Tag: waterford afc

1968-69 League of Ireland season

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After winning their first League of Ireland Shield in ten years, ten wins from their eleven home games helped Waterford retain the league championship in 1969, five points ahead of Shamrock Rovers, with Cork Hibernians registering their highest league finish to date in third. Vinny Maguire’s Blues were becoming known for a fluid and confident style of play, with the ball being moved upfield at opportune moments before being taken advantage of by the team’s clever, opportunistic forwards. In fact, all 68 of Waterford’s’ league goals this season came from the six players who had been most regularly lining out in the front five positions. Waterford were also becoming known as a team that were willing and able to engage in the less savoury sides of the game (such as timewasting and gamesmanship) and a slight shift towards full-time professionals (to the detriment of local players) was another feature of this particular season on Suirside. The club also now found themselves in a very good financial position, having faced holders Manchester United at Lansdowne Road in the first round of the European Cup in front of a crowd of about 48,000, the biggest attendance yet for an association football match in Ireland.

Shamrock Rovers had gone toe-to-toe with the champions for almost the entire season, but an injury crisis and some cup-related fixture congestion had seen their league challenge almost completely fade away in the closing stages. The Hoops did manage to capture a very precious prize, however, with two Mick Leech goals helping them beat Cork Celtic 4-1 in a replay to take the F.A.I. Cup for an incredible sixth season in-a-row. A late own-goal by former Milltown player John Keogh had saved them from defeat in the first game, and a hotly disputed Frank O’Neill penalty had gotten them out of jail in the first of two semi-final meetings with Shelbourne. Rovers had little or no luck left over for the other cup competitions, though, letting a 2-0 half-time lead slip to lose the Dublin City Cup final 5-2 to Dundalk (Derek Stokes and Turlough O’Connor both scored braces in a game that took place on St. Patrick’s Day, a day after a full league programme), and a refusal by Waterford to agree to a rescheduling of the Top Four Cup final was a prelude to goals from Vinny Maguire and Shamie Coad giving the Blues a 2-0 success. Liam Tuohy’s side also fell just short in the final of the Blaxnit tournament, with Coleraine scoring twice in the last 15 minutes of the Dalymount Park second leg to clinch the trophy 4-3 on aggregate.

Johnny Fullam was one of the Shamrock Rovers players who missed crucial end-of-season games through injury, and his non-appearance in the F.A.I. Cup beyond the second round meant that the international wing-half was denied the chance to continue his record of appearing in every game of the club’s six-year winning run. Mick Leech, meanwhile, had been having an exceptional season in front of goal, and with just a few weeks of the season remaining, found himself within sight of Dan McCaffrey’s 56-goal haul (across all competitions) from the 1960-61 season. Leech picked up a knee injury in a match against Drogheda, however, and though he got back in among the goals during the ‘Blaxnit’ matches, his final tally of 55 meant that he fell just one goal short of McCaffrey’s record. The 20-year old Dubliner had already picked up this season’s Soccer Writers’ ‘Personality of the Year’ award, though, and was also included (along with several other home-based players) in the Republic of Ireland starting line-up for World Cup qualifiers against Denmark and Czechoslovakia.

Limerick (with Al Finucane as interim player-coach) had set the early pace in this year’s title race, taking 13 points from their first 14 to open up a three-point lead over the chasing pack. The Shannonsiders were never taken as genuine title contenders, however, and a lack of attacking firepower (they scored only 13 goals in their first 10 games) meant they eventually began to fall away, slipping to seventh by the time the league campaign wound down. A strong showing in the cup (with three home games being played at Thomond Park) saw them knock out Cork Hibernians and Waterford to make the semi-finals, but Cork Celtic eventually emerged victorious from an epic four-game struggle after the third replay had been controversially diverted from Thomond Park to Dalymount Park. Limerick at least earned themselves a place in the Blaxnit competition (with Belfast-based former manager Ewan Fenton acting as their representative for some of the associated events), and a win over Ards in the first round saw them reach another semi-final before losing to eventual winners Coleraine.

Player-coach Alan Fox had parted ways with Limerick before the league programme got underway, with the Welshman requesting a transfer immediately after returning from the six-month suspension that had been imposed on him earlier in the year. While there was a temporary reconciliation following an impressive shield performance against Cork Hibernians, Fox soon asked to leave the club again, and ended up joining Tony Bartley’s Sligo Rovers (who were again utilising a number of full-time professionals), with his first match for the Bit O’ Red being a shield game against Limerick at Markets Field. Having become something of a lightning rod for drama and controversy in recent times, Fox later played in a league game against former club Dundalk that saw three players being sent off, and towards the end of the season the former League of Ireland-winning manager was suspended by Sligo Rovers for a breach of contract. One further twist saw Tony Bartley (who had been one of the league’s most consistent performers over the previous 18 months or so) leave the Showgrounds in March to join up with Fox’s former charges at Limerick, after a 2-0 F.A.I. Cup loss to non-league Longford Town had soured relations between Bartley and his players. Limerick chose to keep Al Finucane in charge of team affairs, however, though former manager Ewan Fenton did get consulted on the morning of some of their cup games.

Before the season had begun, Carl Davenport parted ways with Cork Celtic after a breakdown in his relationship with the board of directors, but before long the Lancashire native had moved across town to join Amby Fogarty’s Cork Hibernians. Davenport would score both in a 2-0 win over his former club (he also scored an eight-minute hat-trick against St. Pat’s), and the goals of another English player, 18-year old winger Dave Wigginton, also helped the Flower Lodge side compete towards the top end of the table, with their form in the second half of the league season being particularly impressive. They won 10 of the 11 games in this part of the campaign, with their only defeat coming in a re-scheduled game against Waterford at Kilcohan Park, a day after they had won 2-0 in Limerick. Fogarty (who had overseen a very robust and tough-tackling Hibernians since becoming player-coach) was dismissed in the middle of this run, however, but would eventually take Davenport’s old job as Cork Celtic player-manager for the 1969-70 season.

Bohemian F.C. made a historic move during the 1968-69 season, when members voted by a three-quarters majority to change the memorandum of association and allow professional and semi-professional footballers to play for the club. The relative success they had enjoyed in the mid-1960s having evaporated, the Gypsies (who failed to win any of their shield games) had been facing the prospect of a second successive last-placed league finish as the 1968-69 season entered its latter weeks. Though initial suggestions were that the change from amateurism would be gradual and unrushed, within days, former Shamrock Rovers, Dundalk and Ireland midfielder Tony O’Connell, and former St. Patrick’s Athletic and Ireland goalkeeper Dinny Lowry had been signed by Seán Thomas as the club’s first ever pros. Bohemians managed to draw their first three league games as a semi-professional team (against the current ‘big three’ of Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers and Waterford) and the wisdom of the club’s decision would be demonstrated even more clearly in the seasons ahead.

Although Waterford had won this season’s shield by three clear points, the competition had delivered a bit more excitement, and contained a few more subplots than usual. Drogheda won their first five games to set the initial pace, but eventually ended up as one of three clubs tied for second (on points at least), the others being Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk. The latter club had broken Drogheda’s run by winning 5-0 at Oriel Park, and the Lilywhites’ shield campaign then proceeded to become something of a goalfest, as they scored 22 more in their remaining five matches. Tommy Rowe’s side beat Limerick 7-4 at Oriel Park, and won a farcical, error-strewn game at Richmond Park 7-5 (the latter game, played in difficult weather conditions, was reminiscent of the two sides’ high-scoring league meeting from the 1954-55 season). Derek Stokes finished on 10 goals alongside Shamrock Rovers’ Mick Leech, but it was Shelbourne’s newly arrived, Galway-born forward Brian Delargy who somehow topped the shield scoring chart with 14. Towards the end of the competition Eoin Hand left Drumcondra for Portsmouth, and though Pompey manager George Smith had initially wanted to sign Waterford’s Jimmy McGeough, the move was just reward for a versatile player who had performed superbly the previous season.

Dundalk’s eventful shield campaign took place alongside an eventful European one, which began with a notable progression against Dutch side DOS Utrecht. This success (against a team who had not seemed at all impressive when scouted by Dundalk) came at a cost, however, as a double-fracture leg break for Patsy McKeown ended the playing career of the long-serving Lilywhite full-back. A tie with Glasgow Rangers followed, and future Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson scored twice for the Scottish side in a 9-1 aggregate win. The Oriel Park leg was remembered for a number of violent incidents, however, as Belfast-based Rangers fans clashed with gardaí and opposing fans. Although many friendly matches had taken place between northern and southern clubs during the last couple of years, increasing political and social unrest in the north meant the potential for matches to attract trouble was also increasing. As it turned out, the Dublin leg of the Blaxnit final between Shamrock Rovers and Coleraine saw a number of incidents take place inside and outside the stadium, with three Coleraine fans being hospitalised.

One domestic fixture ended up being memorable for all the wrong reasons, with some crowd trouble occurring at a league game between Waterford and Cork Celtic at Turner’s Cross. With the match level at 1-1 after 85 minutes, the sending off of Celtic’s Donie Leahy for a challenge on Waterford keeper Peter Thomas (the ball actually found its way into the net after the clash, but the goal was disallowed) was deemed unjust by some sections of the Cork support. Suddenly stones and other missiles began emanating from the crowd, and although the match was eventually restarted and played to its conclusion, hordes of fans subsequently blocked the pathway from the pitch to the players’ dressing rooms. Some fans climbed on top of the changing room building (part of the roof collapsed in and they were fortunate to avoid serious injury), and began aiming missiles at the referee and the Waterford players (mainly goalkeeper Thomas). Despite pleas from the Cork Celtic players (including Donal Leahy himself) and manager, the crowd continued to lay in wait, and 25 minutes after the final whistle had sounded, the Waterford players finally made their escape from the ground.

In a slightly unusual move, the League of Ireland management committee decided to invite applications for new clubs to join the league with a few weeks of the 1968-69 season still remaining. Home Farm made an application for the eighth season in a row, and as well as Limerick side Plassey Vale F.C., it led to expressions of interest from former League of Ireland clubs Bray Unknowns and Transport F.C. It was the applications of Athlone Town A.F.C. and Co. Donegal-based Finn Harps that ended up being of most interest to League of Ireland delegates, however; as well as potentially increasing geographical spread, both clubs were also on an upward trajectory, with Finn Harps having won the F.A.I. Junior Cup and subsequently making the final of the Intermediate Cup. Athlone Town, meanwhile, had established themselves as a solid League of Ireland ‘B’ division team, and this season had also seen them make the Leinster Senior Cup semi-finals, having beaten Shelbourne along the way. Although ground improvements were required to be carried out over the summer, both clubs’ applications were approved by the league’s management committee. The admission of these two new sides meant that a new decade would begin with 14 League of Ireland clubs.

LEAGUE OF IRELAND 1968-69

PWDLFAPts
Waterford221642683036
Shamrock Rovers221435562831
Cork Hibernians221426392730
Dundalk221336542929
St. Patrick’s Athletic221048414224
Drogheda22868353022
Limerick22949303622
Sligo Rovers228410293220
Drumcondra226511384417
Shelbourne222812306912
Cork Celtic223514285211
Bohemians223415215010

European Competition : European Cup First Round (first leg at Lansdowne Road), Waterford 1-3 Manchester United, Manchester United 7-1 Waterford European Cup Winners’ Cup First Round (second leg at Dalymount Park), Randers Freja (Denmark) 1-0 Shamrock Rovers, Shamrock Rovers 1-2 Randers Freja Inter Cities Fairs Cup First Round, DOS Utrecht (Holland) 1-1 Dundalk, Dundalk 2-1 DOS Utrecht (after extra-time). Second Round, Rangers 6-1 Dundalk, Dundalk 0-3 Rangers

League top scorers : Mick Leech Shamrock Rovers, 19 Turlough O’Connor Dundalk, 17 Alfie Hale Waterford, 16 John O’Neill Waterford, 16

S.W.A.I. Personality of the Year : Mick Leech, Shamrock Rovers

Representative matches : League of Ireland 0-0 Scottish League, Irish League 1-2 League of Ireland

1965-66 League of Ireland season

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The 1965-66 League of Ireland season was probably the most compelling one of the 1960s, as well as being a standout season in the history of League of Ireland football as a whole. It was a league campaign of two halves, with Shamrock Rovers impressively winning each of their first 11 matches to open up a six-point advantage at the halfway point, the Hoops defeating Sligo Rovers 3-1 on a snow-covered Milltown pitch to equal the achievement of the northwesterners in their 1936-37 league winning season. To most observers it seemed as if Rovers’ eleventh League of Ireland title would now be little more than a formality, but while the Milltown game had been taking place, Waterford had been defeating Drogheda 3-1 to record their sixth league win in a row and install themselves as the Hoops’ nearest challengers.

In the league’s bottom two for each of the previous two years (they finished bottom in 1965), very little was expected of Waterford for the 1965-66 season, despite the fact that Paddy Coad had now returned for a second stint as manager. The much-travelled Mick Lynch had also returned to Kilcohan Park for a second spell, but while they finished their shield campaign strongly (scoring 21 goals on the way to winning their last five games) they took just four points from their opening five league games, and given their struggles over the last couple of seasons, a top six finish for the Blues would probably have been considered a very good achievement. But while Shamrock Rovers’ winning run (and an unbeaten home league record stretching back to February 1963) was being ended by third-placed Bohemians at Milltown, Waterford were registering their seventh consecutive league win, and when a Mick Lynch goal gave them both points at Dalymount Park the following Sunday, the scene was well and truly set for their visit to Milltown to tackle the leaders.

Crowd trouble had erupted at the end of the Kilcohan Park meeting of the sides earlier in the league (Rovers won 4-3 with the help of a hotly-disputed penalty and the referee needed the help of the gardaí to escape the stadium), but a record Glenmalure Park crowd of almost 25,000 were on their best behaviour for this all-important return match. An Al Casey goal in the 39th minute gave the spoils to Waterford and brought them to within a point of their rivals, and among other things, the Blues were now just two games away from winning 11 on the trot themselves. Victories over Drumcondra and Dundalk in the next two outings meant that they did just that. Having been runners-up on four previous occasions, Blues fans began believing that this finally might be their year, and when Cork Hibernians and Sligo were beaten to bring the winning run to an incredible 13, the championship appeared to be Waterford’s to lose. Despite drawing their next two league games (they thus fell short of Bohemians’ run of 15 straight wins from the 1923-24 season), and losing an F.A.I. Cup semi-final replay to Shamrock Rovers, the title was closed out with wins in their last two matches, a last day victory at Drogheda giving them the championship with two points to spare (they had taken 21 points from 22 away from home). The celebrations that the victory triggered on Suirside had only ever been matched by those that greeted the Waterford hurlers following their All-Ireland victories in 1948 and 1959.

Waterford had gradually been adding to their squad as the league campaign progressed, and the players that Paddy Coad brought in all played their part in the Blues’ success. Waterford native John O’Neill had re-joined in November from champions Drumcondra, before wing-half Jimmy McGeough was recruited for a fee of £3,000 from Derry City. After a slow start, McGeough’s midfield partnership with Vinny Maguire eventually became pivotal, and it was the Belfast native who supplied the cross for Al Casey’s winning goal at Milltown. In March, an English winger by the name of Johnny Matthews joined Waterford from Coventry City, and it was Matthews who scored the only goal at the Sligo Showgrounds to give the Blues their 13th league win in a row. Mick Lynch finished as outright top scorer on the way to winning his first ever League of Ireland medal, and Paddy Coad’s much younger brother Shamie was also in scoring form, his versatility having helped him to establish himself as the club’s key player during the previous number of seasons.

League of Ireland attendances in the 1960s had dipped considerably compared to the previous decade, but the exciting events of the first few months of 1966 allowed this trend to be bucked somewhat, at least temporarily. When Shamrock Rovers faced Bohemians with the aim of winning their 12th league game from 12, a record “gate” of over £1,300 was paid at the Milltown turnstiles, and those who were there were treated to one of the best League of Ireland matches for years, with Bohs eventually winning 3-2 to bring their rivals’ winning run to an end. There was an even bigger crowd at Dalymount for the visit of Waterford the following week, and when the Blues then faced Rovers at Milltown, several thousand were unable to gain entry. The cup semi-finals between Shamrock Rovers and Waterford also attracted bumper crowds, with 25,000 at Dalymount to see the Hoops progress to the final on a 4-2 scoreline.

Rovers had required replays in the two previous rounds as well, and found last season’s opponents, Limerick, waiting for them in the final. The Hoops would be without Liam Tuohy for the decider but second-half goals from Tony O’Connell and Frank O’Neill gave them their third ‘blue riband’ success in a row. The Hoops had earlier won their fourth League of Ireland Shield in succession (the second time they had achieved this feat) but it came at a cost, with a serious knee injury sustained by Jackie Mooney in a shield game against Shelbourne resulting in the Republic of Ireland international being on the sidelines for the next two years. Bobby Gilbert was brought in from Derry City, however, and finished as the club’s top scorer, with two goals coming in a 3-0 win over Bohemians in a Top Four Cup final second replay. The Hoops had also ran eventual runners-up, Zaragoza, very close in this season’s Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, holding on until a 78th minute winner for the Spanish side in the second leg.

Limerick had reached the final in spite of a little bit of disruption, caused by the unavailability of the Markets Field for their cup run. The ground’s owners, Limerick Greyhound Racing Company, had initiated some renovations and though the club were able to remain there for league games, they had to play two ‘home’ F.A.I. Cup matches at Thomond Park and Dalymount Park. Limerick’s European Cup Winners’ Cup game against CSKA Sofia had also taken place at Dalymount, but the match ended up being delayed for 24 hours due to fog, resulting in a wasted journey for about 800 Limerick fans (ironically, there was no fog over Limerick on the same night). A crowd of 11,000 were then present on the Thursday evening to see Ewan Fenton’s men fall to a rather unlucky 2-1 defeat.

As well as achieving another third-placed finish in the league, the Bohemians revival under Seán Thomas also saw them win some silverware this season for the first time in almost 20 years. The Gypsies came from 2-0 down to beat Shamrock Rovers 3-2 in a replayed L.F.A. President’s Cup final (this competition had been expanded to a six-team knockout format the previous season), before overcoming Shelbourne by the same scoreline in the final of the Leinster Senior Cup. Wing-half Jimmy Conway (one of the young players that had been recruited from Stella Maris) had emerged as the team’s key player, and his excellent performances saw him attract the attention of several cross-channel clubs. Fulham won the race for his signature at the end of the season, and the London club decided to add Turlough O’Connor to the ticket as well. The duo’s last game for Bohs was the first of the two drawn Top Four Cup finals against Shamrock Rovers, with both players scoring in the 3-3 draw at Dalymount Park.

Goals from Pat O’Callaghan, Tony Allen and one of the Gosnell twins helped Cork Hibernians beat Dundalk 3-2 in the final of the Dublin City Cup to secure their first national honour. On the whole, however, it was probably a season to forget for the two Leeside-based League of Ireland clubs, as both Hibernians (who took just one point from their first 10 games) and Celtic spent the season hovering near the foot of the table and Celtic eventually had to apply for re-election. A thrilling January derby (one of the best ever) between the clubs saw Celtic score two late goals to win 4-3 and provide their supporters with a rare high point for the season. At the end of the campaign, Austin Noonan’s departure from Celtic to Hibernians saw his prolific strike partnership with Donal Leahy finally come to an end. The pair had scored 267 league goals between them over the course of the previous 11 seasons, and while neither player had ever had any trouble in gaining the attention of the inter-league selectors, Noonan and Leahy were to be denied the opportunity to appear for the Republic of Ireland. Leahy’s non-appearance for the national side was seen as a particular injustice (his seven goals in 17 League of Ireland XI appearances is a record), and this was especially so when one considers that he was called up to the Irish international squad on a number of occasions.

After their gradual introduction into other competitions during recent seasons, 1965-66 finally saw substitutions being allowed in League of Ireland championship matches. As it turned out, the law was introduced very hastily, with a broken leg sustained by Drumcondra’s Jimmy Morrissey proving to be the final straw. The substitute / twelfth man had to be nominated in advance and could enter in place of an injured player at any stage of the contest. Although the first weekend didn’t see any substitution being made, a match at the Showgrounds on the 27th of February saw St. Patrick’s Athletic’s Des Downey coming on for an injured Noel Bates after 21 minutes of the second half. In a peculiar twist, Sligo Rovers managed to score while their opponents were still readying their replacement player.

The floodgates soon opened and there were many uses of the substitute rule before the end of the season. Waterford’s Peter Fitzgerald (who had recently returned after a few months out injured) became the first substitute to score in a League of Ireland match when he gave the champions-elect a 1-0 win over Cork Celtic at Turner’s Cross. The lack of a substitute rule had previously thrown up some ridiculous situations, with injured players often staying on the pitch (they were usually put out on the wing) despite being of no real benefit to their team. The practice also raised player welfare concerns, but occasionally / ironically, a badly injured player might end up making a telling contribution, such as Mick Rice scoring in the P.J. Casey Cup final in 1962, or Ben O’Sullivan scoring the winner for Bohs in this season’s five-goal thriller at Milltown. However, substitutions were not yet common in other leagues throughout Europe, with 1965-66 being the first English league season to feature them, and UEFA proving very slow to introduce them into their competitions. In Spain, the first substitution in La Liga would not happen until 1969.

League of Ireland 1965-66

PWDLFAPts
Waterford221642532636
Shamrock Rovers221543592334
Bohemians221318463027
Shelbourne221057373025
Sligo Rovers22877272623
Limerick22787363522
Drumcondra22868323522
Dundalk229310323521
St. Patrick’s Athletic229211354320
Cork Hibernians226313305115
Cork Celtic224612325114
Drogheda22131815485

European Competition : European Cup First Round, Drumcondra 1-0 ASK Vorwärts Berlin (East Germany), ASK Vorwärts Berlin 3-0 Drumcondra European Cup Winners’ Cup First Round (first leg at Dalymount Park), Limerick 1-2 CSKA Sofia, CSKA Sofia 2-0 Limerick Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Second Round (Rovers received a bye to this stage, first leg at Dalymount Park), Shamrock Rovers 1-1 Real Zaragoza, Real Zaragoza 2-1 Shamrock Rovers

League top scorers : Mick Lynch Waterford, 17 Shamie Coad Waterford, 14 Bobby Gilbert Shamrock Rovers, 14 Liam Tuohy Shamrock Rovers, 14

S.W.A.I. Personality of the Year : Liam Tuohy, Shamrock Rovers player-manager

Representative match : English League 5-0 League of Ireland

1958-59 League of Ireland season

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An eighth consecutive Dublin league championship success arrived in 1959, with Shamrock Rovers’ ninth League of Ireland title being secured with five points to spare over Evergreen United (who claimed the runners-up position on goal average) and Alec Stevenson’s Waterford. Rovers managed to play some good football in spite of some very muddy and sometimes frozen pitches, and while their league rivals definitely caused them a lot of headaches, none of the rest of the top four were able to find any real consistency. Waterford were possibly the most guilty of this, especially after coming out the right side of a 6-5 thriller at Kilcohan Park in early March that seemed to have thrown the race wide open, but the Blues lost two of their next three league games to allow Rovers to pull away.

Of the Suirsiders’ 58 league goals, some 56 were scored by members of two famous Waterford footballing families, the Hales and the Fitzgeralds (Peter Fitzgerald would depart for Sparta of Rotterdam during the summer, later to play for Leeds United and Ireland). Indeed, the loss of goalscoring prodigy Alfie Hale through injury in an F.A.I. Cup final dress rehearsal against St. Patrick’s Athletic helped the Blues to assume the mantle of this season’s nearly men, as goals from Johnny McGeehan (a recent signing from Transport) and Willie Peyton in a cup final replay (each side had an own goal in the first match) between the sides saw the Inchicore club record their first senior F.A.I. Cup success. Waterford did at least collect a fourth League of Ireland Shield a point ahead of Shamrock Rovers (following a poor start, they won their last eight games and amassed a total of 40 goals), to ensure that they now accounted for four of the seven non-Dublin victories in that competition. Former Aston Villa and Ireland star Con Martin had pulled many of the strings for the Blues this season, and the shield win gave him just his second medal in a career that had begun at Drumcondra in the early 1940s.

1958-59 was probably the most eventful and most impressive season to date for Limerick F.C. At the beginning of the season, a 4-3 semi-final victory over Shamrock Rovers had sent them into their first Dublin City Cup final, and they proceeded to beat Drumcondra (who had recently sold their Irish international goalkeeper Alan Kelly to Preston North End) by the same scoreline to join Sligo Rovers, Cork United and Dundalk on the list of non-Dublin winners of that trophy. Limerick registered a 4-3 win at Kilcohan Park to hand shield-winners Waterford one of just two defeats (Limerick won their last five games to finish third), so it looked like something positive was brewing for the club from the mid-west. They continued to show good form in the league, and in addition to enjoying two thrilling 3-2 wins over Waterford (the Kilcohan Park meeting was a superb match that had also seen a special train being laid on for Dublin-based supporters), they also held Shamrock Rovers to two 1-1 draws, each of which they were unfortunate not to have won. They won the Munster Senior Cup, and in spite of a gruelling four-match saga against Drumcondra, made it to the semi-finals of the F.A.I. Cup, where Waterford gained a measure of revenge thanks to a goal by Tommy Coady. Limerick also pipped Drumcondra to a place in the Top Four Cup, but after another 1-1 draw with Shamrock Rovers in the semi-final, were defeated 18-6 on corners.

Evergreen United were Rovers’ opponents in the Top Four final, and a Donal Leahy goal gave them a 1-0 win in front of a crowd of 15,000 at Dalymount Park. The turnout was very satisfactory for a competition that many had felt would not generate much interest, but the ‘Independent Cup’ had already succeeded in adding bite to what might otherwise have been meaningless end-of-season league games (clubs were also mindful of the extra revenue that would accrue). Leahy also scored both in the 2-0 semi-final win over Waterford (he had almost single-handedly dragged his team into contention for honours this season), and Rovers’ loss in the final meant that although they had regained the league title, they had surrendered possession of all five of the trophies that they had won in 1957-58.

A twelfth place league showing for Bohemians this year meant that the once-mighty Phibsboro club had achieved just one top-half league finish (fifth in 1951) since 1941. This could largely be attributed to the amateur status (in line with the principles enacted at the club’s foundation) that the club had so doggedly adhered to as the decades had passed, refusing to sign professional players, or even those that they felt harboured intentions of becoming full-time footballers. Bohemians recorded a surprise league double over old rivals Shelbourne this season, however, and shocked champions-elect Shamrock Rovers by knocking them out of the F.A.I. Cup, so it seemed that, in spite of their difficulties, the Gypsies might still have the ability to add some value to the league.

In a first for the League of Ireland (the practice was common for Ireland’s rugby and hockey teams at the time), a “trial” game was held in late January between a ‘Dublin XI’ and a ‘Provincial XI’ to aid with the task of selecting a team to play against the English League at Dalymount Park on St. Patrick’s Day. A large Tolka Park crowd was present to see a thrilling match finish 4-4, and Shelbourne centre-forward Christy Doyle (a cousin of St Patrick’s Athletic’s Dunne brothers) netted all four for the metropolitans. Doyle not only played against the English League (a very exciting scoreless draw that the home team were unlucky not to win), but also won a full international cap in a European Nations Cup game against Czechoslovakia a few weeks later. The 21-year old had also appeared in two ‘B’ internationals earlier in the season, scoring in both, including the only goal in a 1-0 win over South Africa’s ‘A’ team.

Although the 1950s had seen League of Ireland aggregate attendances rise to unprecedented levels, and crowds of up to 1,000 people often gathering outside newspaper offices on Sunday evenings to await the posting of the afternoon’s results, there was a noticeable dip during the 1958-59 season, with many clubs towards the middle and lower reaches of the league suddenly finding themselves in financial difficulty. While bad weather might have been a possible factor, heavy defeats for both Shamrock Rovers and Drumcondra in the European Cup, and reduced representation for League of Ireland players in the Irish national team did seem to have robbed the league of some of its gravitas. The 1950s had been a very difficult decade for Ireland that saw rising unemployment and emigration, but the league had been something of a success story. With a new decade on the horizon, it seemed that there might be some challenging times ahead.

League of Ireland 1958-59

PWDLFAPts
Shamrock Rovers221543582934
Evergreen United221336492729
Waterford221417583629
Limerick221156483127
Drumcondra221147302626
Shelbourne22787353322
Transport228311303719
St. Patrick’s Athletic229013455918
Cork Hibernians225512294315
Sligo Rovers226313345115
Dundalk226313345315
Bohemians226313255015

European Competition : European Cup Preliminary Round (second leg at Dalymount Park), Atlético Madrid 8-0 Drumcondra, Drumcondra 1-5 Atlético Madrid

League top scorers : Donal Leahy Evergreen United, 22 Alfie Hale Waterford, 18 Peter Fitzgerald Waterford, 17

Representative matches : Scottish League 1-0 League of Ireland, Irish League 2-3 League of Ireland, League of Ireland 0-0 English League

1940-41 League of Ireland season

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The season began with Drumcondra winning a second consecutive Dublin City Cup after a 3-0 win over Dundalk, and St. James’s Gate cruising (they won nine and drew one of their 10 matches) to their second League of Ireland Shield. The league title was destined for Leeside, however, with Cork United succeeding where previous incarnations Fordsons, Cork F.C. and Cork City had failed. United could count themselves lucky to have got their hands on the trophy this time, though, with Waterford (who had a potent attack that featured Johnny Johnstone, Tim O’Keeffe and a young Waterford native called Paddy Coad) having finished on the same amount of points, and also having done the double over the Corkmen during the course of the league season. League rules dictated that a play-off be held, but due to a dispute regarding payments to the club’s players, Waterford failed to participate in the championship decider. The league title was thus awarded to Cork United.

Action from the first cup final match between Cork United and Waterford

Waterford had earlier lost the F.A.I. Cup to their southern rivals, United winning 3-1 in a replay, following a 2-2 draw first time out. The second match saw Cork captain Owen Madden and Waterford’s Jackie O’Driscoll (who himself was a Corkman) becoming the first players to be sent off in an F.A.I. Cup final. The Kilcohan Park outfit’s disappointing season was compounded by a heavy fine for their non-appearance in the league decider, and also the club being suspended from the League of Ireland before the onset of the 1941-42 campaign. Leinster Senior League side Distillery F.C. (who had taken the scalps of Drumcondra, Brideville and Dundalk in the F.A.I. Cup in recent seasons) made an application to take Waterford’s place, but the league decided against admitting another Dublin-based team.

1941’s league top scorer, Mick O’Flanagan, would make even more significant history seven years later. When being capped for the Irish rugby team against Scotland in February of 1948 (Ireland’s only Grand Slam-winning year prior to 2009), he emulated the achievement of his brother and Bohemians teammate Kevin (also an Irish sprint and long-jump champion, and an accomplished tennis player and golfer) by winning Irish caps in both rugby and soccer.

League of Ireland 1940-41


PWDLFAPts

Cork United201343502330*

Waterford201424623130

Bohemians20956524423

Shamrock Rovers20938484321

St. James’s Gate20938444121

Drumcondra20848445020

Dundalk209110434219

Brideville207211395716

Limerick206410274416

Shelbourne20398233115

Bray Unknowns20331429559

* Cork United awarded league title after Waterford failed to participate in play-off

League top scorers : Mick O’Flanagan Bohemians, 19 Johnny Johnstone Waterford, 17 Tim O’Keeffe Waterford, 17

Representative matches : League of Ireland 3-8 Northern Regional League, Northern Regional League 2-1 League of Ireland

1936-37 Free State League season

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Having finished in eighth place the season before, the influx of several cross-channel players helped Sligo Rovers march to a first league title in 1937, a full 10 points clear of their three nearest challengers. The north-western club (who had only finished tenth in the shield) won their first 11 league games in a row, and became the first team to bring the title outside the province of Leinster. In fact, the top four clubs were all from outside Dublin – Dundalk (playing their first season at their new Oriel Park home) claimed the runners-up position on goal average (goals scored divided by goals conceded) ahead of Waterford, and also Bray Unknowns (just three points separated the teams from second to eighth), whose fourth-placed finish would ultimately represent their best ever league performance.

Waterford, however, with a largely full-time professional side, could claim to have been the most consistent team of the season. Defeating Bohemians in a play-off for the Free State Shield (Bohs had needed just a point from their last match against Cork, only to lose 4-1 at the Mardyke), goals from Corkmen Eugene Noonan and Timothy Jim O’Keeffe (who repeated his 1934 display by scoring in every round) saw them overcome St. James’s Gate 2-1 to win their first Free State Cup. Both clubs had faced non-league opposition in the semi-finals, in the shape of Longford Town and Fearon Athletic, and the Gate’s promising youngster Jackie Carey left for Manchester United (for a transfer fee of £250) at the end of the season.

St. James’s Gate beat Sligo Rovers 6-2 in the second round of the Cup

The Free State League, Free State Cup and Free State Shield monikers would be dropped in 1937 in line with De Valera’s “Bunreacht na hÉireann” constitution, with the F.A.I.F.S. also reverting to their original “F.A.I.” title. Sligo Rovers topped up their league success with victory in the Dublin City Cup, handing Dundalk a second successive defeat in that competition’s final, and ensuring that each of the four trophies would spend the year outside Dublin. Meanwhile, in March, the last ever outing for the “Free State League XI” saw goals from Waterford’s Tom Arrigan, Dundalk’s Joey Donnelly and St. James’s Gate’s Billy Kennedy procure a good 3-2 win over their Yugoslavian counterparts at Dalymount Park.

Free State League 1936-37

PWDLFAPts
Sligo Rovers221624683034
Dundalk221048413424
Waterford2212010594924
Bray Unknowns221048303924
St. James’s Gate22958634323
Drumcondra221039414723
Bohemians2210210545622
Shelbourne229310534821
Shamrock Rovers228311465519
Dolphin227411435918
Cork227312516017
Brideville226313325115

League top scorers : Bob Slater Shelbourne, 20 (including 1 for Waterford) Harry Litherland Sligo Rovers, 19 Hugh O’Donnell Bray Unknowns, 16 Tim O’Keeffe Waterford, 16

Representative match : Free State League 3-2 Yugoslavian League

1929-30 Free State League season

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On the back of a good relationship having been established between the F.A.I.F.S. and the Belgian F.A. in recent times, Bohemians were invited to travel to Belgium in August of 1929 to take part in a pre-season tournament. They registered friendly wins over Charleroi and a ‘Royal Flemish XI’ in advance of the main event, which was called the “Aciéries de’Angleur Tournoi” and was to feature the Dublin club along with three teams from the Liège region. Bohs carried their good form into the competition proper, defeating R.F.C. Tillier by a goal to nil before beating Standard Liège 3-2 and being awarded the trophy.

The top of the league table at the end of December ended up having a somewhat familiar look, with Bohs taking maximum points from their Dalymount Park fixtures to triumph ahead of Shelbourne in second, Shamrock Rovers, and Fordsons (who had this year relocated to Cork’s Mardyke ground) some distance back in fourth. A last-minute David ‘Babby’ Byrne goal saw Shamrock Rovers defeat Brideville (now playing their home games at Harold’s Cross Greyhound Stadium, having relocated from Richmond Park, Inchicore in late 1929) 1-0 to become the first team to retain the Free State Cup, although Byrne would later admit that he had used his hand to net the all-important goal. Bohemians’ Bill Cleary, meanwhile, set a cup scoring record in his side’s first round clash with Bray Unknowns, when he netted six in the Gypsies’ 7-3 victory over the Wicklow side.

Shelbourne v Shamrock Rovers in a Free State Cup first round replay

Shelbourne’s victory in the Free State Shield after a 2-0 win over second-placed Shamrock Rovers in the penultimate round meant a continuation of the strangehold that they, Rovers and Bohemians had had on that competition since its 1922 inception. The tail-end of the 1929-30 season saw the introduction of a new competition for those three clubs to concern themselves with, the Leinster Football Association launching the first edition of the L.F.A. President’s Cup, which was to be competed for this year by the top four Leinster-based Free State League clubs. The competition got off to a less than ideal start, however, with Shelbourne (who had defeated Brideville) and Shamrock Rovers (who had defeated Bohs) drawing the first President’s Cup final and the intended replay never actually taking place. Each Free State League club was present and correct for the beginning of the 1930-31 season, with the existing teams now being joined by Waterford A.F.C., and also Dolphin F.C. (a club founded by the Dublin Butchers’ Social Union), meaning that a 12-team structure would be in place for the beginning of the new campaign.

Free State League 1929-30

PWDLFAPts
Bohemians181422511830
Shelbourne181413552529
Shamrock Rovers181224442226
Fordsons18837333319
Brideville18837343919
Dundalk G.N.R.18639383615
Drumcondra18558263715
Bray Unknowns18459344813
St. James’s Gate184311303811
Jacobs18031523763

League top scorers : Johnny Ledwidge Shelbourne, 16 Stephen McCarthy Bohemians, 13 David Byrne Shamrock Rovers, 11 Fred Horlacher Bohemians, 11

Representative matches : Free State League 1-6 Irish League, Welsh League 6-1 Free State League