NEFL put on a great show on awards night
SOME 140 people were in attendance at the Ardboyne Hotel in Navan on Friday for the North East Football League Presentation Night.
The NEFL provided two complementary tickets for all the teams on the honours list - the winners and runners-up - and as it happened the Muirhevnamor, OMP United and Virginia Celtic clubs accounted for 40% of the attendance. However, six of the prize-winning clubs were not represented at all.
Special guests ere LFA assistant treasurer Richard Kennedy and his wife Georgina.
Prior to the presentations the assembled gathering were treated to a video showing on a large screen which featured all the goals from the finals of the various competitions, plus a brief feature on the best moments of each divisional league winners.
Such a professional presentation was claimed to have been a first anywhere in the country for this level of the game, and its compilation was down to great work, throughout the entire season by the League’s PRO Tommy Melia.
Judging by the amount of goodwill and plaudits expressed on the night, all the individual awards were very popular choices.
However, the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for a special commemorative award to retiring NEFL executive committee member Jimmy Mangan. Jimmy and his wife Chris will celebrate 60 years of marriage in a few weeks’ time.
NEFL honours list
O’Neill Shield: Winners - Park Celtic Summerhill; Runners-up - Virginia Celtic Kilmessan Shield: Winners - Quay Celtic; Runners-up - Bellurgan Utd Gerry Reilly Mem Cup: Winners - Ardee Celtic 2nds; Runners-up - Park Celtic Summerhill Fitzsimons Cup: Winners - Carrick Rovers; Runners-up - Bailieboro Celtic Bradys Seat Reserve Cup: Winners - Ardee Celtic 2nds; Runners-up - Kingscourt Harps 3rds Tully Bookmakers Challenge Cup: Winners - Navan Cosmos; Runners-up - Bellurgan Utd Bradys Seat B Reserve: Winners - Albion Rovers 2nds; Runners-up - Ardee Celtic 3rds Justin Barbers A Reserve: Winners - Kingscourt Harps 3rds; Runners-up - Navan Town Bradys Seat Premier Reserve: Winners - Duleek; Runners-up - Newfoundwell Division 4: Winners - Skryne-Tara; Runners-up - Park Celtic Summerhill Division 3: Winners - Virginia Celtic; Runners-up - Albion Rovers Bradys Seat Division 2: Winners - Rangers FC; Runners-up Kells-Blackwater O’Neills Sports Division 1: Winners - OMP United; Runners-up - Black Bull Bradys Seat Premier Division: Winners - Muirhevnamor; Runners-up - Newfoundwell Oscar Traynor Player of the Year: Dylan Doyle (OMP Utd) Division 4: Jason Fox (Skryne-Tara) Division 3: Mark Hetherton (Virginia Celtic) Division 2: Anto McLoughlin (Rangers FC) Division 1: Tom Wynne (Enfield Celtic) Premier Division: Billy Smith (Muirhevnamor) Ref of the Year: Charley Pierce (Louth Branch ISRS) Manager of the Year: Tiarnan Mulvenna (Muirhevnamor) Commerative Award: Retiring NEFL vice-chairman Jimmy Mangan O’Neill’s Sports Team of the Month Awards: January - Skryne-Tara; February - Albion Rovers; March - Virginia Celtic; April - Park Celtic Summerhill. Club of the Year: OMP United
Over-35 League Results
Group A: Albion 1 Parkvilla 2, Black Bull 2 Doolargy All Stars 1, Johnstown 3 Drogheda Boys 1. Group B: Cavan Town 1 Carrick 1, Electro 1 Woodview 8, BJD Celtic 1 Ardee Celtic 2.
Fixtures
Tues Jun 27th at 8.00 - Group A: Doolargy All Stars v OMP, Dundalk DkIT, T Maher. Wed Jun 28th at 7.45 - Group A: Parkvilla v Johnstown, MDL, P Henry; Group B: Ardee Cel v Woodview, Townparks, C Halligan. Fri Jun 30th at 7.45 - Group A: Black Bull v Albion, St Oliver’s School, P Howard; Group B: BJD Cel v Cavan Town, Castlerahan, P Burns Snr; Electro v Rock Cel, B Gillespie.