COACHFORD 1995

COACHFORD 27/1/95:




Coachford are the latest club in the Cork AUL to announce its

intention of acquiring a place of its own. Indeed, 1994/95 has

been quite a year for progress in this regard: Leeside,

Buttevant, Wilton Utd, and Macroom (hopefully), are all in the

process of putting down roots.



The œ50,000 site at Coachford, in startling contrast to their

current enclosure, will have room for two pitches, a training

area, dressing rooms, and car park.



Coachford's current base, which they have used since 1982, may

well be small, often too small for the comfort of visiting teams,

but it was a valuable asset to the club and they never cease to

express their appreciation of Judie Dineen, who allowed them the

use of the field at Old Town. The club has quite a few backers

in the area, one of the most prominent being Roger Cooney with

whom they have enjoyed a long term relationship.



The ambitious club is also going well on the field. Manager

Finbarr Murphy has led the Premier team to success in the AOH

(1993) and the FAI area final (1994). Their appearance in this

season's FAI area semi-final is their fourth in as many years.



Finbarr is now into his fourth season as player-manager. The

former underage international has vast experience at all levels.

Most of his honours, including two AOH, two Premier, and three

FAI area, medals came while playing with St Mary's. He has also

enjoyed FAI and AOH success with Coachford.



Keeper Mick Murphy, one of the better known Coachford players,

has shared in most of their successes over the years but still

needs one league medal to complete his collection which includes

winners medals from the third division, the second, the first,

the AUL Senior Division (while with Temple) and the MSL Premier

Division (with Tramore Athletic).



The one he is now chasing is the AUL Premier token. But that has

been put on the back-burner for the time being as Coachford

concentrate on the FAI Junior Cup. Mick has played with the AUL

representative team as has midfield ace Mick Walsh. Walsh was my

man of the match in the AUL's recent Oscar Traynor Cup triumph

over South Tipperary.



Coachford's first taste of success came as runners up at youth

level and the club soon came to recognise the value of fielding a

team at this grade. The main aim was not so much to win trophies

but to provide players for the juniors squad. It is a policy

that has been demonstrably successful over the years and indeed

quite a few of the current Premier side have come up through the

ranks.



Coachford in brief:



1969: Con Murphy, Sean Touhy, Tommy Stack, and Michael

O'Callaghan, got together on Good Friday and founded the club.

John O'Keeffe was the manager in the early years and the team

became known as "Keffo's Army".



1981/82: The club's first youth team, managed by Steve Wallace,

had a great season and finished second in the Second Division.



1982/83: Using quite a few of the previous season's youths, a

team, managed by Nick Martin and captained by Thady Delaney,

succeeded in bringing the first honour to Coachford: the title

in League Three. The same season, they lost on penalties to

Corkbeg in the semi-final of the President's Cup in Turner's

Cross.



1984/85: A determined bid was mounted to take the pennant in

League 2, the aim achieved much easier than expected. The

successful side was managed by Barry Murphy and captained by Mick

Walsh.



1985/86: The success story continued. A new manager, John

Hogan, signed two ex Temple players - Frankie Thornton and goal

poacher Dan Greene - and led Coachford to the title in Division

One. Not an easy triumph this time, the title won after a play-

off against Castleview, the Coachford goals in a 2 - 1 victory

provided by Timmy Buckley and Micky Walsh.



1986/87: Hopes were high early on but real life intervened.

Young men left the area in search of work abroad and the panel

was decimated, no fewer than eight first choice players

departing. Relegation inevitably followed.



1989/90: The club's youths won their first ever trophy as they

beat Bosco's in the final of the Second Division Cup. That

successful side was managed by that great clubman Martin

O'Mahony.



1990/91: A blend of youth and older players (some returned from

abroad) proved the perfect mix as Coachford bounced back to the

Premier League by once again winning the First Division. They

came very close indeed to making it a double but lost on

penalties to Leeside in the final of the County Cup.



1992/93: Coachford had appointed Finbarr Murphy as manager the

previous year when they finished third in the Premier and were

prominent in the cups. Confidence was high for this season and

was not misplaced as they went on, with Murphy again at the helm,

to take the AOH Cup, the most coveted trophy in Cork junior

soccer, the winner scored by Timmy Buckley.



1993/94: Coachford again met and beat Passage, this time in the

area final fo the FAI Junior Cup but they lost their 7th round

tie against Renmore of Galway. Jason Murphy scored the winner

against Passage. The FAI triumph was tinged with sadness as,

shortly before, the club had bene shocked by the unexpected death

of chairman Gene Neilon.