BLACKSTONE ROVERS

DOUBLE UP!

A season that finished on a double winning high actually started with some pessimism for Blackstone Rovers. The team spent last season in their first relegation battle, and only survived in the closing stages. The club was rocked further with the news that four of the team were heading abroad for the season.

The dark cloud began to lift in pre-season as Rovers went 7 games unbeaten, but 3 local derbies presented a hard start to the season. Last year’s 3rd place team Central were up first, and Blackstone were delighted to finish the three match run and a visit to Bosco's with 12 points.

Two more league wins and a Munster Junior Cup win against higher ranked Greenwood followed before league rivals Village came to Monard. Three down at the break, Blackstone pulled two back, but Village left with the three points and a first league defeat inflicted on the homesters.

Four wins in November included advancement in the Saxone and Munster Junior Cup led to a December quarter final against Northside neighbours Fairview in the Saxone Cup. In horrendous conditions, a late equaliser by Colin O'Leary in extra time took the game to penalties, where Fairview advanced. A cup hangover led to a draw in Corkbeg and a Munster Junior Cup exit to Mayfield.

It seemed to shake Rovers up, and eight wins in a row followed, with a win against league challengers Hibs and advancement to the last 8 of the City Challenge Cup the highlights. An opening goal with 15 minutes to go against Corkbeg looked like making it 9, but Corkbeg equalised, and another draw against Village a week later left it very tight at the summit of Division 2B between Hibs and Blackstone. Village and Blackstone met four days later again in the City Challenge Cup, and Blackstone won with a late extra time winner to advance to the club’s first ever semi-final.

A win against Passage two days later and Village's win against Hibs meant Blackstone went into the final game, against the aforementioned Hibs, needing just a point to win the league. A late winner by Hibs caused heartbreak for the Rovers, and a play-off between the two was necessary. Before the play-off, Blackstone came from two down against Kilreen to advance, with three second half goals, to the club’s first ever Cup Final.

The play-off took place three days later, and the closeness of the sides over the season was illustrated as the match was decided on penalties. Mass celebrations began as Derek O Driscoll's penalty hit the back of the net. And the double was completed with last Saturday’s 1-0 City Cup final win over Wilton Utd.

Manager Tony Dunlea was assisted by Gary Sheehan and Ivan Bevan during the season and his panel was: Jamie Boland, Derek O’Driscoll, Michael Twohig, Paul Murphy, Michael Geaney, Ger O’Brien captain, Brian O’Driscoll, Danny Long, Warren Forde, Colin O’Leary, Dave O’Connor, Pierse Carmody, Colin Hourigan, Owen O’Brien, Francis Cooney, Stephen Wall, Colin Bevan, Keith McCarthy and Andrew O’Brien.


The committee who served the club so well this season are: An Uachtarain Tony Bevan, Chairman Ivan Bevan, Vice Chairman George McCarthy, Treasurer Wayne Lee and Hon Secretary Colum Kelleher.