Welcome to Boyle Celtic on realBoyle.com. You might also like to visit our website [here] If you would like to contribute to the column, please contact me, Eddie Conroy, by emailing me eddie@boyleceltic.com

Update Monday 16th April:

Boyle Celtic Youth Draw:

Boyle Celtics youth draw begins a new season this week. Anyone can join by contacting one of the committee or in particular Eddie 0862574257 and Richard 0868323322. Entry is €120 for the year paid by cheque / cash or we have a direct debit form for €10 per month. The monthly prizes are €200 1st prize, €100 2nd prize and 4 x €50. This draw is the lifeblood of the club and we thank everyone who has supported us in the past.

Season drawing to a close:

The soccer season is almost wrapped up with only one league game left. Sean Kerins young side play Manor Rangers away but the game has yet to be fixed due to Manors run in the cups. Celtic still have an outside chance of coming 2nd but it’s a bit unlikely to be fair.
We have many exciting things going on during the summer however, under 6,8 and 10’s continue, the Ian Beirne Memorial tournament will be on in July, Pepsi soccer school August 4th to 7th  and the new grass pitch will be officially opened in August. (by Niall Quinn – fingers crossed)

A Football Story ... to encourage us all:

There was a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere. At all the games this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played. This boy lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game.
This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered secondary school. But his father continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn't want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to play when he became a senior. All through secondary school he never missed a practice nor a game but remained a bench-warmer all five years. His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him.
When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team. Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the squad because he always puts his heart and soul into every practice, and at the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed.
The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games. This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in a game. It was the end of the football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field days before the final game, the coach met him with a fax. The young man read the fax and he became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?" The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on Saturday."
Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the second-half, when the team was one goal behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon.
"Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today," said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this final game. But the young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in.
"All right," he said. "You can go in."
Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, blocked, and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid caught a pass and ran all the way for the winning goal. The fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you never heard.
Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that this young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, " Kid, I can't believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?
He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my Dad died, but did you know that my Dad was blind?"
The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"

Update Monday 31st March:
 

Boyle Celtic Youth Draw

Boyle Celtics youth draw begins a new season this week. Anyone can join by contacting one of the committee or in particular Eddie 0862574257 and Richard 0868323322. Entry is €120 for the year paid by cheque / cash or we have a direct debit form for €10 per month. The monthly prizes are €200 1st prize, €100 2nd prize and 4 x €50. This draw is the lifeblood of the club and we thank everyone who has supported us in the past.

Blanket Cancellation of matches

The inclement weather last weekend put paid to all football as league officials called a blanket ban. Pity really as Sunday proved to be a great day. Sean Kerins men play Strand Celtic this Sunday at the bull ring in Carrick.  All support is welcome.

Boyle Celtic Committee:

While the number of participating youngsters at Boyle Celtic has more than doubled in the last 5 years, the beleaguered committee has halved. We are appealing to anyone who might have an hour to spare to come in to a meeting and help us with some new ideas and opinions.
Same contact numbers as above. We hope to open our newly developed grass pitch in August but that will only be Phase 2 of a 5 phase development plan for the clubs facilities. We need new people with fresh ideas to drive the club on.
Give a little! It will help a lot! (Who used to say that?)

Football Laughs:

Give yourself a laugh today by reading through Kevin Keegan’s endless list of football gaffes.
The funniest part is that these actually make sense to Kevin.
http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Palms/6687/keggy.html

Update Wednesday 26th March:
 

Under 8’s and 10’s Blitz:

Boyle Celtic astro pitch was the venue for a football “blitz” on Bank Holiday Monday at 11am. 2 teams of Boyle Celtic under 8’s and 2 under 10’s competed in a round robin format against teams from Ballygawley and Gurteen. That’s 40 kids per club (120 in all) and nearly 200 supporters in all. We had mums, dads, grannies, grand-dads, uncles, aunts, yummy mummies, some not so and a few bewildered tourists.
The under 10’s were martialled by ex: legend Christy Grehan and showed a stamp of their managers class as they comfortably won their 4 games. Watch out for these guys in next years under 12 league. Training for the under 10’s resumes on Monday evenings at 6pm with the resumption of the school term next week.
Celtic’s newest recruits the under 8’s did  everyone proud also remaining undefeated throughout with 3 wins and a draw. All players were brilliant on the day but 2 goals deserve a special mention. Ronan Flanagan opened the scoring in his teams first game with a low drilled shot to the bottom corner. The celebration that followed from the scorer had the crowd in raptures. Goal of the day came in the final under 8 game. Gurteen led 2-1 with barely a minute left and Boyle looked like tasting defeat for the first time all day but up popped Kelvin Morris, unleashing an unstoppable volley to the back of the net and earn a draw for his team.

Names for team photos:

Back row left to right: Dillon Calpin, Josh McCann, James Bolger, Robert Kearney, Michael Gaffney
Front row left to right: James Keville, Jason McGuinn, Jason Cassidy, Conor Deery

Back row left to right: Ronan Flanagan, Marcus Meehan, Reece Conroy, Adam Simon, Kelvin Morris
Front row left to right: Jack Sheridan, Matthew Callan, Louis Garvin, Jack Moran, Ciaran Calpin

Monday March 25th, 2008
 

Stay tuned...

We have a couple of photos being developed at the moment which show some Boyle Celtic "heroes" from the past and will be asking to identify them. They will appear on this page shortly ...no prizes this time, but giggles galore!

Woe for Liverpool -

Eddie's Match Report [here]  Photos [here][here][here][here]
Boyle Over40’s win controversial encounter:

Liverpool slumped to a new low last weekend when they were beaten 7-4 by Boyle Celtic over 40’s. Ian Theodore who played for the home side, emailed us with the accurate version of events in Liverpool. 
Ian writes... "The Liverpool lads managed to cajole 8 makeshift footballers into taking the field. Pride alone drove us on against 10 men Boyle Celtic". (Obviously the bank manager was counting the players, 11 being the norm). Ian continues... "Boyle Celtic used a well organized rotation system unlike Senor Benitez. Celtic also insisted on playing with the wind for both halves while we had the sun in our eyes for both halves".
Realboyle can reveal exclusively that this was not the end of Boyle’s shenanigans! ...
Stephen Bohan, a well known transgressor in the fields of illegal play, un-registered play and general “negative” play is only 39 and a half. Head coach Jim Feighan refused to comment when contacted by realboyle. He would neither deny nor confirm that Boyle Celtic over 40s played an "under-age ringer".
We hope to get an official response from the over 40’s and maybe their version of the match and the trip in general. My source within the camp tells me that Mick O'Dowd is preparing an official statement refuting the allegations.
On a more positive note, Ian says  “it was a well contested and quite evenly matched hour long game of football and was thoroughly enjoyed by both teams, as was the after match inquest in the local hostelry. Congratulations to Boyle Celtic and we would hope to see you again sometime, home or away. That is if you are not too busy on your European tour.”
Thanks Ian! Boyle Celtic would love to see you all come and visit Boyle.

Tuesday 18th February.........

Defeat for Boyle:

Boyle Celtic seniors lost 2-0 to Calry Bohs of Sligo last Sunday and the possibility of a league title is gone for this year. Celtic are now in a very interesting battle for 2nd with Carbury and Manorhamilton. Boyle have 5 games remaining and must get back to winning ways if they are to hold 2nd place and qualify for the Champions cup at the end of the season.
Team: Mark O Connor, Sean Purcell, Martin Mullen, Sean Duignan, Michael McHale, Rory O Donohoe, Damian Keenehan, Colm Brennan, Aaron Calpin, Owen O'Donohoe, Lee McKillen.

Over 40’s:

The average age of the Boyle population will drop dramatically next weekend as the Boyle Celtic over 40’s head to Liverpool for their annual excursion. They have really upped the ante at training recently and eye witnesses report that two well known stars among them broke into a trot while contesting a ball. I cannot substantiate these claims however and in view of the clubs spiraling medical insurance I have spoken to Jim Feighan and asked that they return to the usual “subbuteo” pace of football. I understand from Jim that they are travelling to Anfield on Saturday as part of the trip. Liverpool might sign a few of them the way things are going. Best of luck anyway lads and make sure ye bring all your medication etc.

Oldest Boyle Celtic Player??

While I was berating the over 40s, I was thinking it would be interesting to find the oldest living Boyle Celtic footballer.
We are going to begin the search right now so if you played for Boyle Celtic at any time in the past please contact me with your name and the year(s) that you played. eddie@boyleceltic.com
Perhaps you could also include where you are in the world now. I will setup a bit of a timeline on the realboyle page and let’s see who we get and where you fit in. I know a lot of ex: players would love to know that the guys who played with them are keeping well. I will try to get a feature done on a few of the contenders.
Sean and realboyle have already agreed to pay all my expenses to go and interview the ex: players so don’t worry if you’re in the U.S. or Australia. I’ll throw out a few names to jog your memory. Did you play with the great Johnny “Elbows” Greenan? Perhaps you played alongside the shy but effective Gerry “Turkey” Emmett? What about locations like Nuns field, Bingo Park, Candons field and College pitch? Can you pick yourself out of this collection of athletes?

Tuesday 11th February 2008

FUNDRAISER FOR U-14 TRIP TO SUNDERLAND
Two fundraising initiatives are taking place in the next couple of weeks to raise some money, hopefully to off-set some of the costs involved in bringing nearly 40 kids to Sunderland in March.
• "4 of a Kind" Poker will hold a TEXAS HOLDEM  TOURNAMENT in the Moylurg Inn on Sunday 17th February, and a guaranteed prizepool of €1500. Registration is from 4pm with the game beginning at 5pm. Entry fee is €30 with €10 re-buys for 90 mins.
If you know how to play poker you will be well able to compete in this tournament. Carlo and the lads will explain everything to you in any case, so come along and support the young players who will have a lifetime of memories from their trip to Sunderland.
• Another novel idea comes from Kevin Mullen who is selling handcrafted St. Brigids crosses at the warren stop shop. They are also available from participating outlets in Boyle town. The crosses cost €5 with all proceeds going towards the Sunderland trip. Saint Brigid's Day (February 1) is on Friday so get a cross for your home this week.
• Boyle Celtic seniors lost 4-3 to Galway Hibs last Sunday in the Connacht Cup. No full report available as yours truly was in Cheltenham last weekend for the Pillar Chase meeting. (Priorities and all that). Celtic were 4-0 down at half-time but got it back to 4-3 after the introduction of Colm Brennan who scored a goal and inspired the fightback.
The under 16’s play their Connacht Cup quarter-final against the same opposition this Sunday at 2pm in Crestwood, Galway. All supporters welcome.

CELTIC BACK TO WINNING WAYS
Boyle Celtic seniors returned to league action on Sunday and recorded a 3-2 victory over 2nd place Carbury. Boyle now overtake Carbury and move into 2nd themselves. In a thoroughly enjoyable encounter Celtic just got the better of their unlucky opponents. Both sides had a host of chances and a little more accuracy in front of goal could have seen 6 or 7 goals for each side. Sean Kerins young side took the points though and now look like the only possible challengers for leaders Abbey United. [more]

UNLUCKY CELTIC BOW OUT OF FAI CUP
Boyle Celtic seniors were knocked out of the FAI Junior Cup last Sunday by Ballina Town. With 30 seconds left and the scores tied at 2-2, the game looked destined for extra-time and maybe penalties. However a cross come shot from Ballina was deflected high in the air and looped over the despairing Darragh Loftus in the Boyle goal. It was heartbreak for Boyle once again as the referee blew full-time immeadiately after the re-start.
Celtic had started the game really well and created a few half chances for McKillen and Aaron Calpin. Typically though it was the opposition who made the breakthrough. Ballina with their first corner 20 mins in, scored a controversial goal. A powerful header cleared off the line by the excellent McHale was adjudged by the linesman to have crossed the goal-line. The Boyle contingent suggested that the linesman visit an optician but he declined and wasn’t for turning. One nil to the home side. Boyle as is their style, battled back and got a deserved equalizer when Damian Keenehan worked an opening down the right and crossed for Aaron Calpin to slot home. 1-1 at half-time
The second half began well for Boyle and good pressure saw veteran Owen O Donohoe taken down inside the area. He calmly slotted home the resulting penalty and Boyle led 2-1. Sean Purcell, Aaron Calpin and Colm Brennan were playing particularly well and Celtic were looking comfortable. With 15 mins to go Ballina got a free kick in a dangerous position. McHale and Calpin debated the finer points of the offending tackle, while Ballina hit the back of the net with a well worked free kick. Celtic recovered their composure though and 2 each looked likely until the cruel twist with the last kick of the game.
Team: D Loftus, C Brennan, A O Connor, S Duignan, M McHale, A Calpin, S Purcell, R O Donohoe, D Keenehan, O O Donohoe, L McKillen
Subs: L Conboy for A Calpin (75)

Tuesday 8th January, 2008

BOYLE CELTIC TO PLAY SUNDERLAND!
No folks, you have not read it wrong, The Bomber Spellman and Kevin Mullen are taking the Boyle Celtic under 14’s over to play Roy’s boys.
The boys travel to Sunderland on the 14th of march for 4 days where they will get the opportunity to watch Sunderland take on Chelsea on the Saturday. They will get to see the game from a private box and also a private tour of the stadium. (Will it be Roy showing them around?) On Sunday they will attend Sunderlands training facilities and get 2 hours coaching with sunderland youth team coaches. Then they play a match against Sunderland youths.
This is a fantastic weekend away for all the team and their parents along with managers Kieran Spellman and Kevin Mullen. The team has been fundraising over the Christmas period which included carol singing in the town. The people of Boyle were very generous (as always) and a sincere thanks to everyone who donated. Also a big thank you to Sandra McCrann without whose help, this trip would not be possible.

MESSAGE FROM SLOVAKIA
Boyle Celtic’s adopted son “Bruno Mindas” who returned home at Christmas emailed me this week to tell me that Liverpools new Slovakian player “Martin Skrtel” is class. Thank you Bruno for that resounding endorsement. Bruno assures me that this guy is not his cousin but I think he must be some connection. Have a look for yourselves.... [here]
 
OVER 40’S OFF TO LIVERPOOL
Boyle Celtic Over 40’s travel to Liverpool City on the  22nd Feb. They are currently looking for a team old enough to play. If your grand-dad is available that weekend and lives in Liverpool please contact the lads. Walking frames will be supplied..... more news soon
 
BARRY COGAN
Former Boyle Celtic star Barry Cogan is currently shining for Gillingham F.C. in the English League 1. Barry played for Millwall and played in their FA Cup final against Manchester United. He then moved to Barnet in London before his move to Gillingham. Watch this space for news of Barry’s progress...

See a special photo of Barry Cogan receiving a token of thanks from Hal Cawley for presenting trophies at the player of the year cermony in 2004 [here]

SENIOR TEAM
The senior team have resumed training, Wed 7.30pm and Friday 8pm. There is an extra session on Sunday morning at 10.30am. The tapsters contingent will relish that.....
Sean Kerins men resume the league 4 points adrift of leaders Abbey Utd. They also have 2 outstanding cup ties against Ballina Town in the Junior Cup and Galway Hibs in the Connact Cup, to be played 13th and 20th Jan respectively. Match reports will follow....
 
APPEAL FOR HELP
Boyle Celtic currently have under 6 boys and girls, under 8 boys and girls, under 10 boys and girls, 2 under 12 teams boys and girls, 2 under 14 boys and girls, under 16 boys, under 18 boys, Senior team and over 40’s. Times of training etc. are on www.boyleceltic.com ...Look under “Astro-pitch bookings” on the homepage.

Why not come along and get involved 1 hour a week with your child? You can learn from the Boyle Celtic coaches and who knows next year it could be you ... off to meet Roy Keane......!

ASTRO TURF PITCH
The phenomonal success of the astro-turf means it is currently booked up midweek but there are loads of slots available at the weekends. Contact Eddie to book and get insurance details. eddie@boyleceltic.com