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This article chronicles the last time Clonakilty AFC won the Beamish
Cup back in the 1994 / 1995 season. As this year marks the tenth year
anniversary of that famous victory, the following article takes a
look back to the build up the final and the game itself with contributions
from some of the people involved. |
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 Clonakilty
AFC - Beamish Cup Final 1994/1995 Season - PART ONE |
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Introduction:
Is
it really 10 years since Clonakilty AFC last lifted the Beamish
Cup? The following article is based around the final with many
extracts taken from the Official Match Programme from that windy
Easter Monday way back in 1995.
It should be noted that some of the players involved that day
are still representing the club today. Jonathan Hunt and Mikey
Griffin have just returned for the 2005 season and Chris Connors
is the current Clonakilty AFC manager. (I myself have returned
this year as well but didn't play that season... I supported
the team whenver I could though!).
Paddy Mac was, as ever, buzzing away behind the scenes and the
contributions of Donal O'Donovan and Jerome JC were crucial
to the club's success that season.
This article will hopefully evoke some nice memories for the
people who were involved with the club around that time. For
those of you who are too young to rememeber, it should hopefully
provide you with an idea of the great team the club had back
then and how they won the coveted Beamish Cup that year.
Part ONE covers the background and the build-up to the to the
final and also recounts what was happening in Ireland and the
rest of the world in that year of 1995...
Hope you enjoy it! Please email me clonafc@gmail.com
and let me know what you thought of the article
Ger. McCarthy |
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What
was happening way back in 1995? |
- 15th
February 1995: English supporters riot at Lansdowne
Road during the friendly between Rep. Of Ireland and
England. The match is abandoned. Fifty people are
injured.
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- Dublin
and Tyrone contest the All-Ireland Football Final.
It is Dublin's first victory in twelve years. In hurling,
Clare score their first victory in eighty-one years
for the banner county.
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- Bill
and Hillary Clinton come to Ireland at the end of
the year. Following visits to Belfast and Derry, President
and Mrs Clinton arrive in Dublin. An estimated 80,000
people greet the Clintons at College Green.
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- After
nine months on trial for murder, O.J. Simpson awaits
the verdict. The murder victims' families are distraught
at the outcome as he is found not guilty.
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- Ireland
v Holland, December 1995. A disappointing qualifying
campaign for the European Finals ends in a play-off
at Liverpool's Anfield stadium. After nine years,
two World Cup Finals and one European Finals, Ireland
says goodbye to Jack Charlton.
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The
Beamish Cup Final Background:
The official match program gave the following build-up and background
to the final:
" Richmond last won the Cup when they did the treble in
'83-'84. Have they got what it takes to be Cup Champ,ions once
again or will the recently dormant Clonakilty AFC achieve the
success that years of hard work surely deserve? If League form
is the yardstick by which an outcome is to be predicted, Clonakilty
AFC will start as favourites, but Cup Finals have a habit of
serving up the unexpected and with two Premier Division teams
contesting the Final it is very difficult to predict which of
them will leave Drinagh on Easter Monday evening as Beamish
Cup Champions for '94-'95.
What we can be sure of is that both teams will give 101% on
the day and serve up a Beamish Cup Final to remember." |
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Paths
To The Beamish Cup Final:
The 1994 / 1995 season's West Cork League Beamish Cup Competition
kicked off on the 27th of December 1994. However, due to weeks
of inclement weather and match postponements, the actual final
itself was the first since 1979 on which the Cup Final wasn't
played on St Patrick's Day.
On their
path to the Final ClonakiltyAFC first travelled to Beara where
they won two nil. The next round saw them drawn against neighbours
Lyre Rovers. The teams played a 2-2 draw but Clonakilty AFC's
superior class saw them win the replay 2-0. They then made
the perilous journey to Drinagh where, despite being outplayed
for parts of the game, they won on a 1-0 scoreline. Their
semi-final against "giant-killers" Castlelack, was
played out in Leap. They were 2-0 ahead at half time but had
to survive sustained pressure early in the second half before
running out 3-0 winners.
Richmond
began their campaign by playing a 2-2 draw against Dunmanway
Celtic before coming through the replay 4-1 winners. Premier
Division leaders Togher provided the opposition in the next
round and eight goals were scored with Richmond winning 5-3.
Their semi-final opponents were Derrygrea Wanderers. Played
in Dunmanway, this very exciting game saw Derrygrea take a
2-0 lead which they held until a minute before the break when
Richmond grabbed a lifeline. Derrygrea had chances to finish
off the game but failed to convert them and their misses proved
costly as Richmond grabbed two late goals to run out 3-2 winners. |
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94'/95'
Beamish Cup Competition Statistcs:
Up to when
the final was actually complted the statistics for the cup
that year included some of the following: 39 games had been
played and 159 goals had been scored giving an average of
just over 4 goals per game. |
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That's
it for now but please check back to the web-site soon for PART TWO
when we will look back at some of the people involved on the day
and go back over the match itself. |
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Ger
McCarthy |
