‘One of my best days in football’
DECKY Byrne has amassed nine Senior championship wins and 19 years of marriage in his adult life.
The Rathnew legend topped off a legendary weekend as he wined and dined his lovely wife on Monday evening to celebrate their 19th anniversary. Ironically, the traditional gift for 19 years of marriage is bronze. Decky Byrne doesn’t do bronze though – gold is what he hunts as Laragh discovered on Saturday.
At half-time however, Laragh were headed for silver as they trailed Kilcoole with two of their key assets sitting on the sideline. Byrne had some calming words of wisdom for his troops which proved quite useful.
“You have to try and get it back on track. We were only three points down and we hadn’t really played well. We were nothing like what we had done in the game before. I just said to them that we had to try and get it back (to the levels of the previous match).
“It was a bit of blow to us with the lads getting the black cards and we did need to get in at halftime just to have a chat and get them back on and get them back focussed. The half time break came when we needed it.”
Time was not on Laragh’s side as the second half creeped closer to its conclusion with Kilcoole still in the driving seat. Doubts crept in for Byrne but he knew his side had the capabilities and so they proved to provide Byrne with a day that shares a par with any of his previous glory days with Rathnew.
“I think at one stage we went for a short kick-out and it broke down and Kilcoole got a point. Just before that, we’d had a goal chance and the ‘keeper made two good saves and I was starting to think it wouldn’t happen for us – it was one of those days. But we always felt that we were making goal chances and it’s the one thing that we’ve been doing and we felt if we could take one, it would get us back in the game.
“If you ask most GAA people, they’ll tell you it doesn’t matter what grade you’re in (a championship is a championship). That was like the senior final – it was like an All-Ireland final to them. They’ve waited so long for it and it meant the world to them. It was one of my best days in football. “
Byrne should take note that 20 years of marriage normally prompts a purchase of fine China. It needs to be handled with much care to avoid damage, much might Laragh may as they re-enter the ranks of the intermediate championship.
“Their main goal this year was to stay up in the intermediate league to keep that standard of football and then obviously to try and get a good run in the championship was the other one.
“Once we were sure that we were in intermediate (league) football for next year, then we focused on a good run in the championship.
“The goal now is to work towards trying to have a go at the intermediate championship in the next couple of years. They’ve got a couple of young players coming through so that was their plan all along to build over the next couple of years.”