The Irish Premiership season was filled with drama, tight title races, and intense rivalries. Clubs will have varied reflections on their performance as the 2025-26 season concludes.
The rain rarely stopped, but neither did the drama nor talking points during a dramatic season in the Irish Premiership.
From the tight title race, heated rivalries and the bid for survival at the bottom of the table, there have been plenty of moments that will go down in the history books.
For some clubs, it was a season to remember and for others, they were counting down the minutes until it ended.
BBC Sport NI takes a look back at how each Irish Premiership team will reflect on the 2025-26 season.
Larne deservedly lifted this season's Irish Premiership after an impressive campaign.
The Inver Reds finished 22 points behind champions Linfield last season and despite plenty of changes and setbacks off the pitch, the side managed to slip under the radar at the start of this season, began strongly, and never looked back.
Defensively, Larne have shown once again that they are hard to break down with new signing Matt Ridley, who picked up the Football Writers' Player of the Year, a standout player and goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson registering 21 clean sheets and playing every minute of the 38-game Premiership campaign.
"We dug in, it was a far from straight forward season," said boss Gary Haveron.
"We were written off by so many people, and I don't think too many people gave us much of a look in and that maybe worked in our favour as we were able to get on with our work."
A concern in the summer will be that key striker Andy Ryan is now out of contract.
Haveron will be keen to have the Scot stay as they aim to defend their title and bring the Irish Cup back to Inver Park for the first time.
It has been a whirlwind season for the Bannsiders, who finished second in the Premiership and won the Irish Cup for the first time since 2018.
Marquee signings such as Joel Cooper and Will Patching have impressed during their first season and, if the side can keep the bulk of this squad, it certainly looks like one that could contend for many more trophies.
European football next campaign and the backing of owner Henry Ross also give them the chance to strengthen in the summer ahead of a huge year for Ruaidhri Higgin's men.
A lot of pressure was put on the side with the signings that they made, and fans will certainly be content with what they witnessed this year.
Finishing the campaign just three points off the Inver Reds, scoring 10 more goals than anyone else and with silverware in their trophy cabinet, it was certainly a season to remember for Coleraine.
A season filled with so much potential, ended up a frustrating one for the Glens.
It looked like the east Belfast side were at least going to finish runners-up in the league, but a late stumble, paired with Coleraine's fine form, saw them finish third and they only secure European football automatically thanks to the Bannsiders' Irish Cup triumph.
The Glens did not have issues scoring and netted 73 goals, the second highest in the Premiership with striker Pat Hoban finished the campaign as top goalscorer.
However, they were unable to gain points against title challengers in key moments and only won two of their final six games.
A season with no silverware will be considered an unsuccessful one by many in east Belfast as the long wait for green, red and black ribbons on the Gibson Cup continues.
European football and a trophy on paper sounds like a favourable campaign but, for a club like Linfield, it will not be considered one.
Qualifying for Europe was crucial for their summer budget and this off season, the Blues will need a rebuild in the transfer window.
After winning last year's Premiership so convincingly, this season, they never really challenged the top three teams and their early Irish Cup exit against eventual Championship winners Limavady United did not act as the kickstart for a good league run that some thought it may be.
However, they did manage to lift the BetMcLean Cup after defeating rivals Glentoran meaning boss David Healy, impressively, still has only had one year in charge of the Blues without silverware.
Losing captain Chris Shields through injury for majority of the season was big blow but Healy will be keen for a season full of more positives next year if they get their summer business right.
Cliftonville fans will be relieved to see the end of a season that has had plenty turbulent moments.
The Reds finished fifth in the Irish Premiership and faced penalty shootout disappointment in the County Antrim Shield final, the BetMcLean Cup quarter-final and the Irish Cup semi-final.
Off the pitch, there was much excitement when club members voted to accept a takeover proposal from the Toronto Investment Group in April last year.
However, in January, the potential investors withdrew their proposal before chairman Kieran Harding stood down, as well as directors David Begley and Adrian Keenan.
"It's a really poor end to what has probably been a really poor season. It was a lot of what-ifs," manager Jim Magilton reflected after being beaten by the Swifts in the European play-off semi-final.
"It's going to make it harder because [no] European money means budgets will be sliced and you have to cut your cloth accordingly."
It was always going to be a challenge for Rodney McAree's side to replicate last season's triumph, when they lifted the Irish Cup for the first time.
However, they nearly defended their trophy this season but lost 3-2 in a thrilling final against Coleraine.
The Swifts bounced straight back and defeated Carrick Rangers and Cliftonville to advance to the European play-off final.
However, they fell at the final hurdle and were comfortable beaten by Linfield at Windsor Park.
Next season, McAree will be hoping the side can not only regain the Irish Cup and secure European football, but improve on their goal difference.
Only Crusaders conceded more times this campaign with their goal difference 31 worse than the rest of the top six.
Silverware and a record-breaking points tally, it has been a great campaign for Carrick Rangers.
During his first full season at the helm, Stephen Baxter's guided the side to their first senior trophy since 1993 as they won the County Antrim Shield thanks to a penalty shootout victory against Cliftonville.
There have been vast improvements from Carrick's 11th placed finish the previous season when a convincing 8-3 aggregate victory over Annagh United in the promotion/relegation play-off secured their Premiership status for this campaign.
Coming into the 2025-26 season, 12 players left with Baxter putting his stamp on the side and bringing in plenty of Irish League experience which paid off.
One negative of the season was that they couldn't keep the momentum going in the European play-off, when the side were beaten 3-1 by the Swifts.
All eyes will be on how Portadown fare next season with David Jeffrey at the helm, after a solid 2025-26 campaign.
Under Niall Currie, the side registered some impressive wins including beating champions Larne 2-1 and Linfield 2-0 at Windsor Park.
A frustration will be the number of goals that the side scored as they managed to find the net just 44 times, which is less than the clubs around them.
Since the announcement that 61-year-old Jeffrey will take over as manager, there has been a sense of excitement around the club with captain Gary Thompson highlighting this in his final interview as interim boss.
"A legend of the local game, everyone knows what David Jeffrey is about; winning football games first and foremost," Thompson said.
"It is a big signing for Portadown and I have no doubt he will push the club on."
A season full of inconsistency again plagued Ballymena United.
It started so brightly for the Sky Blues, but ended with a ninth-place finish, just three points clear of the promotion/relegation play-off place.
A huge positive was new manager Oran Kearney's ability to bring in striker Igor Rutkowski, who scored nine goals in 11 appearances after joining from Armagh City in January.
The upcoming window will be huge for former Coleraine manager Kearney as the Sky Blues fans will not want to finish as close to the relegation spots next campaign.
"Coming in midseason, it is hard to do," Kearney said.
"Very much the pressure was on staying clear of the Crusaders and Glenavon fight and we kept that at arm's length."
Bangor's first season back in the top flight in 15 years was a successful one.
Not only did the side seal Premiership for next season with games to spare, but they also registered some impressive results throughout the campaign including an early win over Cliftonville and a draw against the Inver Reds.
A number of their younger players have stood out, including 19-year-old Harry Lynch who had a successful first season in the Premiership.
"I am so proud of the players and how well they have done to stay in the league when people gave us no chance," manager Lee Feeney said.
"That was important, I am pleased with the outcome over the 38 games."
Crusaders will file this season under one that 'must not happen again' after the side had to defeat Annagh United on penalties to secure their spot in next year's Irish Premiership.
The north Belfast side managed to secure a shot at survival after an encouraging post-split run sealed 11th spot and a place in the relegation/promotion play-off after it looked like Glenavon may pull off an impressive comeback and send the Crues down automatically.
There have been positive points from the season, including how much of an impact summer signing Fraser Bryden, who finished the season with the second most goals, had. A challenge during the off season will be if they can keep the sought-after Scot at the club.
"This season's been a rollercoaster. Parts we have done well and large parts we haven't done well," boss Declan Caddell said.
"We're a young team, a really young team. What they've done this season won't go unnoticed."
Falling just short of what would have been one of the most commendable relegation escapes in recent years, the Lurgan Blues will play in the Championship next season.
Their undoing ultimately was down to their bad start under previous boss Paddy McLaughlin as they failed to secure a point in their opening 11 fixtures.
They also conceded 50 goals before the January window with their goal difference significantly impacted.
The job that Michael O'Connor pulled off since October was a commendable one, but the damage was already done before his tenure and they had too much of a mountain to climb.
It is no surprise that Glenavon were quick to offer O'Connor a new contract as they aim to bounce straight back up to the top-flight next season.
"We need to rebuild again, we are taking a step back in the Championship to hopefully take two steps forward. That is the aim," O'Connor said.
"A lot of work to be done in the off season for which players we keep and what players we bring in. It is going to be huge the recruitment."
The season featured a tight title race, heated rivalries, and significant survival battles at the bottom of the table.
The performance varied by club, with some experiencing memorable seasons while others were eager for the season to end.
Teams faced challenges including fierce competition for the title and struggles to avoid relegation.
The season is noted for its dramatic events and moments that will be remembered in the league's history.
Catch the Geneva Open, Internationaux de Strasbourg, and Hamburg Open this week!
Kentucky Wildcats' Coaches Scout Top Prospects at Nike EYBL
Liverpool suffered a 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa, impacting their Champions League qualification hopes. The team now faces Brentford at Anfield needing a win to secure their spot.
Melbourne football showcases strong offense and new defense in 44-0 spring game win.
Celtic faces Hearts in a crucial title decider at Celtic Park!
Jose Mourinho is set to meet with Florentino Perez to finalize his return to Real Madrid next week.
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.