Cliftonville Strollers were officially crowned NIFL Academy League U18 champions at the weekend.

NIFL Chief Operating Officer Steven Mills presented skipper Oilibhear McCart with the trophy at half-time in the Cliftonville-Glentoran Premiership clash at Solitude.

Marc Smyth's side clinched the title earlier this month with victory over Coleraine thanks to a Kevin McGuinness strike after half-an-hour.

Indeed, McGuinness' goals played a huge part in their success this term with his tally standing at 15 to date with four games left to play.

Keevan Hawthorne, who has recently made the breakthrough into the senior panel, is hot on his heels with 13 goals to his name while Shay Reid (9), Owen Mahoney (6), Ryan Corrigan, Coran Madden, Joseph Sheridan and McCart (5) also making significant contributions.

The Strollers secured top spot with a number of games to spare after having won all 24 out of their outings up until that point, scoring a remarkable 84 goals along the way and conceding just 16.

Cliftonville now go forward to take their place in the UEFA Youth League next season, only the second club from Northern Ireland to do so following Coleraine's exploits back in October 2022.