Former Killymore Rovers players recount momentous Irish Junior Cup appearance 50 years on

"THE last person out of the town, please switch off the lights!"

This was the comical slogan that was painted on a wall in Newtownstewart in April and May of 1973 as local team, Killymore Rovers, reached the final of the Irish Junior Cup to play the mighty Moyola Park.

The Killymore men fought the final over two matches, the first on April 28, 1973, which ended in a 0-0 draw, and the replay a month later, May 26, where they were ultimately defeated 2-0.

Nonetheless, the occasion mesmerised the district as the players were all from within a mile of the town and reflective of all in the area, and as such local businesses sponsored six buses for local supporters, and a cortège of cars from the district headed to Coleraine’s ground for both matches.

Fifty years on, the momentous sporting occasion was marked with a low-key luncheon at the Cedar Country Hotel, Baronscourt, with former players, Brendan O’Brien, Eugene McLaughlin, Gerard Cassidy and Jackie McLaughlin, gathered to recount their memories.

Surviving team members who could not attend included Raymond Millar, Hugh McSorley, Anthony Maguire and Kenny Watson and they forwarded their best wishes, while a special thought was given to players who had since passed on.

Speaking on the occasion, former Killymore Rovers player, Gerard Cassidy, said the team’s success was down to Jackie McLaughlin, the founder of the team.

He described him as a "quietly spoken and unassuming" manager, while also being a "master tactician", "a great man manager", and a "great reader of players".

“Jackie always told the team before going on the pitch, 'Lads, go out and enjoy yourselves!' ”, said Gerard, adding that he taught them each about player respect.

“There was a cost to Jackie’s own family in that his wife Ethel, his son Allister and his daughter Sharon did not see as much of him as was acceptable and he wanted to acknowledge this today," he continued. " The players had enjoyed their moment in the spotlight in 1973 for themselves but hoped that their success, in some small way, rewarded Jackie for all the sacrifices of time and effort that he had put in for Killymore Rovers.”

Former Killymore Rovers player Brendan O’Brien said that on behalf of team members, he wished to thank Jackie for all he had done for them in establishing Killymore Rovers.

"He was a name that only ever commanded respect and genuine friendship throughout the length and breadth of the Fermanagh and Western League," he said.

Mr O'Brien explained that the team was founded in 1967, and that they played at Jack Hunter’s Holm and Edmund Allison’s field as sporting facilities in Newtownstewart were virtually non-existent.

Eugene McLaughlin, in a very poignant few words, recalled the members of the team now deceased; his own brother Brendan, Jim McConomy, David Scott, Willie Robinson and Patrick Maguire.

"Their comradeship and their companionship would never be forgotten," said Eugene.

Eugene also recalled other players from down through the years who were also now deceased. Another of his brothers, Colm; Pat McSorley, Willie Neill, Brendan O’Neill and Raymond Donnell to name but a few.

Perhaps appropriately, the comical slogan, 'The last person out of the town, please switch off the lights', faded with time and ultimately was repainted - but the memory of the Irish Junior Cup lives on in the players and supporters who experienced it first hand.