HILLINGTON FEB 1995

HILLINGTON AFC 18/2/95:




Hillington AFC are twenty five years old this season and

celebration plans are well in hand. Trophy silver on the table

is a little harder to plan but their two AUL teams, the juniors

in League 1 and the youths in 2A, are each in with a good chance

of taking a title.



It could well have been Rochdale's 25th anniversary celebrations:

both that name and Hillington were considered at the club's

inaugural meeting in Coburg Street in 1969. The players

themselves choose Hillington and then financed a set of gear and

footballs, all bought at Roches Stores.



The first manager was Sean O'Sullivan whose younger brother Donal

(Doc) became the first chairman. Present at that first meeting

were: Richard and Robert Bickerstaffe. Martin Curtin, Denis

Sheehan, Donal O'Connell, Peter Duggan, Paddy Erangey, Donal

O'Sullivan, John Crowley, Dick Donoghue, Deidi Twohig, Pat

O'Sullivan, Neil O'Mahony, Denis O'Rourke (Jnr.), John Dwyer,

Dominic Lynch, and Martin Murray.



Richard Bickerstaffe proved to be the hero for Hillington in

their first ever competitive game which ended with a shootout win

over Bandon. Richard scored twice and Mick Meade once in normal

time and the game ended at 3 - 3.



In those days, one player took all three shootout penalties.

Young Richard was called up and duly converted all three to put

Hillington through to the next round of the Saxone Cup.



Bickerstaffe is now the chairman of the club. Denis Sheehan is

secretary, Denis Cullinane treasurer, and Joe Gill PRO. They are

currently putting the finishing touches to an anniversary

booklet.



Gill, assisted by Ray Curtin, also looks after the club's Under

15 team which has turned in some encouraging performances in

Division 1B.



The squad, which is skippered by Cliff Howard, consists of:

Simon O'Driscoll, Damien Bell, James O'Connor, Rory Curtin, Rory

Murray, Jonathan Nolan (leading scorer), Denis Hennessy, Paul

O'Keeffe, Leonard Carroll, Eoin McGibney, Jonathan Hurley, Troy

O'Mahony, Sean McDonnell, Jamie O'Sullivan, John O'Dwyer, Alan

Chandley, Dean Murphy, Ivan Weir, and Edwin Horgan.



Youths 2A is quite a competitive division but Hillington are well

in the hunt here, the main opposition coming from Leeside and

Blarney Utd. Denis Cullinane and Stephen O'Rourke are the men

that look after Hillington's team.



Gavin Quinlan is the minor skipper and the rest of the panel is:

Jason Flynn, Shane O'Connell, Graham Casey, Brian Flaherty,

Richard Bickerstaffe, Mark Bickerstaffe, Michael O'Sullivan

(leading scorer), Ted O'Connor, Paul O'Rourke, Con Healy, Jason

Long, Brian Cremin, Eamonn Wiseman, Conor Murray, Colin

O'Sullivan, and Gavin Woods.



The juniors are involved in a hectic scramble for the title in

AUL League 1. Macroom, Killowen, and Albert Rovers, are all very

much in contention with a Hillington side managed by Pat

Chandley.



Pat is delighted with the contribution from all the players and

notes that ex League of Ireland performer Paul Crowley, in his

first season with the club, as a great acquisition. Keeper

Dessie O'Neill, happily recovered from a broken leg, is another

player doing well.



Skipper is the ex Wembley player Gerry Kelly and others on the

panel are: Aidan Raggett, Colin Merritt, Philip O'Riordan,

Declan Merritt, Donal Murphy, Tony O'Connell, Dessie Gaffney,

William Mulcahy, Richie Murphy, Ken Murphy, Brendan Madden, and

Chandley himself.



Honours:

1972/3: Hillington won the Second Division Shield when goals

from Sean Dennehy (2), Con McConville, and Richard Bickerstaffe,

gave them a 4 - 2 win over Wilton. That same season, their first

in the second division, they also finished runners up in the

league.



1973/4: They reached the final of the 1st Division Shield but

lost 1 - 0 to Temple Utd in Church Road. That increased their

determination to do well in the league; they won their section

and then beat Glenvale in the final at Turner's Cross. That win

meant that, after just a few seasons in the AUL, they had now won

promotion to the Premier.



1976/7: This was the year that Hillington won the Tom O'Kelly

Premier League Cup. They beat St Mary's 3 - 1 in a highly

competitive semi-final. In the final, big Tom McCarthy scored

the only goal to give Hillington victory over Tramore. Their

league form was indifferent but they did enjoy a good run to the

quarter-finals of the Munster Junior Cup before losing 4 - 2 in a

replay to Tralee Dynamoes.



1978/79: Hillington's rise to prominence in the AUL was rewarded

in October 1978 when Robert Bickerstaffe was selected to play for

the Republic of Ireland juniors in a game against Scotland at

Linthlithgow.



The 80s: This decade was one of frustration. There were no

trophies just tough luck. Twice they lost semi-finals in the St

Michael's and twice also in the Enterprise Cup.



The 90s: They took the big step up to intermediate football,

first with the AUL and then with the MSL. But it didn't prove

successful. The club has bounced back and its dedicated members

will have much to celebrate this season, whether or not it ends

with silverware on the table.











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