How difficult is it to win back-to-back Irish Cups?

Dungannon Swifts will set out to win the Irish Cup for the second season in a row when they take on Coleraine in the final at Windsor Park on Saturday.

Rodney McAree's men held their nerve to beat Cliftonville on penalties in last year's decider to win the competition for the first time.

Now the Swifts will aim to write more history by becoming only the seventh side ever to win the competition back-to-back.

They will aim to follow Lisburn Distillery and Linfield (who have both won it three years in a row), Cliftonville, Glentoran, Belfast Celtic and Crusaders in doing so.

So, just how difficult is it to retain the Irish Cup?

There is no better man to ask than current Limavady United and former Crusaders and Linfield midfielder Philip Lowry.

Lowry has enjoyed a distinguished career in Irish League football with plenty of trophies, including six Irish Cup final victories.

During his first three years with the Blues, Lowry won the Irish Cup three years on the spin in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

After making the switch to Crusaders in 2016, Lowry enjoyed three more Irish Cup final successes, one in 2019 then two-in-a row in 2022 and 2023.

When reflecting on his "really special memories" of his various Irish Cup wins, the 36-year-old said that the enjoyment of the occasion and celebrations that come with the first victory is key to teams embarking on more cup runs and winning the final again the next year.

"I think once you get a taste for it, the occasion, how grand it is on the day, with the suits and the big crowds, it whets the appetite for more," he told BBC Sport NI.

"It comes with getting that experience of that winning feeling. It's something you never want to let go of. I'm sure Dungannon players will have fantastic memories of last year's final and will want to emulate it this year."

Lowry scored in Linfield's 2-1 win over Portadown in the 2010 final, Crusaders' 3-0 victory over Ballinamallard in the 2019 decider and their 4-0 triumph over Ballymena United in 2023's final.

Uniquely, the 2011 and 2012 wins both came for Linfield with victories over Crusaders, while the Crues' back-to-back triumphs came with two wins against Ballymena.

He said the build-up to the second final against the Sky Blues in 2023 was difficult given the Crues had scored two late goals to snatch the Irish Cup from Ballymena the year before.

Their opponents were seeking revenge a year on, but Lowry scored the third in a thumping 4-0 win in the sunshine at Windsor Park to help the Crues retain the cup.

"It's a strange one when you play the same opposition back-to-back. We played Crusaders twice at Linfield and both those games were on a knife-edge even though we won one of them more comfortably. They were really tight games," he added.

"The Ballymena ones, the first one was the biggest one as we kind of stole the cup from them and then it was billed as a revenge mission in the second one and it didn't pan out for them. We ran out and played really well and were deserved winners.

"There is added spice when you come up against teams in back-to-back finals. It's not something that tends to happen very regularly, but you just have to be professional about it. The best team always wins the cup."

Lowry, who is on co-commentary for Saturday's final which is live on BBC Two Northern Ireland and BBC iPlayer, also believes that the fact the Swifts have kept together the majority of the squad that experienced winning the cup last year will help them deal with the pressure to deliver again this year.

"There's always loads of pressure in cup finals because there is more that goes into it than just the trophy on the day. There is now the carrot of European football and the financial windfalls that brings, so there is always pressure," he continued.

"If you win it previously, the experience stands you in good stead because you know what to expect on the day, how big the occasion is and how fine the margins can be. Being in a final before certainly helps."

Rodney McAree's side will be underdogs again, as they were in last year's final against Cliftonville, given Coleraine's recent run of form and the Swifts' poor end to the league campaign.

Lowry believes that the cup may have served as a "lovely distraction" for the Swifts during an inconsistent season and that they will be determined to create some more history, show their newfound Irish Cup pedigree and get back into Europe without having to navigate the play-offs.

"Both teams are coming into it on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of form. Coleraine have been imperious since the split, won all five games but Dungannon have lost all five of theirs.

"They have been there last year and shown they can cause upsets. They're always really difficult opposition and I wouldn't be writing them off. In Rodney McAree they have a fantastic manager who has been there and done it.

"It would be amazing for the club. To win one and follow it up back-to-back would be unbelievable. I'm sure the players that were in that panel last year will be looking round and telling the newcomers in the squad how big a day it was and about the celebrations that went on for days and weeks."