Mayobridge
Annual Dinner Dance 2002 - 01/02/2003
Taken From the Newry Democrat Website Tuesday 22nd Jan 2003
In
large numbers, supporters and friends joined with the footballers of Mayobridge
to celebrate the most successful year in the history of the Club at the Annual
Dinner Dance held at the Canal Court Hotel, Newry.
The special guests
for the evening were Danny Murphy, Secretary of the Ulster Council; Eamon O’Toole,
County Chairman and legendary former Down footballer, Sean O’Neill.
In
his speech Danny Murphy said that it had been evident for a long time that Mayobridge
were a rising force in Down and now Ulster football. The underage structures in
the club had been in place for a number of years and the success that Mayobridge
is now enjoying is largely due to the underage managers and coaches who looked
after the present team from an early age. He congratulated the team and management
on their successes and wished them all the best for the coming season.
County Chairman Eamon O’Toole commented that it had been a lean year for Down
football on the Ulster stage but the display of Mayobridge in reaching the Ulster
Club Final had given the whole county a great boost. He stated that if the team
shows the same hunger and commitment that they showed in 2001, then there is no
reason why Mayobridge cannot lift the Ulster title over the next few years.
Sean O’Neill paid great tribute to the Club for their efforts last season.
He said that he had been monitoring closely the progress of the team over the
past five years and said that Mayobridge are now among the elite clubs in Ulster
Football. The team and management should now be setting their sights a bit higher
with a view to eventually winning the All Ireland Club title. He stressed that
winning the Down Senior Championship should be the number one priority but the
team should not be satisfied with that achievement.
The winning of an
Ulster title and progress to the All Ireland stage should be the main goal. Sean
concluded by saying that Mayobridge have some of the finest talent he has ever
seen and with the same determination, commitment and a bit of luck then Mayobridge
should be capable of achieving all their dreams over the coming seasons.
The presentation of awards then took place and the individual award winners
were:
Senior Player of the Year Brendan Grant
Reserve Player of the
Year Eamon Linden
Thirds Player of the Year Paddy McEvoy
Minor Player
of the Year Miceal Livery
Sportsman of the Year Martin Barry
Club Personality
of the Year Peter O’Hare
Hall of Fame Award Peter Keenan
Presentation
to Management who won County Titles
Senior: Jim McCorry, Thomas Coulter,
Jimmy Coulter, Seamus Grant, John Gross
Reserve Team: Cathal McConville, Mickey
Greene
Down Scor Winners and Instrumental Music: Eamon Kane, Peter Magee,
Ciaran Morgan, Dolores Kane, Catherine McClean
Service to Club Awards: Martina
Rooney and Noel Rooney
Presentation to Sigerson Medal Winners: Michael Walsh
and Ronal Sexton
The Senior Team were then presented with their Down
Championship and League medals by Eamon O’Toole and the reserve team also received
their awards from the County Chairman.
In 2001 Mayobridge won the Down
Senior Feis Sevens for the first time since 1940 and again County Chairman Eamon
O’Toole presented the team panel with their Feis medals.
