Delight for AC player / manager Walshe

THE player/manager of the winning side Mark Walshe said he was delighted to win the treble.

“Starting out at the beginning of the season winning the league title was our main aim, but to pick up three pieces of silverware is fantastic and is way beyond our expectations.

“We did not achieve this without a huge amount of effort being put in by the squad over the past eight or nine months. They gave great commitment throughout the season and each and every one of them played their part in this treble becoming possible.

“Rattoo Rovers were the last team to win the treble from the parish and Monty Leahy was a member of that team and now his son Sean has won the treble with us

“We were hanging on a bit at 1-0 and we knew we had to get the second goal to make sure of victory.

“The age make up of the team is unusual as there is no player on the panel between the ages of 22 and 32. We have played 37 games at Mounthawk during the season and only lost one which is a great record by any standard.”

The player manager had no time to celebrate with his colleagues after the game as he was rushing to Shannon to get a flight to London for the big Premiership local derby between Chelsea and West Ham at Stamford Bridge on Monday: “I will do plenty of celebrating in London and will be back to do more when I get back,” he added.

Sean Leahy AC Athletic captain accepts the Tommy Healy Memorial Cup from John O’Regan of the Kerry District League Photo by Paddy White / Eye Focus