LEESIDE FEB 01

Leeside AFC



"We aim to go one better this season", said Leeside chairman Denis Cambridge at the recent Murphy's Stout Team of the Month Award in Harbour Point. "The aim has to be to win either the AOH or the Premier League, having finished runners up in both competitions to an excellent Blarney Utd side last season".



To help achieve this ambition, Leeside premier manager John Shine, who received the December Award from Aidan Cotter of Murphy's Stout, has added to the squad by promoting Derek Delea and Jimmy O'Sullivan from the B team and inter-league player Thomas Gettings from the youths.



Craig Donnelly, who spent quite a few years playing with Leeside schoolboys, has returned to the junior side and is the club's top scorer with nine goals in as many games.



Cambridge reports that club membership is at an all time high: "We have entered a third junior team to cater for the demand, a side jointly managed by Joe Cunningham, and Martin Purcell."



The chairman maintains that it is important for the club that the second string plat at a high a level as possible: "We want them to be successful and doing well as first team boss John Shine regularly calls up one of two from the reserves to fill gaps in the first team. They are managed by Ger Delea and had a shaky enough start but have settled down and are playing some attractive football and the results are coming."



Gerry Holland is again captain of the first team and John Corcoran vice captain. The full squad is: Kieran Mullins, Wayne Barrett, Mick Coughlan, Gerry Holland, Steven Walsh, Jimmy O'Sullivan, Thomas Gettings, Garrett Linehan, John Corcoran, Derek Delea, Jeremy O'Sullivan, Conor O'Leary, Craig Donnelly, Andrew Sang, Kieran Murphy, and Frank Horgan.



Leeside, in recent years, have been great supporters of the Oscar Traynor Cup team and have regularly supply players to AUL representative sides. Conor O'Leary and Jeremy O'Sullivan figured this term, though the latter's chances were ruined by a fall on the ice that sidelined him for six weeks. Thomas Gettings is a member of Liam McCarthy's AUL youth side that has reached the national quarter-final. Last season's Player of the Year Awards went to Frankie Walsh (Premier) and Derek Delea (One B).



John Shine's hand in early season games was weakened due to injuries and holidays but he reports "that things have turned around now". That point is underlined by a seven game winning streak that helped them take the Team of the Month prize. That streak ended though when they lost on spotters to Maymount in the Munster Junior Cup.



Cambridge says that the schoolboy section is thriving: "We have three teams this year and more teams will be entered over the next few years. We are out-growing our facilities in the Little Island Community centre and we are trying to secure more land. We have secured a second pitch at Ridgid Tools in Mahon but would like something closer to home."



The committee, which gratefully acknowledges the major support provided by Harbour Pint GC and Pepsi Cola, consists of Cambridge, Cathal Kelly, Gerard O'Mahony, Wayne Barrett, and Edward O'Mahony.



Leeside were founded in 1968 and honours to date include: President's Cup (1985), League 2(86), AUL 1B and County Cup double (1991), County Cup (1994), Youths 2A (1995), AUL 1B and County Cup double (1997), Premier A, Second Division Youths League and Cup double (1998), Teddy Healy U17 League Cup (2000).