New goals as Setanta proves cross-border hit
New goals as Setanta proves cross-border hit
Wednesday April 6th 2005
ON Sunday night RTE repeated the 1979 episode of their excellent television series 'Reelin' Back The Years' because it included footage of the visit by Pope John Paul II to Ireland that year.
The half-hour programme showed the major news events of the year so it was surprising there was no mention of the meeting of Dundalk and Linfield in the European Cup on August 29, especially as that match is still indelibly printed in the minds of every football person on the island.
The evening, for those too young to remember, was marred by horrific scenes of violence as supporters from both sides engaged in a pitch-side battle that owed its origins to the deep-rooted political problems of Ireland rather than any long-standing rivalry between the two clubs.
Such was the ferocity of the violence that at one memorable stage during his match commentary on RTE Radio, the legendary Philip Greene suggested that he might have to evacuate the broadcasting box if the situation worsened.
It came as no surprise a year later, following further violence at matches in the Tyler Cup, that cross-border competition ceased and the only competitive fixture between clubs from north and south of the border after that was in 1984 when Shamrock Rovers and Linfield met in the European Cup.
Thankfully, things have moved on since the black days of Seventies and Eighties. The Peace Process has brought stability and normality to this island and Dundalk and Linfield have come together to form the Dunfield project which brings youngsters from both sides of the border together under the umbrella of football.
Pre-season friendlies continued to be played between teams from both leagues over the past 25 years and in recent months we had the sight of Belfast giants Glentoran and Linfield making their first visits to the Brandywell in Derry in over 30 years.
The re-establishment of cross-border competition was a natural follow-on and after four games the Setanta Cup has proved to be a huge success. The live television coverage, the €350,000 prize fund and the quality of football has certainly helped but so too has the absence of crowd trouble.
That has been the big question mark hanging over the competition since it kicked off on March 15 at The Oval and the unspoken fear among everybody in football on both sides of the border.
While nobody is ready to rest on their laurels just yet, the fact that Linfield were able to go to Longford on Monday with 650 supporters and return home without any trouble occurring was a particularly positive step.
It certainly helped that Longford is probably the friendliest place in Ireland Linfield could have chosen for their first competitive foray south of the border in over 20 years. Thankfully, the midlanders haven't the same lunatic fringes that have attached themselves to some Eircom League clubs.
Not that anything was left to chance by the FAI, either club or the Gardai. The match was given the highest possible security categorisation, A1, and a massive operation was put in place. Over 75 Gardai were on duty with the force's mounted and dogs units present while the Garda helicopter patrolled the skies.
In addition the 65 members of the FAI security team were mobilised and they worked alongside 35 stewards from Longford and 15 from Linfield.
Such was the co-operation between the two clubs that when Linfield's security officer pointed out during a reconnaissance visit that the stones in the Flancare Park carpark were potential missiles Longford spent €25,000 on resurfacing as well as a further €10,000 on extra security measures.
Even the potential flashpoint of a minute's silence for the late Pope John Paul II was avoided when both clubs agreed to wear black armbands as their mark of respect.
The only security incident was an attempt by one giant Linfield supporter to brave the dipping temperatures and do a streak but he was foiled by eagle-eyed stewards before he could even vault over the perimeter fence.
A genuine fear of the unknown meant that only 2,000 turned up for the game as many of the local supporters chose the easier option of watching the game on Setanta Sports. They were the ultimate losers, missing out on a night that carried a special passion that only those who were there could really appreciate. In the end, all Linfield had to complain about was the result as manager David Jeffrey admitted they had been bowled over by the hospitality of their hosts. "Longford Town people are in my book, top drawer. I have never at any stage gone to a ground and received such a warm reception. All credit to Longford and their supporters, they were both exemplary," he said.
"If anything extra has come out of this, on top of the competition being excellent and great for football, it really shows that there is an awful lot of good people on this island."
Down the road there are fears of what might happen if certain clubs from the Eircom League qualify for the Setanta Cup given the past conduct of some sections of their support but that's for another day.
What matters now is that there has been considerable progress. Fans of Linfield and Portadown have been able to travel south in safety to watch football matches while Longford have been to the heart of East Belfast.
That's the way it should be and hopefully it won't be too long before they can do so at this ease without a heavy security presence to guard them. Then, and only then, can we seriously start thinking of an All-Ireland League.
Gerry McDermott
The Bootroom
© Irish Independent
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/ & http://www.unison.ie/
