Hoops dismay at league exclusion

The exclusion of Donegal Celtic from the IFA's new league could sound the death knell for the club, a senior official has claimed.

Portadown, the most successful club outside Belfast, are also left out of the IFA Premiership.

However, Bangor, missing from the top flight since 1996, and Institute, have been accepted into the new league.

Raymond Bonner, Donegal Celtic chairman, said the IFA "did not realise what the move meant to the community".

"This is a body blow to our club, this is almost a killer blow to our club," Mr Bonner said

"Donegal Celtic has been an institution in west Belfast."

"Now, people are going to say, 'Do you really want to be there now, is it not just time to say, here, enough's enough'."

Portadown were excluded from senior soccer next season after losing an appeal against rejection due to an administrative error.

Bangor have been accepted into the new league despite coming third in the first division, normally not good enough to merit promotion.