Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CHEST A GREAT FEELING
Hero Prigent: It was just meant to be.. but that might do me
AN emotional Paul Prigent admitted his Match Intermediate Cup cameo might just be his final act in the game as he contemplates bowing out on a high at Crumlin Star.
Deep in the bowels of Windsor, after the super-sub had emerged from the bench to strike in injury time and seal a last-gasp win for the Ardoyne men, he was almost lost for words as he considered his club’s stellar achievements this season, and his own personal contribution to what he reckons must rank as the greatest league and cup treble in Amateur League history.
At 33, the former Irish League ace admits his body is starting to creak.
Indeed, at one point during this season it looked like he would be denied the right to choose when and where he calls time on his career, after a serious injury on the road at Annagh appeared to prematurely end his season and maybe even his career.
Thankfully, the initial prognosis overestimated the extent of the damage with his fears eased once the swelling subsided, and fast forward a few months and here he is, albeit heavily strapped up, reflecting on his unlikely elevation from cup final sub to goalscoring hero, having just lashed home a 93rd minute winner. “That might do me,” said Prigent. “The head still feels okay but the old legs don’t feel the same and I’m happy, they are all young and fit here at the club and I’m happy just being about the club to be honest, and called upon when need be and that’s exactly what happened tonight.
“I wasn’t even meant to come on to be honest, I don’t know what happened, it’s one of those things that was just meant to be, it’s just an unbelievable feeling.
“That’s the double treble, and that’s probably the best treble any Amateur League team has won.
“It’s a massive achievement and there’s great camaraderie in around the club as well, all the players live within half a mile of each other so we are all in this for ourselves.”
“I think it was just meant to be,” added Prigent, as he looked to the heavens as if in search of an explanation.
“Someone must be looking down on me, I didn’t even expect to get on there at all.
“We have so many attacking players, you have [Miguel] Chines on the bench and [Barry] Mckervey, all attacking players and he gave me the shout and I was thinking, ‘What’s he doing here?’ So he put Breandan [O’neill] out on the left wing, he’s been outstanding when he’s been standing in when I haven’t been there.
“But what right-back comes on in the 70th-odd minute... so again, that’s why I think it was just made for me to be honest.”
Prigent played in the Irish League with Newry City a decade ago but he ranks last Thursday’s win as one of the most satisfying of his career, a fitting curtain call should he decide to hang up the boots.
And yet again, for the umpteenth time this season, the Star left it late.
“That comes from Chew [Paul Trainor], the never-say-die attitude,” said Prigent.
“We just keep going and keep going and keep going, he’s just instilled that in us in the last three years and that’s why we have been so successful.
“And we are competing against teams a lot higher than us and properly competing, we went down to Larne there and competed very well against them, they beat us 3-1, and we beat Loughgall and now Queen’s who won this last year and won their league comfortably.
“I played in an Irish Cup semi-final for
Newry against Linfield but this is up there, and that’s probably the last time I kick a ball too.
“I’m thinking of hanging them up but again, that’s for another day, I have won seven trophies in the last three years here we’ve been so successful.”