The day Wicklow sho
A look back at the Leinster quarter-final game with Laois in 1986 at any time never disappoints.
Played in Aughrim on June 15, it is one of those games that will still be talked about in years to come and has always polarised opinion.
A great day for those that were there from Wicklow and up there with our best results in Leinster. Laois would rather it never happened.
Laois and Wicklow had both operated out of the same division in the national league in 1985-86, a newly formed Division 3 South. We actually would have been in Division 4 if it were not for a change in the competitions structure.
The 1986 league meeting was played in Blessington in early February and once again Laois prevailed, 1-6 to 0-3.
Wicklow were woeful that day scoring a free and two 45s. Laois eventually topped the section. Laois would go on to defeat Down in the quarter final, Dublin (beaten All-Ireland finalists in ’85) in the semi and the holders Monaghan (the reigning Ulster and league champions) in the final for a magnificent success.
A win over Kerry in the official reopening of the redeveloped O’Moore Park a couple of weeks later marked them as contenders in many minds not just for Leinster but All-Ireland honours.
Wicklow regrouped from the poor league campaign which did conclude with a fine away win over Clare in Ennis.
The team had taken on a more settled look and a 1-12 to 4-2 win over Offaly in the O’Byrne Cup in Aughrim further boosted confidence.
Manager Ken Browne along with trainer Tommy Keogh, selector Donal McGillycuddy and County Chairman and selector Liam O’Loughlin now seeing confidence starting to grow.
A really good 0-11 to 0-4 win in Drogheda over Louth seen them through to the final where they would face Westmeath in Mullingar with the Midlanders to come to Aughrim for a championship first round game some five weeks later. A fine defensive display led by a strong half-back line of Jim Darcy, Pat O’Byrne and Seamus Morris (who replaced the injured Billy Byrne before throw in) and Mick O’Toole laid the foundation against a strong second half wind and secured a 1-7 to 0-6 win.
This was our first O’Byrne Cup since 1957. Pat Baker was prominent with 1-1 from midfield while captain Con Murphy who scored 0-3 gratefully accepted the cup from Leinster Chairman Peadar Kearney after the game.
In the ensuing championship game Wicklow had an easy enough 0-15 to 1-5 win.
The watching Laois scouts if there were any won’t have left Aughrim that day too worried with what they had seen. An on-song Robert McHugh shot 0-8 of the Wicklow total with Ashley O’Sullivan also prominent.
A young man finding his feet at intercounty level by the name of Kevin O’Brien was starting to show some of the talent that had prompted the Leinster selectors to give him a provincial debut months earlier.
Owen Doyle and Nick O’Neill looked solid in the corners and Tommy Murphy, although listed at full-forward, covered all of Aughrim leaving and creating space for others in a purposeful display. A win is a win as they say.
Wicklow had won half of their previous four league meetings with Laois and would not fear them. Baltinglass had taken Portlaoise to a replay in the Leinster club final the previous December and with both clubs heavily represented they were familiar with the threats the others posed. Now the league champions were coming to Aughrim. Or were they?
Moves were made by many in Laois and Leinster to get the game taken out of Aughrim.
Croke Park, Dr Cullen Park and Newbridge were all offered as alternatives.
Wicklow wouldn’t budge and while Laois were not happy, they travelled full of confidence with the game seen as more of an irritation to their hopes than a threat.
Many of their supporters didn’t navigate as the recession of that time meant they saved their punts for the expected bigger days ahead. That and concerns about parking and the ability of Aughrim to cater for their needs.
Picture the day if you can, sweltering heat, a hostile and expectant home crowd full of hope, not many friendly faces and you understand how the Laois players may have been intimidated.
From the off Laois were uncomfortable. The famous ‘Old’ dressing rooms in Aughrim were not a place for the faint hearted.
The Laois subs had to wait outside as the final words were delivered by manager Kieran Brennan.
Then the hazardous journey across the packed car park began. Some Laois players later spoke of choice words from Wicklow supporters as they ran out.
At this stage the gates were long closed to cars as over 10,000 had packed themselves in. The claustrophobic cauldron now awaited their arrival.
There too was the Wicklow goat which by now was a common sight on big matchdays with the Rathnew brigade responsible for his attendance.
The atmosphere was described in one daily as ‘gladiatorial’ and the arena like an ‘Amphitheatre’ with the crowd so close to the action.
Many in Laois claimed these conditions led to the referee Carthage Buckley from Offaly being ‘spooked and intimidated’.
Wicklow captain on the day Con Murphy recalls how the team talk delivered by Ken Browne was mostly about ‘playing without fear and throwing the shackles off.’
The players and management acutely conscious of Laois reservations coming into the game. Add to their trepidation with close marking and passion and see where it takes us. The Baltinglass contingent were well aware of the class the Portlaoise group had with the utmost respect amongst them.
Laois quickly dampened the Wicklow fervour with a whirlwind start. They shot a quickfire 1-4 and looked worlds apart. It looked early on that it was going to go as predicted.
Eamon Whelan had finished to the net beyond Dan Leigh for the major. Con Murphy finally got Wicklow on the board with a free. A Kevin O’Brien goal after a long ball delivered by ‘Red’ Pat O’Byrne offered more hope but Laois were still cruising. Then it all started to unravel as they self-destructed.
Firstly, Willie Brennan and Nick O’Neill walked after what the Irish Press described the following day as ‘setting upon each other’. Nick O’Neill is and always was a gentleman so he is absolved of all blame by this author.
Christy Maguire soon followed after deciding Owen Doyle was a little too close with Maguire flooring him near the sideline after Doyle had won a 50-50 challenge. Doyle would be lost to injury and replaced by Pat O’Toole from
Blessington soon after.
O’Toole would play a pivotal role in the second half. His footballing ability had been on show the previous October in a virtuoso display for Blessington in a drawn county final against Baltinglass. O’Toole scored 3-4 that day from midfield.
He had been commuting from America for the best part of ‘86 which was probably why he wasn’t on the starting team. Murphy described him as a ‘magnificent player’ and few would argue with that assessment. O’Toole carried ball intelligently particularly in the second half releasing to others to create an overlap many times.
The last Wicklow point of the opening half was scored after Jim ‘Butcher’ Darcy and Pat Baker combined for the teenage O’Brien to score. Laois were struggling to contain him.
Laois now down to 13 and Wicklow with a man advantage and the sun at an almost unbearable temperature a 1-8 to 1-2 half-time deficit wasn’t insurmountable.
The large Wicklow following while quietened a little had faith that it could be retrieved. A quick Eamon Whelan point after the restart stretched the Laois advantage to seven points, that was to be their last score.
Wicklow finally got on top in the middle of the field with Seamus
Morris in particular and ‘Red’ Pat finally wresting control from the brilliant Laois duo of John Costelloe and Liam Irwin.
The much vaunted Laois for