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ARMAGH assistant-manager Kieran Donaghy is adamant there is “another gear” in the Orchardmen this summer.
Armagh have a chance to prove him right today when they host Antrim at the Athletic Grounds in a meeting of two of Ulster’s in-form counties. Enda McGinley’s Saffrons won four out of four in their Division Four promotion campaign but they face a step up in class against an Armagh outfit that lost just once in Division One.
“The way we went out of the Championship last year against Donegal, certainly we’d tell you there’s another gear and there has to be another gear,” said Donaghy.
“The boys have their chance on Sunday to go out there and put in a performance and that’s the way it has to be.
“Antrim are coming with such confidence, they haven’t lost a game this year and are moving forward. They’ve won all types of tight games, they’ve won games that have been difficult and they’ve figured out ways to come back and win. Winning is a habit so they’re a very dangerous obstacle and one that we have to be playing at our best and delivering on the stuff we are working on on the training field.
“That’s the focus of this group now. If you do that it gives you opportunities to possibly do better than what we’ve done in the past.”
Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney went four seasons without a win in the Ulster Championship until the barren run ended with a 2019 quarter-final success against Down. The Orchardmen beat Derry at the same stage last year but then came a cropper against Donegal and lost by 12 points.
Donaghy says there is a determination in the Armagh dressingroom to make a long-awaited breakthrough in Ulster this year.
“Absolutely it’s a big goal for us to deliver in the Championship,” he said.
“It is a focus point that we do perform and for this group it’s all about performing in the Ulster Championship now with their League status secured.”
Coming from a county were football is a religion, it’s a surprise that Donaghy rates the mentality in McGeeney panel as superior to that in Kerry and he attributes that to the work of McGeeney.
“The mentality is probably better because of the culture that Kieran has developed over the last six years,” he said.
“They are a fantastic group with the time they put into it, how professional they are, the leadership group on the players’ side and the message they constantly drive… It has been a huge learning curve for me to see how much work Kieran has done over the last number of years, it is starting to hit home with the players and they are really driving it on.
“It is a player-led culture. Whereas in Kerry what has gone before will carry a certain amount of weight, these players are really trying to forge their own story and their own history. They’ve climbed through the divisions and managed to stay up in a very tight group this year.
“They were probably at a low ebb when Kieran took over. I think the culture they have and how serious the players take it and how they prepare for sessions and how they prepare for games, how intelligent they are – you can see the work Kieran and the other managements have done.
“They’re at the stage now were they’re in the top eight teams in the country and trying to improve. That’s a good place to be.”
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Having secured Division One status for another season, expectations and hopes are growing in Armagh.
Their track record in the Ulster Championship has been poor over the past decade, which followed a decade of dominating Ulster, and the target of an Ulster final is a realistic ambition.
First up for Armagh is Antrim in the Ulster quarter-finals on Sunday, at 3pm in the Athletic Grounds.
Antrim will be underdogs but after securing promotion out of Division Four they will be confident of claiming a scalp especially with Tyrone native Enda McGinley at the helm.
Armagh are without long-term injured Aidan Nugent, Mark Shields and Ethan Rafferty, while Paddy Burns is also unlikely to be fit, but Aidan Forker, James Morgan and Ryan Kennedy should play some part.
Armagh captain Stefan Campbell impressed in his last outing against Roscommon, and he feels that his team is in a good place at the minute, but he isn’t taking anything for granted.
“We are moving well and kept our status in the top tier and obviously mixed emotions because we were a bit disappointed not to make the semis, but I suppose we just turn out focus to Antrim,” Campbell said.
“We want to get any injuries concerns cleared up and just give us the best chance to go in with the best players at our disposal as possible. We are not underestimating the challenge Antrim pose.”
Armagh’s League campaign was already a mini-Ulster competition with mostly positive performances and results and the Orchard captain feels it should be good preparation for Sunday, but he expects all the teams to change tactics for the championship.
“I suppose it could have benefited us in a way, Ulster games are tight and hopefully we showed we deserve to stay in Division one and that helps us going into the championship,” said Campbell.
“We had our sights set higher, we wanted that semi-final slot and we were bitterly disappointed to miss out especially having matched Tyrone on league points. We just slipped below that, but we can take confidence that Donegal and Tyrone are being talked in the same breath as Kerry and we were able to compete. And that is all we showed, we showed we can compete by staying up and now it is onto the next task, which is Ulster.
“I think teams were coming out to play a little bit more expansive than they usually would [in the national league]. I think due to the heavy scores some teams conceded might force them to change their hands slightly. They might tighten their shores up and limit the goal chances. Hopefully not for the purists.”
Following the departure of Jim McCorry, manager Kieran McGeeney brought in Ciaran McKeever and Kieran Donaghy and the Armagh captain feels that the Kerry All-Ireland winner has made a huge contribution.
“A young coach and new to the game but because he has been that player, he has been the star of the show and an important player and also that impact sub, I think his biggest impact to the forward line is that he can relate to everybody,” Soupy said.
“He can relate to Rian O’Neill, Oisin [O’Neill]or Conor Turbitt who is coming off the line every game. “He is going into his recent history and examples from his career, and he is being genuine. Every player in the forward line can use his experience and can pick his brain.
“I think it is benefiting us as a team to make us play for one and other. There is a lot to be said for doing your own thing in the field, everybody wants a chunk of the limelight, and it is just a matter of burying that ego or whatever it is and trusting the man beside you that he can do everything that you can do. I think we have seen bits of that coming to fruition in the League and hopefully that will go up another level in the Championship.”
He has only had the best part of six to eight weeks with us, let’s hope with another few weeks under his belt we can go another level.
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“I’m looking for that Danny McAlinden ’cos he whupped my brother and I’m gonna sort him out…”
Muhammad Ali
THE final count. One, two, three… A champion breathing his last.
Four, five, six, seven… His partner Angie holding his hand as the seconds tick away.
Eight, nine, 10… Danny McAlinden, the British and Commonwealth heavyweight king, the man who knocked out Jack Bodell and beat Ali’s brother at the Garden, passes away peacefully at 4am on Monday, March 8. He was 73.
What a man he was in his prime! Big Dan, blonde-haired with the twinkle in his eye… The stories he could tell, the people he’d met, the men he’d beaten….
Danny was born in Newry on June 1, 1947 and first boxed at the city’s Bosco Club before he followed his father Patrick and his uncles on the boat to England, a week short of his 15th birthday.
There was no red carpet rolled out for immigrants in those days, no matter where they came from.
‘No blacks, no Irish, no dogs’ read crude signs in racist’s windows but Danny and his father found a place on St Patrick’s Road in Coventry to lay down their heads.
Before long they were travelling England building concrete garages.
Even at 15, Danny was built like a concrete garage. Broad shouldered and strong, he did a full day’s work and got a man’s wages (‘the full whack’) for his efforts. The McAlinden’s worked hard, put a few bob away and put down roots in Coventry.
Danny got a job at the Standard Motor Company in the city and was soon drawn to the sounds of skipping feet and fists on punchbags coming from Edgwick ABC at the Trades Hall which was attached to the company.
He began training with George Middleton at Edgwick and after success in England ABA’s, turned professional in 1969. His debut was in a prizefighter tournament at the World Sporting Club in Mayfair, London at which the recently-deceased Prince Phillip was a regular.
They called him ‘Dangerous’ and his style was uncomplicated and explosive. He came out swinging and knocked out three opponents, including future Ali challenger Richard Dunn, in succession to win the tournament and trousered a very tidy £1,000. Not bad for starters!
“He was very proud of that, he used to say (Norn Iron accent): ‘I knacked out three people on the wan night’,” recalls Angie, his devoted partner for the last 32 years of his life.
Angie first met Danny when their daughters were in the same class at nursery school together in Coventry. By then Danny was already a bit of a celeb and beloved by the city’s Irish diaspora.
Paul McKenna (owner of Armagh GAA sponsor Mac-Interiors) was brought up in Coventry and the champ was a regular visitor to the family home.
“He was good friends with our local barber Alan,” recalls Paul, who moved to Newry with his family aged 13 (Danny had gone the opposite direction as a 15 year-old).
“I brushed up in the shop and I enjoyed meeting the champ when he came in. He always got free haircuts – even when there wasn’t much to cut! I always remember his wit was razor-sharp!”
Perhaps he’d just come out of Alan’s barbers when he turned up at the nursery school in his white Mercedes one afternoon?
“You would see these enormous twinkling eyes and the blonde hair,” says Angie.
“I used to just say ‘Good morning’ to him and take Sophie in but one day he jumped out of the car and said: ‘Will you come and have dinner with me?’
“I said: ‘Oh, I’d love to but I couldn’t possibly even think about it’. We were both married, but not to each other! Off he went.”
Twenty years later they met by chance in a theatrical agent’s office in London’s West End. Danny tried his luck again.
“He said: ‘Is it you Angie?’
“I said: ‘Yes’.
“He said: ‘Let me buy you a cup of coffee?’
“We had a coffee and we were together for the next 32 years! There was never a dull moment with him. One day we were in London, where we lived and there was a charity abseil down this enormous office block going on. Suddenly he disappeared and I thought: ‘Where on earth has he gone?’ I looked up and there he was coming over the top of the building on a harness…
“He was the most amazing person, he truly was.”
Legend
IT’s a good bet that Angie would have spent a decent percentage of those 32 years with Danny listening to tales of glory days in the ring.
It was an appearance in Ring Magazine that paved the way for his most famous fight – a spot on the undercard of the ‘Fight of the Century’ – still the most famous rumble in history - in 1971 between Muhammad Ali and his great rival Joe Frazier at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
50 years to the day before he passed away, Danny fought Rahman Ali at the boxing Mecca and his victory was the first blow on a bad night for the Ali family because ‘Smokin’ Joe’ won the headline act on points.
“I met Danny several times and he always seemed so dignified,” says boxing broadcaster and writer Steve Bunce.
“His Ring Magazine status at the time and his slot on the Fight of the Century undercard remain very impressive. I loved the McAlinden, Bodell, Dunn, Johnson scraps from the 1970s – it was the fifties in colour. Danny would do some damage now – his punch power was no joke!”
With 300 million watching around the globe, that victory at the Garden was McAlinden’s most famous win but not the one he treasured most according to Angie.
“However, wonderful that was, he always said the best fight of his life – when he was totally ready and totally trained – was Bill Drover, the Canadian champion,” she said.
“He always said that was the one he was most proud of.”
Danny knocked out Drover in the fourth round and, with a hit-or-get-hit attacking style, his fights were action-packed. In 1972, then 25, he became the first Irishman to win the British and Commonwealth titles when he knocked out defending champion Jack Bodell at a raucous Villa Park, Birmingham.
It was a barnstormer of a scrap from the start. A succession of booming right hands thudded into Bodell’s lantern jaw and the heavyweights fell in a tangled heap twice during the opener.
McAlinden dropped Bodell 20 seconds into round two with another sledgehammer right and then threw hell for leather, battering him on the ropes until the referee eventually stepped in to stop it with Bodell on the canvas. McAlinden was lifted by his arms and legs and crowd-surfed on the horde of delighted fans who’d climbed over BBC commentator Harry Carpenter to invade the ring.
“He was proud he won the fight but he never thought it showed his true potential. He always felt it was a bit of a brawl,” says Angie.
He was managed by Jack Solomons (the legendary London match-maker whose many highlights included promoting Henry Cooper v Ali in 1963) and he treated Danny like a son.
After the Bodell win, Solomons matched McAlinden with an up-and-coming British heavyweight called Joe Bugner. McAlinden-Bugner would have been a massive event but it fell through when McAlinden unexpectedly lost what was regarded as a routine ‘tune-up’ against underdog Morris Jackson. Bugner went on to fight Ali (twice) and Frazier.
There was also talk of McAlinden challenging George Foreman but after he lost his British title to Bunny Johnston in 1975, his career went into decline. He won the Northern Ireland title (trained by then brother-in-law John Breen) but bowed out with a 31-12-2 record after a stoppage loss against Denton Russell back at Villa Park in 1981
“He was a very unassuming person and he never realised how well respected he was and how good he was,” says Angie.
“There were all sorts of problems – personal and political – within the boxing game that affected Dan very much and I think he felt that he never reached his true potential. I know he felt he could have achieved a great deal more.
“He felt he didn’t put enough into it or work hard enough because he had no realisation of how good he was and how loved he was. He was a very popular character in and out of the sport.”
Danny worked in security after boxing and also did some TV, appearing in The Bill, Eastenders and on The Catherine Tate Show.
Cancer ... and a Miracle!
DRIP, drip, drip... One day Danny left a photograph of himself and Muhammad Ali (the only copy he had) in a taxi. He mislaid his keys here, walked into a room and forgot why he did so there…
These things happen as you get older.
But a stage came when the episodes could no longer be dismissed as absentmindedness.
“He rang me one day and said: ‘I don’t know where I am’,” Angie recalls.
“We talked it through and he got his bearings and came home but it began then.
“He began to have little choking fits, clearing his throat a great deal and when he’d eat he’d be pushing his chest saying: ‘The food is stuck’. We thought it was indigestion and he didn’t want to go to the doctor but one day it got really nasty and he looked so poorly so I said: ‘Come on Dan, we’ve got to go’.”
The doctor was immediately concerned and tests confirmed that Danny had cancer at the base of his tongue. He was told him that his tongue would need to be amputated because a tumour ‘the size of a tennis ball’ had been discovered.
“In typical style, Dan said: ‘I’m not having that, I came onto this earth with a tongue and I’ll leave it with a tongue’,” says Angie.
He spent the next few months in hospital. He was unable to eat solid foods and had a feeding tube inserted. Eventually he got out of hospital and, exhausted, he slept around the clock as the radiotherapy and chemotherapy took their toll.
It reached the stage when doctors decided treatment was not working and they sent him home to enjoy one last Christmas with his family.
“They said it would be his last Christmas,” said Angie.
“So that was it – feeding tube, sleeping… Dan was a very good Catholic and so am I and we used to go to our local church to the healing service. Monks would come from Canning Town and it was a beautiful service.
“Then, as the weeks went by, he was getting a little bit better and the doctor said: ‘I think we can take him off the feeding tube’ and bit by bit he began to get stronger.”
Doctors couldn’t explain the improvement in his condition.
“The doctor said: ‘We don’t know why he’s improving, it’s nothing to do with me… I’m not really doing anything, I’m giving him some tablets but this is just a miracle,” Angie explained.
“His tumour was shrinking and I said: ‘Doctor we do have a very strong faith and we’re going to healing services’ thinking he would laugh at me but he said: ‘I would never poo-poo that, we can’t account for it and for nearly 12 years, until he died, Dan was the miracle of the London hospital.
“No one could account for the fact that the cancer disappeared. What had been so dark… he had been given weeks, three months maximum, to live but it just disappeared.”
Boxing was his Life
The reward for recovering from cancer should have been a long and contented old age but, in a cruel twist of fate, Danny was denied that. As the cancer went into remission and his physical health improved, his mental health deteriorated.
There were mood swings, sometimes violent, and tests confirmed the onset of dementia which doctors said had been caused by boxing. Angie attaches no blame to the sport.
“Boxing was his life, he loved it and he loved it all his life,” say Angie.
“He was part of the boxing fraternity and I would never wish that he hadn’t boxed.”
Danny did respond to treatment and led, Angie says: “Perhaps not a normal, everyday life but a happy life”.
“But bit by bit he began to deteriorate,” she adds.
“He had a fall and his knee began to play up until he had to go into hospital to have a replacement and he never walked properly again, he needed a stick or a walking frame.
“He began to wander and his confusion got quite bad. I was told that he would have to go into a home but I did everything I could to prevent that and I managed to keep him at home for a year because I promised that when it did come to the time I would let him go.”
Sadly, the time did come. In October last year the former heavyweight champion was admitted to a residential home and began to refuse to eat. By early January he was moved to hospital where doctors discovered that his cancer had returned.
“They knew at that point there was nothing they could do except make him comfortable but they phoned me and said: ‘You can come whenever you like’ and I spent the most beautiful weekend with him,” says Angie.
“I got there on the Friday, he couldn’t talk but he was able to squeeze my hand and understand everything.
“I was with him all day on Saturday, he had the last rights from our priest and on the Sunday, all the pain had gone, he was sleeping and waking and he listened as I told him how much we all loved him and I talked about the past and he died in his sleep at about 4am on the Monday morning of the 8th of March. I’m just thankful for that last weekend, it was just such a gift.
“That’s Dan. That’s our story.”
A fundraising page has been set up in Dan's honour in aid of the Building Bridges Boxing Club in Belfast. Go to: WWW.JUSTGIVING.COM
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Football News
U11 Boys' Football:
On Sunday morning (27/06/21) the U11 team travelled to Annaclone for a much-anticipated encounter.
With both teams thus far unbeaten a tight game was expected and supporters certainly were not disappointed.
Having played well in the first half the young seasiders were a couple of points to the good at half time.
In the 2nd half the Annaclone team picked things up considerably and reeled the away side in to run out winners in a closely fought and very entertaining match.
The coaches are extremely proud of this young Point team and even in defeat there were many positives.
U9 Football (Girls & Boys):
40 of our U9 footballers (girls & boys) were out in full force on Sunday morning (27th June) in St Mark’s and gave a great performance against a competitive Ballyholland side. It was great to see the efforts in training paying off in the matches. Well done to all the kids and coaches.
Hurling news
U13 Rankins defeat neighbours Clonduff
Clonduff 6-2
Patrick Rankins 5-10
The U13 Patrick Rankins travelled to neighbours Clonduff in the league.
Rankins were first to get on the scoreboard with a point from Jamie Lock, quickly followed by Danny Doyle with 1-1. Ciaran McMahon added a point and Conal Gallagher a goal. Clonduff replied to close the gap as the first water break loomed, leaving Rankins ahead on a score of 2-3 to 2-1.
After the short break Clonduff fought back and by half time they were in the lead by four points, 4-2 to 2-4.
Patrick Rankins composure and team work saw them make the game more competitive as they pushed on to win the game over the remaining 25 minutes
Team
Eoin Campbell, Tiernan Fitzpatrick, Niall McManus, Oliver Murdock, Senan Rogan, Danny Doyle (3-6), Conor Treanor, Ciaran McMahon (0-2), Malachi Sherwin, Conal Gallagher (1-0), Jamie Lock (1-2), Eoin Gorman
Ladies News
Age Group: U15 Ladies
Date: 27th June – 3:00pm
Teams: Cumann Pheadair Naofa vs Burren
Venue: Moygannon, Warrenpoint
Competition: League
Match Summary: The U15 ladies in blue, faced close neighbours Burren at Moygannon, in their latest league encounter. The match started at the later time of 3pm, meaning the girls were playing during the warmest part of they day, which added an extra element to this local derby. A cagey opening period saw plenty of action, but very few scoring opportunities. It wasn’t until the 9th minute of play that the first score came courtesy of Sydney Barnett with a point. The Blues continued to apply the pressure & got their rewards with further scores from Cliodhna Martin, another point from Sydney & a goal from Arianna Doyle, with Burren unable to register a score in the opening quarter. After the much-needed water break, it was more of the same, with Cliodhna converting the scores for Warrenpoint, taking a goal & a couple of points, Burren registered their first score of the match in this quarter, with a point.
Whatever was said to the Burren players at half-time clearly had an effect as they came out fired up for the second half. The half wasn’t even a minute old before Burren scored their first goal, to launch a fightback. The visitors had the better of the third quarter, taking a further three points, however the Blues kept at it popping over a few points of their own thanks to efforts by Megan O’Neill, Tara McGivern & a brace from Cliodhna. Heading into the final quarter, the Blues knew they had to keep working hard, even though the heat was starting to take its toll on both teams. Warrenpoint managed to finish the stronger of the two, with a goal & a point from Alicia Jones, another goal from Cliodhna & points from Lillie McClorey & Sydney. Burren certainly weren’t giving up & ensured the Blues had to keep working hard, with a goal of their own, inside the final 7 minutes. Warrenpoint held on to take their first competitive win of the season.
Well done girls!
Final score: Cumann Pheadair Naofa 4-13 Burren 2-4
Team Sheet: Sydney Barnett, Lauren Breen, Niamh Carr, Teagan Carvill, Amy Clifford, Arianna Doyle, Alicia Jones, Kiah Kinney, Anna Malone, Kate Mansfield, Cliodhna Martin, Lillie McClorey, Tara McGivern, Orla McLean, Megan O’Neill, Millie Power-Bagnelle, Shannon Quinn, Joanne Rooney, Emma Ryan, Caoimhe Sneddon, Muirin Sneddon (C), Aoibheann Ward
Upcoming Fixtures: 25th July vs Annaclone - Warrenpoint
Camogie News
The U 13’s got their first win of the season against the Newry Shamrocks.
Captained by Abigail Naughton who had 1 of four goals along with Alicia Jones, Olivia McFerran and Tegan Carvill who also had two points. Once again the girls showed great teamwork with Shannon Quinn and Annabelle Leddy having a solid match in mid- field while Fíanna Murney dominated defence.
The Girls take on Mayobridge next Saturday on home turf. Come on out to support them as they strive for another win this season.
Our U7, U9 and U11's travel to Clonduff this Saturday 3rd July, for their first outing of the season. Start time is 10.30am.
Training for all age groups continues every Friday evening in St Mark's, 6.15pm-7.15pm. Please ensure you have completed your health questionnaire before training and matches.
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Down were sent crashing out of the Ulster Championship at the first hurdle after they were mauled by Donegal in a one-sided affair at Pairc Esler.
Paddy Tally’s side went into the game with injured midfielder Jonny Flynn and leading forward Donal O’Hare and, despite the best efforts of Clonduff’s Barry O’Hagan who finished with eight points including five from play, the Mournemen were a distant second best on the day.
Donegal absorbed the loss of talisman and captain Michael Murphy after 25 minutes and a black card shown to Stephen McMenamin that reduced that to 14 men either side of half-time.
Jamie Brennan (Murphy’s replacement) seized on a Caolan Mooney fumble to score Donegal’s first goal late in the first half and, although Mooney goaled for Down with a fine finish after the break, goalkeeper Shaun Patton denied Ryan McEvoy and Paddy McBrearty’s goal and the red card shown to Down full-back Gerard McGovern meant the game was over as a contest long before the finish.
Afterwards manager Tally – who has completed three years at the helm – remained undecided over his future while Donegal, who had 10 scorers on the day and dominated the midfield battle, can now look forward to an Ulster quarter-final against north-west neighbours Derry in a fortnight’s time.
Down have been without a number of players this season including Kilcoo’s Johnston brothers (Ryan and Jerome), Shay and Ronan Miller from Glenn and Conor Poland and, after the loss, Tally said that the current provincial Championship has had its day.
“I’ve been saying for years that the system is flawed,” said the Tyrone native.
“There is a massive gap in the quality of the teams but the system doesn’t suit competitive football so I hope that the GAA sits down and realise that they have to change this. Otherwise what we’ll have is more players wondering: ‘Do we want to be part of this? Is there any chance of winning anything? Do we have a hope being successful?’
“It’s getting to the stage where it’s very difficult to break through and we’re finding that today.”
Down’s season has ended on the first weekend of Championship action after just five games and Tally argues that the limited amount of game-time available does not allow ambitious counties to develop players.
“I’m a big believer in playing matches,” he said.
“Even in a normal season you would be doing well to get 12 – seven in the League and if you got another five in the Championship you’d be doing fantastic but that’s still not a lot of games for six months’ of training. Let’s get more games!
“Run the competitions so the players have more matches and then you might have players who have the patience to stick at it and commit.”
Ulster SFC preliminary round final score: Down 1-12 Donegal 2-25
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The Ulster GAA Championship comes alive this Sunday when Down welcome Donegal to Pairc Esler.
Paddy Tally’s side goes into the game as massive underdogs as Donegal are favourites to lift the Anglo Celtic Cup and Michael Murphy’s reported return to fitness hasn’t dampened their ambition but that won’t matter once the ball is throw-in at 1pm.
The Down manager is confident in the side he has put together but he is aware it will take every player to be at the top of their game if they are to pull of a victory and he isn’t too concerned on how the bookies rate his chances.
“I’m not really a big believer in underdog or favourites tags. That’s someone’s opinion out there,” he said.
“We have to focus on our own performance and what we can do well and if that is good enough for us on the day then it will take us through. But really that is the key, we have to play well against Donegal, and it will take nothing less than a top-level performance to be able to compete.”
Down have already had a successful season, the win over Laois secured Division Two football and already it looks like a tough but exciting national league campaign next year.
“We knew the importance of the league; it was vitally important that Down maintained their status in Division Two and when you look at the teams that are going to be in next year it is a fantastic year,” Tally said.
Galway, Derry, Meath and Roscommon are some of next years opponents, no easy tasks but the type of games that Down can challenge and target results. It also breeds confidence ahead of Sunday’s big game and the Down manager feels his side are ready.
“You take the top or three teams in Ireland out of Division One there is nothing between the next five teams of Division One and the whole of Division Two,” he said.
“It is great to look forward to it but there is something special about the Ulster championship and the fact that we have a home game against Donegal who are one of the top teams in the country. “They have been pushing for an All-Ireland over the last number of years, so it is just mighty for these players.”
Down’s goalkeeper Rory Burns has been outstanding, with several magnificent saves against Laois and Westmeath. Donegal keeper Shaun Patton is an expert at kick-outs but if Down can disrupt him finding his target, they’ll have a great chance of springing a surprise. Ryan McHugh, Odrhan McNeilis, Ciaran Thompson, Patrick McBrearty and Michael Langan are all players that will need watching and stopped if possible.
Down have had to play this season without several key men, due to injury and commitment issues, such as Connaire Harrison, Pat Havern, Donal O’Hare and the Johnston brothers Jerome, Ryan and Sheelan, while their Kilcoo club-mate Dylan Ward didn’t return after getting taster last season.
They are all big game players and match winners, but Tally has put his faith in other players to step up and in many regards’ players such as Mayobridge’s Cory Quinn and Clonduff’s Barry O’Hagan have led Down’s attack, while their other star players such as Caolan Mooney, Gerard McGovern, captain Darren O’Hagan, Daniel Guinness, Burren’s Peter Fegan and Warrenpoint’s Paddy Murdock have all lifted their game.
And the Down manager has been happy with the response from his players and insists that competition for places is up for grabs ahead of Sunday’s game against Donegal.
“You have to accept that there’ll be changes on a yearly basis, Tally said.
“But if you look at this squad most have been in it for three years and we brought them in as development players from the U20s and they have established themselves as county footballers. “And that is part of the programme we are engaged with – to build a new squad. That is really positive, and this is a blank canvass for championship and whoever is playing well during training will be rewarded by being given game time.
“There will be places up for grabs until our last session, but if a player is in good shape physically, playing good form and tactically knows the gameplan and is a position to do what we need them to do then they are in a perquisite to put themselves forward. “
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The Euro Championships are underway signalling a feast of football in the coming weeks. But there’s nothing much to get excited about in the Newry area.
England, Scotland and Wales all qualified but neither the Republic nor Northern Ireland made it through to the last 24 this time.
Not like a long, long time ago when I was a wee boy.
Northern Ireland had made it through to the last 16 of the 1958 World Cup Finals in Sweden.
And Newry’s first sporting superstar was playing for the green-shirted Irishmen (and then they were all born and bred Irishmen).
In June of that year the Newry area was agog with excitement as a man from Chapel Street in our wee town set Sweden alight with his goal-scoring exploits.
It was the first time that Northern Ireland had qualified for the final stages of the World Cup and Peter McParland, then playing with English Division One side Aston Villa, was creating headlines all over the globe with his goal-scoring ability.
The then 24-year-old netted five times in the tournament and since then no player from Ireland has come anywhere near his tally in World Cup Finals.
I can vividly remember as a football mad youngster living in Linenhall Square watching the 1958 World Cup finals on a neighbour’s wee grainy14-inch black and white television set.
In those days, only one family in the Barracks, as it was commonly called, owned a television and when Northern Ireland played in the World Cup, I would tentatively rap on Mrs Linnie’s door and ask if I could come in and watch the match - and my hero Peter McParland.
“No bother,” the good lady would say as she ushered me into a packed living room. There every chair was taken and it was hard even to find a wee space on the floor to watch the games. Everyone wanted our local boy Peter McParland to do well and the player known to his own people as ‘Pricker’ most certainly didn’t disappoint.
But before the Finals in Sweden, Northern Ireland had to get there and they did so in a most remarkable manner. In December 1957 they were scheduled to play Italy in Belfast’s Windsor Park in their last qualifying match. I remember that occasion particularly well as my uncle Joe Morgan, (now reputed to be the oldest goal-keeper in the world at 92) had arranged to take me to see the game. I had never seen professional footballers in real life before and hadn’t slept for days before the game.
It was to be my first big match and Joe told me he would pick me up at the Stone Bridge at noon. As the match was on a Wednesday I got the day off school and excitedly made my way to my appointed pick-up spot. I arrived at 11.50am in eager anticipation. But my hopes of seeing the game were dashed as Joe forgot all about me and after waiting two hours, I trundled home in tears.
But the official match wasn’t played. That day the Hungarian referee Istvan Zolt was fog-bound in London and, with the Italians refusing to play the game under a deputy ref, the match was played out as a friendly. But never was the term ‘friendly’ more inapt as the match descended into a virtual free-for-all with players from both sides kicking lumps out of each other and at the end of the day the Italians had to be escorted off the pitch with the massive crowd of 58,000 fans baying for their blood.
The replay was fixed for January and this time my uncle Joe made sure I did get to see the game. That day Ireland qualified by beating the Italians 2-1 with goals from Wilbur Cush and Jimmy McIlroy. My late mother gave me three shilling (15 pence in today’s money) to pay into the match. I don’t know where she got the money as we were very poor and three shillings was a lot of money in the Bagnall household.
However, the money stayed in my pocket and probably went back to my mother as Uncle Joe and his brother Lou lifted me over the turnstyle into Windsor. And there I can remember standing pitch-side and gazing open-mouthed in wonder as my idols Peter McParland, and the Blanchflower brothers, Danny and Jackie, turned on the style.
I can recall the younger Blanchflower, then playing for Manchester United who were tagged ‘The Busby Babes,’ playing brilliant stuff at centre-half for Northern Ireland, tackling and heading like a colossus. Sadly this was to be one of his last ever matches as a few weeks later Jackie was seriously injured in the Munich Air crash and never played again.
Meanwhile at that time few fans had the money to travel abroad and only a handful of Northern Ireland supporters watched the games. Reputedly though a Newry man, Leslie Nichol made his way to Sweden on a moped!
Yet the Irish were not without fans as the Swedes adopted the boys in Green and gave them great support. And this support helped the Wee North to win their opening World Cup match against Czechoslovakia at Halmstad where our Peter set up Wilbur Cush to nod in the game’s only goal.
The second game in the competition was a disappointing one for the handful of Irish supporters, as Argentina won 3-1. But at least everyone in Linnie’s got to air their lungs as McParland scored Ireland’s goal.
The Wee North needed a result in their third game of the tournament to stay in the competition but this seemed a forlorn hope as their opponents were the current World Cup champions West Germany. Again the match was in Halmstad and after 17 minutes Linnie’s erupted as Peter McParland fired his side in front. Germany levelled, but once more that man McParland did the business with a second goal on 60 minutes. The champions squared the game again with 12 minutes left and would perhaps have won but for an amazing goal-keeping performance from Manchester United’s Harry Gregg – who shared the Man of the Match accolade with our Peter. Still Ireland could have won the game as, in the dying minutes, a McParland thunderbolt clipped the German woodwork.
Earning that draw meant that Ireland were then plunged into a play-off with Czechoslovakia. The match was played at Malmo and early on the Czechs edged in front. But cometh the hour cometh the man, and right on the half time whistle McParland latched onto a rebound from a Wilbur Cush shot to blast into the net. At full time the sides were still locked together at one apiece but nine minutes into extra time McParland surged onto a Danny Blanchflower freekick before volleying home the winner.
Ireland had made it through with an injury stricken side. They had a squad of just 16 players and after that match they had both their goal-keepers, Norman Uprichard and Harry Gregg injured as well as a host of outfield players. And in the quarter-finals they faced France, complete with hotshot striker Just Fontaine who would go on to crack in a record 13 goals in the tournament.
And, as expected, it was a no-contest game against a tired and crippled team and the French duly won 4-0. However, the exploits of Northern Ireland and in particularly Peter McParland will always be fondly remembered.
Incidentally our Peter scored just one goal less than a young Brazilian called Edson Arantes de Nascrimento, who was making his World Cup debut. In the final at Stockholm against Sweden that 17-year-old scored one of the greatest goals ever seen. Taking a long ball on his chest the youngster controlled it in a jiffy, hooked it over the head of a bemused defender before volleying into the bottom corner of the Swedish net.
Such a sweet score and that lad, known to all as Pele, who left the field in tears of joy, was to score a further 1000 goals in a dazzling career.
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Football News
U13 Boys' Football:
On Tuesday evening (15th June) the U13 boys welcomed neighbours Rostrevor to Milltown.
The Rostrevor boys started the match the stronger of the two teams and raced into an early lead. After the first water break, the Warrenpoint boys started to play better, however, they went in at half time 2 points down 1:4 to 1:6.
The second half started with boys in blue on top. They played some great football throughout the second half and took some lovely scores. In the end the team put in a great second-half performance which saw them pull away and emerge victorious.
The mentors and players would like to thank all the supporters who attended the match tonight. Their encouragement meant a lot to the boys.
U15 Boys' Football:
On Thursday evening (17th June) the U15 footballers narrowly lost a very competitive game to Clonduff. Overall, it was a good performance over the 60 minutes from the whole team. With a little bit more composure near the Clonduff posts the outcome may have been in Warrenpoint’s favour.
Clonduff finished the game stronger and more determined scoring the last 3 points of the game in the last 10 minutes to seal the victory for the Hilltown boys (Cumann Pheadair Naofa 0-11 Clonduff 1-11)
Next up is an away game v Burren on Thursday 24th June - all support welcome!
Hurling News
U13s battle hard against a strong Kilclief side
Patrick Rankins 0-1
Bredagh 5-4
Patrick Rankins welcomed Kilclief to a sun-kissed Milltown on Friday evening and although the score line looked like a white wash; the game told a very different story. The opening half was a low scoring and very close encounter with Ciaran McMahon quickest to respond from a short free to get Rankins off the mark. In fact, the first half was most notable for the performance of Oliver Murdock who, on numerous occasions he pulled off some point blank saves when Kilclief had broken through the Rankins rear-guard.
With the sides evenly balanced at 0-1 to 1-1 at the break, the power and strength of the visitors eventually started to tell their toll, as the visitors broke through for three quick goals to leave the hosts shell shocked inside the opening 5 minutes of the 2nd half.
Even though the result started to slip away from the hosts, Patrick Rankins battled hard for every ball and still managed to please and entertain the side-line & their supporters.
At the end of the game the score line didn’t reflect the overall evert of the home side and they eagerly look forward to next week’s encounter with Clonduff, which promises to be a real thriller!
Team: Oliver Murdock, Eoin Campbell, Jason Duffy, Niall McManus, Eoin Gorman, Danny Doyle, Ciaran McMahon, Conal Gallagher, James Curran, Conor Treanor, Charlie Phelan, Jamie Lock, Lorcan Rowntree, Malachi Sherwin
U11s go under to Ballela
Cumann Pheadaír Naofa 0-1
Ballela 8-4
Our Under 11s had to give way to a physically stronger Ballela side on Saturday morning. But the score line doesn’t reflect the immense effort the team put in, with most of Ballela's goals coming in the final quarter when injuries and tiredness caught up with Warrenpoint's youngsters, many of whom have two more years to play in this grade.
Darragh Murney was the Point's scorer on the day, with a tremendous free, one of many taken from distance. The side was captained by Ruadhan Williams and included Thomas Rohrs, Conor Rice, Tristan Dooley, Theo Gambold, Eddie Ng, Darragh Murney, Lorcán Rowntree, Morgan Brown, Ben
U15s win at home
Cumann Pheadaír Naofa 4-11
Bredagh 3-5
The blues welcomed Kilclief to Milltown on Sunday morning. Having missed several key players over the last few weeks through injury and other commitments it was a fully recovered side that took to the park. The welcome return of Conaire McMahon in goals was complimented by a steady and reliable Oisín McGivern in defence. Oisín Gambold & Mickey Keohane controlled the middle third of the field along with the hard-working Shea O’Hare & Ethan McFerran up front it wasn’t long before Mikey Keohane soloed through and smashed the sliotar to the roof of the net for an early lead the Strangford side battled back & three quick goals saw them in front by two points just after the first water break. Although the blues maintained their work rate & effort through points from Jamie Lock, Oisín Gambold & a second Mikey Keohane goal to lead by two at the break.
A great effort in defending along with some great clearances out of goals kept Kilclief scoreless until the dying minutes of the game as Oisín Gambold & Jamie Lock added goals to leave the home side nine-point winners at the final whistle.
Camogie News
On Saturday the U13 girls hosted an abundant team from An Riocht. The Blues were lead by the captain of the match Fíanna Murney and showed up to play. Their teamwork and effort were second to none. Goalkeeping was shared by both Blaíthnid Gambold and Lacey Close who never gave up. Tegan Carvill scored a goal and point as well as Abigail Naughton scoring two points. Come out and support Warrenpoint Camogie at their next match v. Newry Shamrocks
Training resumes each Friday, 6.15-7.15pm in St Mark's.
Ladies football News
Warrenpoint 2:12 V Saul 1:7
Outstanding performance from our Senior ladies in Saul on Saturday, starting off with the first point of the match to settle the heads, the ladies took the match in their stride leading at half time 0:2 to 0:8 with encouragement from the coaches the ladies knew the match wasn’t over as Saul were determined to get more points on the scoreboard but so were our ladies and they came away with the win! Brilliant performance from all players and subs on the night.
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BBC Sport NI will have live TV coverage of six matches in the Men’s Ulster Senior Football Championship this summer and for the first time will live stream the Ulster Ladies’ Senior Football Championship.
All four matches in the Ladies’ Championship will be streamed on BBC iPlayer and world-wide on the BBC Sport NI website starting with Armagh v Monaghan this Friday (18 June).
Oisin Langan will be on commentary and will be joined by All-Star Caoimhe Morgan for her verdict and viewpoints.
BBC Sport NI will also stream the first semi-final, between Cavan and Donegal, on Saturday 19 June, the second semi-final on Friday 2 July and the Final on Friday 6 August.
The TV coverage of the Men’s Championship will start with the preliminary round match between Down and Donegal on Sunday 27 June. BBC Sport NI also has live coverage of the quarter finals - Monaghan v Fermanagh, Armagh v Antrim, Derry v Down/Donegal, the semi-final on Sunday 18 July as well as the Ulster Final on Sunday 01 August. All the games will be broadcast on BBC Two Northern Ireland.
There will also be full deferred coverage of the other two games (Tyrone v Cavan, Saturday 10 July and the semi-final on Saturday 17 July) on BBC Two Northern Ireland later on those days.
Mark Sidebottom will present the television coverage and will be joined by All-Ireland winners Oisin McConville, Peter Canavan and Mickey Harte. Donegal’s Martin McHugh, who lifted the Sam Maguire in 1992, will also provide analysis, as will former All-Star and All-Ireland finalist Martin Clarke.
Thomas Niblock will be on commentary with Thomas Kane providing live updates from the sideline.
Award winning broadcaster, Tessa Fleming, who has won club Championships in Meath, Louth and Monaghan, will be interviewing the players and managers before and after the matches.
There will also be live commentary of every game in the Men’s Ulster Senior Football Championship on BBC Radio Foyle digital platforms and comprehensive previews, match-reports and analysis on the BBC Sport NI website and digital channels.
On radio, Orla Bannon will present BBC Radio Ulster’s coverage which will include live commentary of every game in the Men’s Ulster Senior Football Championship starting with the Down v Donegal tie.
The GAA Social podcast, available on BBC Sounds, will continue to tackle what’s trending with GAA fans each week with a host of big-name special guests focusing on contemporary issues that are shaping the sport.
Irish language commentary will also be available for the Men’s Ulster Final via the BBC Sport NI website.
BBC Sport NI Coverage
Ladies’ Ulster Senior Football Championship. Live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport NI website
Armagh v Monaghan Friday 18 June
Semi-Final Cavan v Donegal Saturday 19 June
Semi-Final Friday 2 July
Final Friday 6 August.
Men’s Ulster Senior Football Championship
Preliminary Round Down v Donegal Sunday 27 June (Live on BBC Two Northern Ireland)
Quarter Final Monaghan v Fermanagh (Live on BBC Two Northern Ireland)
Quarter Final Armagh v Antrim (Live on BBC Two Northern Ireland)
Quarter Final Tyrone v Cavan (Full deferred coverage on BBC Two Northern Ireland)
Quarter Final Derry v Down/Donegal (Live on BBC Two Northern Ireland)
Semi-Final Saturday 17 July (Full deferred coverage on BBC Two Northern Ireland)
Semi-Final Sunday 18 July (Live on BBC Two Northern Ireland)
Ulster Final Sunday 01 August (Live on BBC Two Northern Ireland)
BBC Radio Ulster
Live commentary of every game in the Men’s Ulster Senior Football Championship
BBC Radio Foyle Digital Platforms
Live commentary of every game in the Men’s Ulster Senior Football Championship
Podcast
GAA Social
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