Launch of the Tommy Heffernan Charity Shield
Shield in honour of highly-respected fixtures secretary
ON Saturday, September 2, Rathnew AFC and Ashford Rovers will contest the first ever Tommy Heffernan Charity Shield.
They earned that honour by being the reigning Premier and Wicklow Cup champions and will now battle it out to be the first side to have their named engraved on the plaque.
Tommy (pictured) was the former WDFL fixtures secretary who sadly passed away in May after a short illness.
He cast his net further afield than just Co. Wicklow. His first foray into a post-playing career saw him take charge of Pearse Rovers in the late 1970’s. Whilst there, he nurtured a young man called Paul McGrath who would develop into one of the finest footballers this country has ever produced.
Tommy guided the DDSL’s Kennedy Cup squad to glory in 1985 before getting involved in the administrative side of football. His roles varied from referee allocator to chairman of the DDSL.
After eight years at the helm, Heffernan moved closer to home as he took up the role as fixtures secretary of the WDFL.
Speaking about Heffernan, WDFL PRO Eoin Devlin said: “It’s a tribute to him and all the administration work he has done over the years for football but especially for Wicklow football in the most recent years.
“It’s a nice way to start the league which will be kicking off on the 9th/10th for all other teams”.
It was Clifton Conyard of Ashford Rovers that proposed the fixture as a tribute to Tommy. All monies raised on the day will be going to a charity chosen by Tommy’s family which is yet to be confirmed.
Having set the wheels in motion for the Tommy Heffernan Charity Shield, Clifton Conyard now wants to go out and win it. The Ashford Rovers boss suggested the annual fixture in the former WDFL club secretary’s honour and now he wants to ensure his side pay a fitting tribute with a good performance before the 2017/18 league campaign commences.
“It was something that’s been in my mind every year that the Wicklow Cup winners should play the Premier winners and then this year with Tommy passing, I thought it would be a good idea to have it as the opener for the season.
“It’ll be the week before we start the season so hopefully we’ll have close to our full team out.
“Both of us want to lay down a marker for the season ahead. There’ll be nobody taking it lightly. Everybody will be going out to give it 110%. It’ll be played in good spirits and we’ll go out and give it our all. We’ll be taking it very seriously.”
Rathnew will also be taking it seriously but Conyard wants to overcome them to land the honour of being the first ever victors.
“It’d be a big honour. Tommy is a well-known man and it’s in his name and we’ll do our best to win it.
“We’ve had a few friendlies and we’ve had up to 20 at most friendlies so we’ll be alright. We’ll be there or thereabouts, no doubt about that.” Rathnew AFC chairman John Snell insists that his club’s restricted panel will be going all guns blazing when they meet Ashford Rovers.
With other sporting commitments tying up some of the Rathnew squad, the Villagers are expected to field an experimental side but no matter who takes to the field on the day, they’ll be doing their utmost to do Tommy Heffernan proud.
“We’re privileged to be in this having been league champions last year and particularly to have the chance to honour Tommy Heffernan because he was such a gentleman. We’ll be putting every effort into winning it and we’ll treat the competition with the respect that Tommy himself treated all the clubs in Co. Wicklow. We’ll be there and doing everything in our power to win it.
“It will be the first competitive game of the season. I’d imagine at this moment in time that we’ll be fielding probably last year’s youths with a sprinkling of a couple of senior players but it’s a great opportunity for those youths to get out there. We’ll be putting them out on the field on the day but not just to compete, it’ll be to win the competition.
“We’ll treat this match with the utmost of respect. It’s a great idea and it’s fitting for Tommy and his family. Ashford will want to win it too and set down a marker.”
It is a little over three months since Tommy Heffernan’s passing so it was understandable that Tommy’s wife Margaret and daughter Sharon were both touched and saddened at the launch of his Charity Shield on Thursday evening.
Margaret admits that Tommy would have absolutely loved to have been around to witness the match but he’ll undoubtedly be there in spirit.
And Sharon thinks Tommy will have enjoyed an inside joke whilst looking at his family going to a football event – an extreme rarity for them!
Sharon admits she’s both delighted and sad at the same time to be around for such an event whilst her mum is very proud to see her beloved husband recognised for all his efforts within the footballing community.
Anyone who spoke to Tommy about football – whether it was on a sideline or on the phone – will know that Tommy loved to talk about football. There was no such thing as a ‘quick’ phone call to Tommy if football was the subject! Despite this, Sharon says that Tommy was a very quiet man and a man of few words. This all changed when it came to football – his second love behind his family.
Margaret is looking forward to the match and expects all the family to be there.
Her love for her husband is so warmingly obvious as a few gentle tears escape down her beaming face while she talks about him.
Tommy Heffernan is still greatly missed and always will be but for 90 minutes it’ll be like he never went away as he watches his family and football unite at the Whitegates.