Milltown Twenty Years Ago

[Sligobhoy]

Heard on RTE Radio that yesterday was the twentieth anniversary of Shams last game at Milltown. Anyone on here at that game? Any particular memories?

[Jeebus]

Heard on RTE Radio that yesterday was the twentieth anniversary of Shams last game at Milltown. Anyone on here at that game? Any particular memories?

Yea, I was at it. Couple of memories are meeting the team beforehand in the Ashling hotel, the pitch invasion at HT when the Rovers fans joined the Shams fans for the sit down protest in the middle of the pitch, and the Shams fans burning a Rovers flag in the main stand at the end of the game . Was only 8 at the time but remember it well.

I actually passed by Milltown on the way home from work yesterday evening, I heard they were having some sort of get together there last night.

[Sligobhoy]

Yea, I was at it. Couple of memories are meeting the team beforehand in the Ashling hotel, the pitch invasion at HT when the Rovers fans joined the Shams fans for the sit down protest in the middle of the pitch, and the Shams fans burning a Rovers flag in the main stand at the end of the game . Was only 8 at the time but remember it well.

I actually passed by Milltown on the way home from work yesterday evening, I heard they were having some sort of get together there last night.

Shouldn't you be in the pub or Drogheda by now Junior!!!

[Stuttgart88]

I was there. Sligo fans at the Gonzaga end were great during the pitch invasion. All supported the Rovers fans completely from the terrace.

In the centre circle Dermot Keely, then captain, swore to the Rovers fans that the players would support a protest after the game but welched on his word. I was 5 feet away from him.

Subsequently Rovers fans have always had it in for Keely - I presume it was because of this. Can anyone confirm?

Very sad day. I firmly believed the KRAM movement would win. I even attended the Bord Pleanala hearing in the Irish Life Mall.

[roversman]

was there too the protest at half time wa good both fans togeather was great

[sligobhoy67]

I was there. Sligo fans at the Gonzaga end were great during the pitch invasion. All supported the Rovers fans completely from the terrace.

In the centre circle Dermot Keely, then captain, swore to the Rovers fans that the players would support a protest after the game but welched on his word. I was 5 feet away from him.

Subsequently Rovers fans have always had it in for Keely - I presume it was because of this. Can anyone confirm?

Very sad day. I firmly believed the KRAM movement would win. I even attended the Bord Pleanala hearing in the Irish Life Mall.

Cringeworthy lickarsing it was too! I would be embarrassed to be associated with anything to do with Shams - the are the carbuncle on the face of Irish football imol

[Fivesilver]

A crowd of us were sent in the wrong entrance. We ended up down behind the goals, but on the wrong side of a chain-link fence, in the middle of the Shams fans. We decided to head up the top of the terrace, where the fence was a bit lower, and climb over it. My ould lassie, ever the fanatic, wasn't going to be discouraged by the fact that it was a climb and a bit of a jump down on the other side, and ripped her hand nicely in the process (God be with the days - she'd probably either have got a few bob nowadays, or got arrested; instead she likes to reminisce proudly about it).

Then there was the Tony O'Kelly header, looping into the top corner, the equaliser (Mick Byrne?). The flag-burning mentioned above, I seem to remember as not in the main stand, but right down the front of the terrace we were on.

Joining in the half-time protest was a spur of the moment thing. Glenmalure was a cracking ground, and when the Shams fans went on, we started up a chant of 'We won't go to Tolka' (of course, we did, as I'm sure did many a Hoops fan whose passion for their team eventually got the better of vows made during that era). I was in the first half-dozen Sligo fans onto the pitch, and I remember when a bunch of Shams fans came running across, I wondered for a second 'What's going to happen here?'
It turned out to be handshakes and gratitude for the solidarity.

I felt sorry for Keely later on. He could do sod all about it, and the crap he and his family had to put up with, I felt, was more than partly because it was easier to get at him than the Kilcoynes.

I couldn't stand Shams. Still can't. But that day was about more than that. At the end of the day, I've a lot more respect for a Shams fan than an Irish-based Man United or Liverpool "fan". And as for developers, we've had 20 years of lessons since then . . .

[DocRovers]

Greetings- a lifelong Rovers supporter, I have been reading the site with interest of late.

I was at the game in Milltown - great day, great weather. We all thought it would be the most famous Rovers win of all time beforehand, as nobody thought they had a chance. We played very well & in the last 15-20 minutes were pushing for the winner & had a couple of good breaks. But with 5-10 mins to go, the lads decided to settle for the replay in the Showgrounds & subsequently lost it 1-0. Always thought they should have gone to win it in Milltown.

Incidentally, all of us thought KRAM would succeed in stopping development at the famous site.

[red bellied]

As a younger supporter at the time, me and my mates had to listen to the game at the Maugheraboy summer seats on the radio. Remember the replay in the Showgrounds very well the place was jammed on a Wednesday afternoon. The Shed had emptied down the Railway End when Larkin scored the winner in extra time.

[avvenalaf]

I met the great Con Houlihan leaving the Showgrounds after the replay. he was looking out over the pitch towards Benbulan and said 'lovely ground'. I said to him - 'Con, we may not always see good football played on it but we'll never see houses built on it'.

[feo123]

Was rovers v shams massive back in them days? Like...really big?

[mypost]

the are the carbuncle on the face of Irish football imol

The wha?

[DocRovers]

The game in Milltown drew a great crowd & was full of good football - the surface on the pitch in Milltown was superb. We were on a bit of a roll & had Martin Bayly playing midfield. He was a smashing player & ran the game for 15-20 mins second half. Did'nt see the replay but always felt with Shams the league champions that we needed to win it when on top the first day.

Bit like the Derry match last year. We needed the win in the Showgrounds the first day- agree??

[avvenalaf]

Feo, it's hard to understate what a game with Shams was in those days. In fact, a game with Shams was huge for every other club in the league but we had a particular gradh/hate relationship with them because we always seemed to be just a kick away from beating them. They would still be the one team I would want to beat every year. Shams was a massive club and what happened them is nothing short of scandalous.
It is interesting that for the two biggest events in our history - league win in 1977 and cup win in 1983, we had to beat Shams. in 1977, in the last game of the season and with Fago's free kick in 1983.
Incidentally, in 1977 Paul Magee (not Ski) played and scored an equaliser for Shams. He is the son of The Memory Man, Jimmy and now works in the betting industry - I see him sometimes on RTE Racing. He said he was terrified that Rovers wouldn't score again after his equaliser as he was sure he wouldn't make it out of the ground alive. He was right !!.
The history of near misses and hard luck stories with Shams is long. In the sixties we were two up at half time in Miltown in a cup replay and managed to lose 3-2. That Larkin goal in the semi replay came deep into injury time. In 1978, the referee robbed us in a cup final by giving Shams a penalty - Giles, Dunphy and Treacy played in that match. More recently, the ref didn't send the goalie off in a cup match in Tolka when he was last man and brought Rovers man down. He stayed on and, of course, saved the penalty.
So, any point you get off this gang should be considered three.

[Da Real Rover]

The wha?

the carbuncle, i understand it to be a crustation or parasite of some form.

[red bellied]

Its also 30 years since Rovers beat Shams to win the league (April 10th). This weeks Champion has a great souvenir pullout of the occasion. Interesting to note that both anniversaries occur within days of each other.

Rovers had some great wins over Shams under Sanchez. The league game at the RDS wining two nil. Eddie Annand beating three defenders befor putting it past the goalie and McDonnell with a volley from thirty yards.

Then there was the cup replay win over Shams in the Showgrounds. Eddie with two penos in front of the Shed. It was a really special night. I remember been in O Neils on Churchill afterwards and the place was packed. There was an European game on RTE and the boys were finishing up their analysis. Next thing Bill announces, now over to Sligo for the goals from the cup replay. I dont need to tell you the reaction but the place went bananas.

[sligobhoy67]

me and my mates had to listen to the game at the Maugheraboy summer seats.

The ould summer seats eh! anywhere else they would have been called plain old park benchs but not in Maugheraboy - we had "summer seats" lol! are the old girls still standing? Great days there overlooking Maugheraboys answer to Paris equivilant to the Eiffel Tower.

[red bellied]

The ould summer seats eh! anywhere else they would have been called plain old park benchs but not in Maugheraboy - we had "summer seats" lol! are the old girls still standing? Great days there overlooking Maugheraboys answer to Paris equivilant to the Eiffel Tower.

They have been replaced a few times me auld mate In between bonfires, should be due the new ones after this years venture.

[sligobhoy67]

They have been replaced a few times me auld mate In between bonfires, should be due the new ones after this years venture.

I also saw last year that they cleared "the banks" of all trees, bushes etc - fookin disgrace! where a lad supposed to build his first fort, hide after stoning the train or to sniff his first can or petrol without all that shelter?