Relations between Cliftonville and Linfield were on a downward curve yesterday after Cliftonville had been removed from tomorrow's scheduled IFA Cup final against Portadown at Windsor Park.

It followed the revelation in a letter sent to the IFA by Linfield on Monday that Simon Gribben, a GAA minor inter-county player who came on as a substitute for Cliftonville in their semi-final replay win over Linfield, had played for another club in an earlier round of the competition. The player has been suspended for two matches.

Since Linfield didn't file a protest within 48 hours of the game, they couldn't be re-admitted to the competition and the trophy, together with a place in next season's UEFA Cup, goes to Portadown.

It's the first time since 1920 that the IFA Cup has been won by default. In that year, immediately before the north-south split, Shelbourne were awarded the trophy when the teams in the second semi-final, Belfast Celtic and Glentoran, were both disqualified.

Gribben's ineligibility is not contested by Cliftonville who say that they were not aware that the player was cup-tied until Linfield brought it to the attention of the IFA. If the offence is not contested, however, the manner in which the information was disclosed certainly is.

Linfield officials say that they did not file an official protest, only a letter seeking clarification of the situation in the light of information which had been made available to them that Gribben was ineligible to play in the semi-final. That, however, is interpreted by Cliftonville as a hair splitting exercise.

"We admit that we were in breach of the rule by unknowingly playing an ineligible player," said club director Jim Boyce, who also happens to be president of the IFA. "What disappoints us is the manner in which Linfield made the matter public in the first instance.

"Common courtesy and football practice demanded that they let us have the information in advance, chairman to chairman or secretary to secretary. They didn't do that and it disappoints us."

Marty Quinn, the club manager, said: "It was an honest mistake on our part and we're prepared to take it on the chin. But some of the things that were done in an underhanded way were unacceptable."

Ken Pritchard, chairman of the Senior Clubs Committee who made the decision, said: "We spent two hours trying to find a solution but at the end of it all. we arrived back at the same dilemma - Cliftonville were in breach of Rule 3 and the only punishment was disqualification."

Stressing that they had not officially protested, a Linfield spokesman said: "All we did was to ask for clarification of information which was freely available in Belfast over the weekend - nothing more."

Between them Cliftonville, Portadown and the IFA stand to lose more than £100,000.

It represents a significant blow to the bridge-building programme put in place last year to harmonise relationships between the two clubs; Linfield are perceived as a stronghold of unionism with Cliftonville a symbol of nationalism in west Belfast.

For Cliftonville it's another heavy body blow in a depressing season which has seen their fortunes dwindle at an alarming rate. Just 12 months after winning the Irish League championship, they now meet Ards next Tuesday in the first leg of a play-off to avoid relegation.