When beating the Drum was Nortel’s only worry

ON Saturday Nortel took their first step on a possible long road back to the dizzy heights of the Amateur Premier division where they once occupied.

A 3-2 win at their Factory Ground against Ravenhill YM in their first 2C league game of the season gave manager Gary Burns a welcome first three points.

Back in our April 22, 2008 edition of Match on Tuesday, the then Monkstown club’s manager John

Mcconnell (inset) had also three points on his mind as his Nortel side were facing possible relegation from a top flight they had occupied for over two decades.

With a final game of the season against Drumaness Mills looming, Mcconnell’s men not only needed a win, but required Downpatrick to do them a favour on the road at Kilmore.

With East Belfast already relegated, Nortel were sitting one place above second from the bottom Holywood, who had two games in hand over the Monkstown men.

“Everyone knows how big a game this is – you don’t have to tell the players,” said Mcconnell as he prepared his squad for a make-or-break game.

“There is no need to motivate them. They should already be motivated enough by the time they get into that dressing room.”

It had been only two months since former Nortel player Mcconnell had taken over from Gary Finn, and he admitted that the club’s downward spiral had taken its toll on him. “Obviously my assistant Alex Whitley and I are very disappointed at how things have been going, but we’re still hoping it can all go our way.

I think that’s all we can do,” he added.

“The fact is, we are a place above the relegation zone, but Holywood are only two points behind us with two games in hand.

“Drumaness are in the mix too, although I think they play in the midweek, so depending on how that goes they could be coming to us needing the points.

“It could be a very cagey game.”

As it turned out,

Nortel defeated

Drumaness and stayed in the division courtesy of a better goal difference than Kilmore Rec who failed to get the result they needed at neighbours Downpatrick.

However, had Mcconnell been in possession of a crystal ball back then he would have seen that had Nortel been relegated that season it would not have been the worst calamity to befall the club.

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