The festive regional Finals have now been decided, and what proved a Christmas cracker on the 25th were followed by two rather more one-sided scorelines on Boxing Day that capped off a trio of prestigious and long-standing intermediate tournaments.
The goings-on at Seaview appeared to swing one way and the other before a thriller extra-time period settled the matter by the odd goal in five; a captivating encounter living up to the billing after the two semi-final clashes had also went right down to the wire and were open for the taking.
It made for as climactic an end to a near-130-year-old competition as we have seen in recent years, and while the other showpieces the following day may not have been as tense in the dying embers, these duels bring massive crowds and draw extensive local interest with the publicity coming as a big boost to the clubs involved.
At Rathfriland’s Iveagh Park, a commanding display by the eventual winners saw six goals rattle the back of the opposition net without reply, while inside Fortwilliam Park in Tobermore, three was the scoring tally racked up by the tournament champions.
For the victors in these situations, it really adds to the spirit of the season, although the losers cut comparatively crestfallen figures afterwards and the air as well as their lunch and dinner has a more sombre taste.
The nature of football is rewarding and cruel at the same time – and that rule doesn’t become exempt on Christmas.
Starting in north Belfast, an all-Amateur League Steel and Sons Cup decider that was expected to be close-fought fulfilled that promise in practice.
The battle between Comber Rec and Crumlin Star – the former eyeing their second capture of the illustrious trophy and the latter appearing in their first-ever iteration of this special occasion – was full-blooded and fun from the first whistle to the last.
Star, hailing from nearby Ardoyne, started on the front foot and broke the deadlock with 10 minutes of the first half to go.
They felt like a team in the ascendancy and made it count as Stephen Smyth slotted home the opener, controlling the ball with aplomb before rifling low past Comber stopper Corey Pollock to score.
That was a lead the Final debutants held until just five minutes before the end of regulation time.
The tide had well and truly turned by this point, Parkway outfit Comber having rattled both the post and bar in separate attacking sequences within the final half-hour, and the yellow-shirted troops sent their fans into a state of delirium after Dylan Wilson finally broke Star keeper Ciaran McNeill’s resolve with a low drive into the bottom right corner that may have taken the slightest of nicks off the industrious Kris Gaw just as the ball crossed the goalline.
With Paul Trainor’s men required to regroup speedily following that late concession – Star were hunting down the Steel to add to the Intermediate Cup they’d won earlier in 2023 – his Rec counterpart Gareth McKeown had the bit between his teeth for a tie that was now destined to head to extra-time.
How the pressure mounted. Brotherhood was a talking point before, during and after this affair; small wonder when both sides had siblings togging out and fighting for the prize.
Comber’s brothers acted first, as Dylan’s brother Elliot turned the tide and nudged his side in front for the first time during the opening half of the additional period, but it proved a lead with a preciously short shelf life.
Elliot, the younger of the two, put the ball home mere minutes before Aidan McNeill – one-third of the cohort alongside goalkeeper Ciaran and midfielder Joe – replied in turn for Star with a free-kick that sailed through everybody. The full-back’s supply evaded all others before passing Pollock and nestling in the back of the net for 2-2.
The drama wasn’t done, though, and in the second 10-minute batch, that was when Comber restored their initiative – one that they weren’t to relinquish again.
A hint of controversy was posed post-match with respect to a potential push that caused a collision in defence between Ciaran McNeill and substitute Kevin Trainor, but Simon Hanna was the last person on Earth thinking about that when he pounced for the fifth strike of this encounter.
A dyed-in-the-wool Comber man, the captain was submerged within a sea of yellow as if the cup had been clinched in that moment.
Just five minutes later, the surreal became a set-in-stone reality when match referee Andrew Woodside called time on proceedings, emotions finally sinking in as Comber wrapped up their first Steel and Sons Cup in 32 years.
A competition and an event that can make or break a player’s Christmas, one suspects that the victor’s turkey dinner would’ve had a sweeter taste than that of their opponents.
For the first time since conquering fellow north Belfast adversaries in Brantwood in 1991, the trophy would be housed in Comber – and just like against Greenisland at the same venue in the semi-finals, they battled from behind in extra-time to win it.
Such never-say-die resilience warmed the cockles of Hanna, who said afterwards: “This means everything to me. A lot of those boys, I’ve known them and played with them my whole life.
“So, to win the Steel and Sons, it means everything, I’m delighted we’ve done it.”
Star, who have risen to become one of the top teams in the NAFL during the past decade, surely have more Steel deciders ahead but will have to settle for second best in 2023.
For Comber, who now have a defence to mount come the turn of the new campaign, they’ll soak in the joy and jubilation as a new generation of heroes commemorate a triumph which will endure in the archives as the decades pass.
Those feelings of delight will also resonate with Rathfriland and Limavady United, who were the triumphant pair on Boxing Day.
The former, who contested their decider at their home Iveagh Park venue at the foot of the hill in south Down, reigned supreme in the Bob Radcliffe Cup Final, while the latter entered double digits for Craig Memorial Cup victories near-simultaneously at Tobermore United’s Fortwilliam Park stage.
Rathfriland, who reeled in their second Bob Radcliffe at local rivals Moneyslane’s expense, emphatically won 6-0 in a Final that proved as one-sided as the scoreline implies.
And Paul Owens’ Limavady were also convincing in victory as they overcame their fellow Premier Intermediate League foes Portstewart 3-0 to confirm their first Craig Memorial in seven years.
In that match-up, the Roesiders held a one-goal advantage at half-time thanks to Coleraine loanee Lewis Tosh’s finish, setting them on their way ahead of a second period that saw a couple more strikes courtesy of Alex Pomeroy and Dean Brown.
Mullaghacall establishment Portstewart, seeking to reclaim the title after last recording their fourth success in the competition in 2021, were not able to offer a reply on the scoreboard as Johnny Law’s charges finished in the runner-up berth.
Despite not scoring, former Dungannon Swifts ace Joe McCready was named Player of the Match, and former Bannsiders assistant Owens will hope this victory in the cup can inspire his Lims to promotion from the PIL in 2024.
Meanwhile, third-tier new boys Rathfriland ran away with their crown – they showed their class to despatch ‘Slane in their showpiece.
A pair of Andy Kilmartin penalties within the first half-hour had the Whites in good stead; a former Glentoran, Lisburn Distillery and Portadown midfielder who continues to produce the goods at 40 years old, and he was classy on the ball from a deeper-lying position as Ally Wilson’s troops frequently looked to build from the back and string attacks together.
They did that ruthlessly and they had the finishing touch to match.
Matthew Holloway raced away after connecting to Ruairi Fitzpatrick’s slick supply behind the line before slotting past Moneyslane goalkeeper Mark Wilkinson for the game’s third goal, and there was more cause for cheer two minutes before the interval when Jonathan Scannell buried a fourth that had those in the main stand jumping for joy.
A club that has won two NAFL Premier titles and the Intermediate Cup within the last couple of years, Rathfriland picked up where they left off after the restart, and Fitzpatrick – whose weaving wizardry was lighting up proceedings – added a merited fifth when he applied the cherry on top of his own silky solo sequence.
That high five was followed by Holloway’s second that hit ‘Slane, who later were reduced to 10 men with Ryan Clydesdale red-carded seven minutes from time, for six – and it ensured Wilson laid claim to his second Bob Radcliffe crown in charge.
In 2019, Rathfriland defeated Dungannon Swifts’ Under-20s on penalties to hoist the trophy aloft and, having seen formidable strike pair Adam Neale (Bangor) and Lee Newell (Newry City) make big Irish League moves in the interluding span, they record their first honour since entering the NIFL structure themselves in the summer.
Manager Wilson will no doubt hope that his boys can further leave an imprint on the back of making the Mid Ulster FA-sanctioned cup theirs once more.
So, Comber Rec, Rathfriland and Limavady United. A trio of winners in the regionals in the first half of the season that they all too naturally will hope lights their fire going forward in the Amateur League and PIL.
Featured image from Andrew McCarroll/Pacemaker Press.
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