Fan for all seasons takes us on journey down memory lane

SUPPORTING THE League of Ireland and the teams therein is very much an acquired taste. It’s certainly not for everyone, at least around these parts where the initial thousand-plus crowds when Wexford Youths debuted in the First Division in 2007 quickly faded away.

Curiosity as much as anything else attracted a lot of spectators in that first campaign, but nowadays the crowd will rarely rise above the 300 mark.

Yet, in other areas of the country there is a dedicated following for the League of Ireland, notably in the current top two of Cork City and Dundalk but also in the traditional strongholds of Sligo and Derry.

There’s also been a re-awakening of interest in one of the sleeping giants, Waterford, after their long-awaited return to the top flight.

And, of course, the big Dublin trio of Shamrock Rovers, Bohemians and St. Patrick’s Athletic have always got plenty of backing.

There’s a wealth of tales to be told and history to be shared since the competition down south started in 1921 as a result of a breakaway from the Irish League which had its roots and base in the north of the country.

And Graham Howard has done a comprehensive job in that regard in his first book, ‘A Fan For All Seasons Memories of Irish Football’.

In effect, this is a potted history of the

League of Ireland as the author takes us on a chronological journey from those formative years right up the end of the

2016 season.

His own interest in the football on offer on his own doorstep was piqued as a child by the sight of a similar-aged boy wearing a Shelbourne jersey while walking through Crumlin village.

In time St. Patrick’s Athletic became his team of choice, and his own favourite spot in their Richmond Park ground adjacent to the Camac River has been well-trodden over the past twenty years.

Whelan does a good job in spreading the subject matter around the clubs, although it’s only natural that some figure more prominently than others by virtue of their superior rolls of honour.

Some of the most interesting information relates to the fledgling adventures of League of Ireland clubs in the new European competitions in the late fifties and early sixties.

Shamrock Rovers were the first to compete in 1957, and remember that this was in the era when only the league winners in each competing country took part in the European Cup. Likewise, the make-up of the European Cup-Winners’ Cup was self-explanatory.

And when the Hoops were pitted against Manchester United, it was no surprise that nearly 45,000 people packed into Dalymount Park for the first leg to see a visiting side including Dubliner Liam Whelan, scorer of two goals, secure a 6-0 victory.

The days of similar-sized attendances supporting a League of Ireland team in a European venture are long gone, notwithstanding the best efforts of Shelbourne in the mid-noughties and Dundalk in 2016 to raise the bar.

Given that he’s clearly a League of Ireland die-hard, I’m encouraged by the author’s attitude in the last chapter.

There is a tendency for fans of his ilk to moan about Irish people crossing the water to follow Premiership teams rather than supporting local. However, Whelan differs, and I thoroughly agree:

‘Instead of some clubs and fans bemoaning a perceived lack of patriotism from this section of the Irish football public, their right to choose should be acknowledged and league and club administrators should take on the challenge to win fans over to our home product.’ ALAN AHERNE

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