Afton Villa 1999

AFTON VILLA 1999



Afton Villa usually get sweet into any hard-earned headline but life hasn't been a bed of roses for the third division AUL club who were founded in 1983. And, yes, the Afton did come from the cigarette packet!



Promotion to AUL 2 is the aim this season. Villa have spent most of the past sixteen years in the third division and are now working hard towards promotion.



Joint managers Bob Cotter, a founder member, and Kevin Nolan, would also like a good run in the Third Division knockout competition, the President's Cup, and they got off to a good start here with an impressive first round win over Dillon's Cross and will take on Newmarket Town in the second round next Sunday (Killeady, 3.00pm).



"The third division is a very hard one to get out of", says Nolan. "But we do tend to play better football against higher ranked teams. We have an injection of new young players this season and will be going all out for promotion. If we don't get it this season, the next will do."



They have already this season proved that they are capable of doing well in the higher grade. They were drawn against second division Bohemians in the opening round of the AOH. Villa should have won the first meeting but made no mistake in the replay and are now looking forward to the next round against first division Grattan United.



Afton Villa are one of the few third division clubs with their own facilities and their pitch at Killeady features dressing rooms and showers for home and visiting teams and much of the credit for that development goes to previous committee members such as John O'Sullivan, Pat O'Mahony, Joe Mulligan, and Declan Forde.



The club members enjoy a good social life and one of the highlights is the presentation of the three annual awards. Last season's winners were Ray Kelly (Top Scorer), Derek O'Leary(Player of the Year), and Dan O'Shea (Clubman of the Year).



Cotter, as chairman, and Nolan, as secretary, head up the current hard working committee and the other members are Dan O'Shea (treasurer), Mick Creagh, Moss O'Donovan, and Shay Coleman. They hope to continue the progress made by the earlier committee and, in that regard, are grateful for the support of Barrett's Bar in Killeady and Con Forde Motors.



Afton Villa panel: Brendan Mullane, Tim Cronin, Colin Lenihan, Mark Smith, Dan O'Shea, Kieran Hurley, Derek O'Leary, Finbarr McCarthy, Shane Dwyer, Brian O'Sullivan, Mick Creagh, Conor Cleary, Alan O'Brien, Paul Gardiner, Ray Kelly, and Ian O'Driscoll.






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