ALBERT ROVERS 1995

AUL SOCCER 1 BILLY LYONS



ALBERT ROVERS 19/1/95



Albert Rovers have recovered from a poor enough start to the

season to move into a challenging position in Murphy's Stout AUL

1 and are expected to give current leaders Macroom, with whom

they drew recently, a good run for their money. Killowen and

resurgent Hillington are also in contention for the title.



The Alberts side is managed by Mick Dalton who is in his third

year with the club. He started off with the second team in 3A

and they won promotion that year by finishing second to Village

Utd. Mick is also on the club committee.



His assistant on the sideline is club chairman Seamus Cotter.

Another ever present on the Alberts line, always a great help to

manager and players alike, is Mick O'Connor. They train twice

weekly on the all weather pitch in Ursulines.



Noel Hayes is the first team skipper and the others on Dalton's

squad are: Ger Condon (keeper), Mark Murray, Stephen Walsh,

Billy Geaney, John Lowry, Pat Kelleher, Peter Creedon, Rory

Morrissey, Don O'Sullivan, Daniel Quinlan, John Creedon, Willie

O'Brien, Donal Hurley, Brendan Allen, Tadgh Leonard, and Ger

O'Sullivan.



Tadgh Leonard has quite a unusual distinction. In 1982, he was

on the Alberts team that won the Pop Keller Cup and, in 1993, on

the side that won the City Challenge Cup; he captained both

teams.



Alberts no longer field underage teams. But the value of

underage football within a club is underlined by the fact that

quite a few of the current players (including keeper Condon and

centre-half Walsh) came through from the team that won the title

in AUL Youths 2 back in 1986/87.



The second team is also giving a good account of itself in AUL 2A

and the weekend before last showed their well-being with a great

win over leaders Kanturk. Trevor Duggan is the manager here.



The name of Albert Rovers has been engraved on major national and

provincial trophies. In 1950, a powerful side defeated League of

Ireland teams Cork United and Waterford on their way to winning

the Munster Senior Cup. In 1954 and 1959, they won the FAI

Intermediate Cup and captured the Munster Senior League title in

1959 and 1960.



The club then hit a comparatively lean period but fielded a

formidable junior side which reached the quarter-final of the FAI

Junior Cup in 1968.



A season in the League of Ireland followed for Alberts in 1977.

In the following season, they were back in the MSL and also

continued to field a strong side in Division Two of the AUL

Junior leagues.



Throughout the 1980s, very strong schoolboy and minor squads

represented the club. In 1984/85, the junior side won promotion

from AUL 2 to AUL 1.



The club went out of senior football after 1990 but many of the

players stayed to play leading roles in the strong junior sides.

Success came again in 1993 when Albert Rovers, managed by

dedicated clubman Seamus Cotter, scored a thrilling 2 - 1 victory

over Grangevale in the City Challenge Cup final at Turner's

Cross.



The players of Alberts Rovers still wear the original red and

black colours, maintaining a tradition that goes back to their

founding in 1946. The fiftieth birthday party is not too far

away and there should be no shortage of yarns when past and

present members get together next year.



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