History in the Making in Ulster Minor Decider

Dale Farm Ulster Minor Club Football Championship

Publication: Irish News

Date: 11th January 2002

Clontibret will be out tomorrow to stop history being repeated in the final of the Dale Farm Ulster Club Minor Football Championship and to make a little piece of history themselves.

Only once in the 19 years of this popular teenage tournament, organised by the St Paul’s Club in Belfast, has a club won the Ulster senior and minor double in the same season.

Bellaghy did it in 1994 when they took the senior title, ironically beating Clontibret by a point in the final, and then went on to win the minor honours, as well.

OK, you may argue that the minor final wasn’t played until New Year’s Day 1995 but it was still the same season’s action. So, too, is tomorrow’s decider in the U18 race at St Paul’s Shaw’s Road complex (2pm) between Clontibret and Ballinderry. It was ‘Mr Snowman’ who pushed back this decider.

Ballinderry put together back-to-back Ulster minor titles in ’96 and ’97 but Clontibret has still to get their name on the Jimmy McConville Cup. The Farney fellows reached the final in ‘95 but lost to a Johnny McBride captained Loup team – the nearest that a Monaghan club has come to winning the title. Now, the O’Neill’s are poised to write their own piece of history.

“We are very happy to be in the final again and we will certainly do our best to complete the full house and bring the honours to Monaghan for the first time. This is the only county in Ulster that hasn’t produced a winner and it’s time we did,” stresses Clontibret secretary Frank McManus.

This could be quite a final with two teams that are packed with talent. Teams that play a nice brand of football, concentrating on their own game in a sporting fashion.

It took extra time to separate Ballinderry and Cavan Gaels in the quarter-final before the Derry boys won by 2-15 to 1-12 and they then accounted for Clonoe in the semi-finals.

Clontibret squeezed past Tempo and then turned in a great second-half show last Sunday in ousting St Gall’s.

Dessie Mone, despite his continuing hip injury, turned in a stormer as did Brendan Og Magennis and the Corey twins, Vincent and Martin.

However, it was a solid team performance with the half-back line of Marius McGarrell, Magennis and Pauric Duffy snuffing out the strong St Gall’s half-forwards during the second period. Clontibret expect to have an unchanged line-out in the final.

Ballinderry’s worry concerns centre-forward Brendan Conway who damaged his ankle in a challenge game with St Patrick’s Maghera last Sunday.

“Brendan has just a 40-60 chance of playing,” reveals Shamrocks PRO Marty McErlean.

“His absence would be a big blow to us. He’s a member of our senior panel and an excellent attacker. We have only a small minor panel and we need him.”

The Shamrocks panel may be small but it’s experienced as the squad has won an All-Ireland Feile na nOg title and six Derry U16 championships in a row.

A lot could hinge on midfield. Ronan McCusker and Michael Muldoon will need to curb the Coreys to allow a good supply of the ball to the Ballinderry attack.

“If our lads get a good supply up front they will use it. They have scored 11 goals in our five games to get this length. Of course, we must also hold tight in defence,” points out Marty McErlean.

Ballinderry have been awarded the AIB Derry Club title and Clontibret will collect the Monaghan honours. The minor title would greatly add to the celebrations, never mind that bit of history.