon as she was released by Aberdeen at the end of the 2025-26 season and managed to secure her signature ahead of other suitors in both Northern Ireland the Republic of Ireland.
The desire to bring a player of her quality into the squad only increased after Cliftonville agreed a deal with Celtic to allow defender Fi Morgan to join the Scottish giants. Confirmation of that switch is imminent.
Ironically that match against Lisburn Rangers on Friday evening is a repeat of the 2024 final, which was Finnegan’s last match for the Reds before she made the move to Scotland.
The 23-year-old first joined Cliftonville even before she reached her teens and while working her way through the club’s youth ranks earned international honours at every level from under-15 to under-19 before making her senior debut against Ukraine at the Pinatar Cup in March 2020.
She was also in the team that beat Ukraine a year later to reach the Women’s Euro 2022 Finals in England.
Prior to leaving Cliftonville Finnegan was part of the team that won the club’s first ever Irish League title in 2022 before they went on to win a trophy treble in 2024, winning every game in the league along the way.
The Reds also won the Women’s Challenge Cup last season, defeating Linfield Women in the final.
