A Cup decider like no other
Historic pairing in 1990 final unlikely to be replicated
NORTH END United Football Club won’t be allowing the coronavirus to upset their 50th anniversary celebrations.
While their planned weekend of festivities in August has been postponed, hopes are high that there will be an opportunity to mark this big birthday in fitting fashion before the end of 2020.
Back in May, we outlined the history of the club from its formation in 1970 all the way through to 1989, with the promise that the series would be continued in due course.
And as we return to the topic now and turn our focus on the 1990s, it’s fitting that we begin with a remarkable occurrence that is unlikely to ever be repeated in local soccer circles.
I’m referring to the Wexford Cup final of 1990, played at the Wexford Bohs ground in Killiane on Sunday, May 20, and pitting North End ‘A’ against North End ‘B’.
If ever a pairing and a match summed up the strength of one particular club, then this most certainly was the one.
John Jones was Chairman of the Sky Blues at the time, and his words in the match programme underlined the unique nature of the occasion: ‘The club has already won the Grattan Esmonde Cup but its final destiny is far from decided.’
Seán Millar, Chairman of the Wexford and District League, remarked on the same page: ‘Providing both teams for today’s final speaks volumes for the depth of talent and commitment in the North End club. They have created a piece of history which may never be repeated.’
The game itself went along expected lines, with no fear of an upset after a hattrick from Charlie Delaney propelled the ‘A’ team to a commanding 5-1 victory.
Current club Chairman Seán Dempsey also scored, 20 years after featuring on the first-ever North End team, and the haul also featured a goal from Ger Beary who was born in the year of their formation!
The consolation strike for the ‘B’ team came from Paddy O’Leary but, in truth, there was no real losers on that special day when the North End family came together in celebration of a momentous achievement.
Beary and Delaney had given the ‘A’ team the early initiative before O’Leary responded to ensure there would be no complacency from the hot favourites.
And Delaney went on to complete the first cup final hat-trick since Paul Harrington of New Ross Celtic in 1984 before Dempsey, the longest-serving member, came off the bench to put the icing on the cake.
The ‘ A’ squad, with Seánie O’Shea as player-manager, also featured Nicky Murphy, Tony Wade, Pat Tennant, Dermot Byrne, Eamon Murphy, Paddy Murphy, John Godkin, Mick Smith, Barry McManus, Seán Dempsey, Richard Crosbie, Paul Harrington, Ger Beary, Charlie Delaney, Billy Dodd, Morgan Ferriter, Declan Leacy, Michael O’Neill and captain Tony Crosbie, who missed the big game owing to injury.
Tommy Jones was in charge of the ‘B’ panel, and they were represented by Franny Byrne, Wally Lawlor, Paul Kelly, Packie Carthy, Paddy O’Leary, Mick Nolan, Derek Mahoney, Pat Hackett, Dave Redmond, Paddy Walsh, Paddy Kearney, Ray Roche, Trevor Murphy, Eugene Crosbie, Anthony Barnes, Ger Jones, Vinny Lawlor and Kevin Bridges.
North End had previously featured in three cup finals, winning in 1982 but losing in 1983 and 1985, and Mick Nolan, Seánie O’Shea, Tony Wade, Pat Tennant,
Seán Dempsey and Mick Smith were survivors from all of those encounters.
The Byrne brothers, Franny and Dermot, were on opposing sides that day, two outstanding youngsters at the time. Franny, at just 16 years of age, was manning the goal for the ‘B’ team, while Dermot was the youngest member of the ‘A’ team at 18 and would have to command a place on any all-time great North End eleven given what he achieved afterwards in a distinguished career.
Moving on to the 1990-’91 season, the undoubted highlight was drawing 2-2 after extra-time with Home Farm ‘A’ in Dublin in the third round of the FAI Junior Cup.
Even though they were most unfortunate to bow out 4-3 on penalties, Seán Dempsey was of the view at the time that it was ‘probably the best performance ever from a North End team’.
Indeed, it was a case of what might have been, because the underdogs had unluckily missed two penalties during normal time.
The end of the 1991-’92 campaign brought another piece of history, spearheaded by the living club legend that is John Godkin in one of his early moments of glory as a manager.
‘Goggy’ managed to steer the club’s ‘C’ team all the way to the Wexford Cup final, but they were rank outsiders against the Ross Celtic firsts.
However, some of the best soccer ever seen on the league’s showpiece occasion saw North End steamroll their way to a remarkable 4-1 win, with Billy Dodd getting a brace while Mick Mulligan and the evergreen Seán Dempsey also contributed to the scoresheet.
Godkin completed a double in that season, adding the Premier Reserve league title, and it was the first time for a team from outside the top three divisions to capture the cup.
Not surprisingly, he was promoted to first team manager as a result, and will be patrolling the sideline in that very same role when the current season resumes with a Premier Division fixture at home to Cloughbawn on Sunday week.
What proved to be the club’s last cup success of the decade arrived the following year in 1993, only this time it was the ‘A’ team taking the silverware again after a gap of three years.
Donal O’Sullivan gave outsiders Ajax Athletic a 1-0 lead in the final at the Wexford Celtic headquarters in Sinnottstown Lane, but Paddy Murphy forced a replay that was won in style on a 5-0 scoreline thanks to goals from Darren Browne (two), Seánie O’Shea (two) and Declan Leacy.
If the cup was to elude North End for the remainder of the 1990s, the same certainly couldn’t be said about their consistent exploits in the Premier League.
They had just one title to their name before, from 1986, but all that changed in a golden era that saw a four-in-a-row from 1994 to 1997 (the first club to do so) followed by further success in 1999.
The club’s consistency outside the county was another hallmark of that decade. Indeed, in the 1990s they won more Leinster Junior Cup ties than any other club without actually lifting the trophy.
Over the course of the ten years, they featured in three semi-finals, three quarter-finals, and two last 16 encounters, so to miss out on the big prize was disappointing.
One example of being so near and yet so far arrived in 1994 when, after beating Kilmore United at home in the quarter-final, they bowed out to Black Diamonds in a game played in Lamberton, Arklow.
Paul Kelly captained the 18-man squad that also featured Nicky Murphy, Franny Byrne, Packie Carthy, Derek Hatchell, Charlie Delaney, Dermot Byrne, Colin Bent, Richie Crosbie, Seánie O’Shea, Paddy Kearney, Trevor ‘Scooper’ Murphy, Trevor ‘Lips’ Murphy, Ger Beary, Darren Browne, Mick Mulligan, Eugene Crosbie and player-manager John Godkin.
Just to highlight the club’s strength in depth around this time, the Premier Reserve crown was lifted in 1990, 1992, 1993, 1997 and 1998, while North End were winners of the Guinness FAI Junior Cup area title in 1996.
The Youth Cup was won in 1991 and 1995, along with league honours in 1993, 1994 and the double year of 1995 when the club’s first and second teams triumphed in Divisions 1 and 3 respectively.
George Browne, Willie Furlong and John White were among the willing crew of backroom workers who shaped these sides into title winners.
The 1990s also brought a notable individual double for Dermot Byrne, as he was Premier Reserve player of the year in 1992, and then won the same accolade for the Premier Division proper seven seasons later.
Getting the call-up for international trials was another feather in the cap for this outstanding full-back.
Four club colleagues of Byrne’s also won individual end-of-season honours, namely Seán Dempsey for Premier Reserve in 1991, Darren Browne for Youth Division 1 in 1993, Seamus Furlong for Youth Division 3 in 1995, and Derek Hatchell for Premier Reserve in 1997.
The beginnings in 1970 were humble, but as the new millennium dawned there could be no denying that North End were a true force to be reckoned with.
TO BE CONTINUED