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08.08.20 AUL Awards

08.08.20 AULx Awards

 Munster Junior Cup champions Leeside were the worthy recipients of the Murphy's Stout AUL Team of the Year prize when the annual awards were presented at The Kiln this week.

The Little Island based outfit will again have their three wise men at the helm as Johnny O'Sullivan, Derek Delea and Jimmy "Barr" O'Sullivan continue in charge of the club's Premier team.

But the three will have to plan without the services of Joe Lyons, the man who lifted the provincial trophy last season, and without experienced midfielder Mick Kenneally. Lyons is off to Singapore for a year while Kenneally has retired.

Most of last season's players, including Player of the Year, Alex Nodwell, are available and the squad will be reinforced by the return, after a season, of defender Mick Looney, the inclusion of youth players Dave White and Darren Walsh and the inclusion of B player Brian O'Sullivan (who stepped up to the plate on a number of occasions during last seasonís stirring Munster campaign).

There is a change of management at the B team where Kenneth Walsh has stepped down. The new joint managers are Paul Hayes and Cathal Kelly and their captain will be Player of the Year Eddie O'Mahony.

The club have just completed the running of the annual pre-season Denis Cambridge Cup and both Leeside teams met in the decider. The B team did very well and drew 2-2 but the A side, with new skipper Derek Delea leading the way, won the penalty shootout 3-1.

In 1994, Rathcoole Rovers entered a team in Division 3 of the Cork AUL. They quickly progressed but had been stuck in 1A for the past 8 years. Until last season, that is, when they won promotion and doubled up by taking the Corinthians Cup. Manager Alfie Cooney has been with them all those years and he was the popular winner of the AUL Manager of the Year Award.

Wilton's Paul OíMahony and Village's Killian Burns were the joint winners of the Golden Boot. Each bagged twenty Premier goals, not bad at all from an 18 game programme. Tom Tully was the recipient of the AUL Referee of the Year Award.





 AUL REFEREE OF THE YEAR
Tom Tully was awarded the AUL Referee of the Year Prize for his efforts last season. It was Tom's second time getting the nod.

He started refereeing 21 years ago, following a less than spectacular playing spell with Bishopstown in the third division. "I spent eight of those years on the Eircom League. I started on the AUL and went straight to the Eircom League in '92 after 4 years on the AUL. I operated in the Eircom League until 2000."

"My first inter-league final came in '91 in Limerick. I was fourth official for the FAI Cup final in '99 which went to three matches and I was also fourth official for a European match. I had 8 good years on the Eircom League and enjoyed every minute of it."

"When I came off the Eircom League I didn't forget where I started and went back to local football. Some of the highlights of my career locally include refereeing the AOH Golden Jubilee 2000/01 between Blarney and Leeside which was a cracker. I refereed the Intermediate Cup Final in 2003 between Rockmount and Belgrove. I also refereed four semi-finals of the FAI Junior Cup."

"Some of my low points were officiating at a match in Sligo in which two players broke their legs and not getting to referee the FAI Junior Cup Final. On a lighter note I was received 0/10 for a match. The assessor said the match was badly refereed by both teams!"

"I'd like to thank all the officials on the local leagues who were great help to me over my career. I won't be leaving football completely as I've now joined the ranks of the assessors."




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