EVERGREEN JAN 1998

4/1/98


EVERGREEN

Evergreen are enjoying a good season, the highlight so far being their penalty shootout win over Kinsale in a thrilling Murphy's Stout President's Cup final at Turner's Cross. The southsiders are also doing well in Murphy's Stout AUL 3 and are in with a great chance of promotion.



Evergreen, beaten in the Saxone final last season, also won the President's Cup in 1995/96. Other honours won since the club was re-formed in 1963 are: Third Division Shield (1967, beat Evergreen Bacon Factory in a derby at The Cross); (Third Division League (1967, beat Blarney 3 - 0 in the final at Church Road); First Division Shield (1972, beat Tramore Ath. 1 - 0 at the Cross); Second Division League (1973, beat Barrackton 2 - 0 in the final at Church Road), and AUL Three B championship (1987).



Current Evergreen panel: Mark Maher, Colin Maher, Padraig O'Callaghan,

Anthony O'Regan, Don Heaphy (captain), Donal O'Sullivan, Ivan Gibbons, Paul Madden, Colin McCarthy, Eamonn Hayes, Kevin O'Reilly, Paul Williamson, Gary Gibbons, Niall Moriarty, Owen Healy, Brian Morgan, Shane Dineen, Michael O'Sullivan, Noel Twomey, John Ridgeway, and Terence McSweeney.



The current officers are Dave Brady (Chairman/treasurer), and Gary Gibbons (secretary). Both their families have long been associated with the Turner's Cross club. Take the Gibbonses for example. Back in 1987, when Evergreen won the championship in 3B, Paul Gibbons and son Alec figured on the team. This season, Paul's sons Ivan and Gary play in the green and white colours.



Despite the long standing contributions of these families, Evergreen is far from being an "exclusive" club and new members are always welcome. Current home ground is The Farm on the Curraheen Road and training takes place every Tuesday at the Mardyke floodlit pitch.



The club, who again play in Division 3 of the AUL, proudly traces its history back to 1932. True, there have been some years in between when Evergreen were not represented on the field but don't say that too loudly around Turner's Cross.



During a memorable 1949 season, they lost just one game, a replay of the

Munster Minor League final when North End emerged victorious 2 - 0; the first meeting had ended at 1 - 1.



Tt was a tremendous year for the Evergreen club, the first triumph coming on April 18th 1949 when they defeated South Lake United in the final of the Munster Minor Shield. The first North End game was played in May with the replay in June. In October they won the Munster Minor Cup, beating Clonmel 2 - 1 in the final and, a few weeks later, defeated Donore 1 - 0 in the final of the FAI Minor Cup.



The club was reformed in 1963 when Joe Conway, a prominent member of the 1949 minor team, Ray Leahy, Henry Fay, and Hughie McSweeney, got together and put a team into the AUL. Conway had also played senior football with Evergreen Utd in the fifties.



Along with Conway, other members of the 1948-49 minor team included: Arthur Morris, Bunny Horgan, John Sutherland, Paddy O'Neill, Joe Mullins, Sonny O'Shea, Jimmy O'Farrell, Michael Dorgan, Patons Keating (captain), Tim Buckley, Jim Magee, and Len Davis.



John Sutherland, still hale and hearty and living in Cheshire, was a leading member of that talented bunch and a year later was signed by English First Division outfit Everton, his first club in a long professional career.



In a note for the 95/96 President's Cup final programme, he recalled the

sporting battles that were held when the only soccer pitch, both junior and minor, was in Douglas: "The soccer fare was so competitive that people used to spend all day Sunday there. Happy days!"



John, an uncle of Greenmount's Leonard Corcoran, obviously enjoyed his time with Evergreen: "Many good things have happened to me in my sporting life but, I can honestly say that the greatest thrill of all was being able to play for my local team Evergreen. That was down, in no small measure, to the part played by the people who ran the club - which is basically true of all clubs.

These people give of their time and energy to the smooth running of things and are the life's blood of the amateur game; long may it continue".



John was one of five Evergreen players in those days who played soccer with the Hoops and Gaelic with Nemo and all were remembered, both at Evergreen's 45th anniversary dinner (for the '49 team) and last year when Nemo celebrated their 50th anniversary. The Nemo connection has always been strong and even this season there are five Nemo players in the current Evergreen panel.

EVERGREEN 1994

LONG LASTING EVERGREEN


The Evergreen club is something of a family affair, a long

lasting one. The current officers are Dave Brady (Chairman),

Eamonn Hayes (secretary), and Gary Gibbons (treasurer).



Their three families have long been associated with the Turner's

Cross club. Take the Gibbonses for example. Back in 1987, when

Evergreen won the championship in 3B, Paul Gibbons and son Alec

figured on the team. This season, Paul's sons Ivan (one of the

this season's leading scorers) and treasurer Gary, play in the

green colours.



But it is not an exclusive club. Quite a few new players have

signed up in recent seasons. The combination of old and new is

gelling well, according to secretary Hayes: "The combined

talents (of the new and old) and the shared committment, is

proving successful and we expect to be actively involved in the

league and cup as the season comes to a close".



The club, who again play in 3B of the AUL, proudly traces its

history back to 1932. True, there have been some years in

between when Evergreen were not represented on the field but

don't say that too loudly around Turner's Cross.



Chairman Dave Brady doubles up as manager and Hayes is the team

captain. Their league bid was boosted by a recent 2 - 1 win over

then leaders Glenview and their best cup result to date was a 4 -

2 win over higher ranked Kanturk in the AOH.



Evergreen panel: Alan Lehane, Mick Kenneally, Jack O'Connell,

Ronan Fitzgerald, Keith Sheehan, Dave Brady, Ivan Gibbons, Fintan

Smyth, Barry O'Sullivan, Eamonn Hayes, Sean Cremin, Richie Walsh,

Cathal Brennan, Brian Murphy, Gary Gibbons, Niall Corkery, Keith

Cummin, Barry Coleman, and Colin O'Doherty.









end of story

EVERGREEN 1995

EVERGREEN FOREVER:




Bunny Horgan, centre-half on a very talented Evergreen minor team

in the late forties, was on hand recently to see the current

committee announce a return to their traditional colours.



At a reception in the Mountain Bar, number one supporter John

Speight presented a set of jerseys with the green and white hoops

made famous by Bunny and company. The southside club, formed in

1932, wore the hoops in their triumphs in the FAI Junior Cup of

1936 and in the FAI Youth Cup of 1949.



Horgan was a member of the cup winning side in 1949. During a

memorable season, they lost just one game, a replay of the

Munster Minor League final when North End emerged victorious 2 -

0; the first meeting had ended at 1 - 1.



It was a tremendous year for the Evergreen club, the first

triumph coming on April 18th 1949 when they defeated South Lake

United in the final of the Munster Minor Shield. The first North

End game was played in May with the replay in June. In October

they won the Munster Minor Cup, beating Clonmel 2 - 1 in the

final and, a few weeks later, defeated Donore 1 - 0 in the final

of the FAI Minor Cup.



In the same season, the Evergreen juniors reached the semi-final

of the FAI Junior Cup but lost 2 - 0 to Caledonians of Limerick.

The juniors were playing in the Munster Junior League at that

time.



The club was reformed in 1963 when Joe Conway, a prominent member

of the 1949 minor team, Ray Leahy, Henry Fay, and Hughie

McSweeney, got together and put a team into the AUL. Conway had

also played senior football with Evergreen Utd in the fifties.



Along with Conway and Horgan, other members of the 1948-49 minor

team included: Arthur Morris, John Sutherland, Paddy O'Neill,

Joe Mullins, Sonny O'Shea, Jimmy O'Farrell, Michael Dorgan,

Patons Keating (captain), Tim Buckley, Jim Magee, and Len Davis.