When Did You make your Debut

[Larry 'da' Wyse]

Thurles Town 1978 (?) was my 1st LoI game. Pretty amazing to have had that baptism of fire and still be going to games ;-) Stopped off in Athlone for three years before setting up camp in Dalymount.

[Dick Long]

It was a testimonial for Shay Brennan...Rovers won 2-0 both scored by Mick Byrne, who ran rings around a useless Kevin Moran

Mick Bennett of Waterford United, guesting for Rovers definitely got one of the goals in the Shay Brennan testimonial. Liam O'Brien got the other just before his own move to Old Trafford. I think Mick Byrne scored when Rovers played Manchester United a year or so later.

[KR's Post]

Cork City vs St. Pats in 95 i think it was...it was city's first game back in the cross.
It was 0-0 and was boring enough but I was standing near the shed and the noise and chants from the place was very loud and funny and that was my real memory of the game. It was the shed really that got me to come back and it was after a couple of games that I got into the football. I've been going when I can since about 97.

Have tape of the highlights of that game at Home. Tony o Donoghue reported in front of the shed.

[KR's Post]

Against St James Gate in the iveagh ground in 1995. My uncle Tarzan was playing one of his first games and a friends dad brought us both. Score? Beats me!

[amjl]

nice one emil. How are Kilkenny getting on in Junior footie? any hope for a quick return?

No chance of a quick return sadly
There was some talk of an academy being set up at Buckley park (possibly with the FAI involved as national academy but god only knows if there was any truth in that bit).
There has been more recent rumours of entering a team into the new under 20 league to hopefully build back up to the possibiltiy of A Championship, but we'll have to wait & see what unfolds...

[Block G Raptor]

No chance of a quick return sadly
There was some talk of an academy being set up at Buckley park (possibly with the FAI involved as national academy but god only knows if there was any truth in that bit).
There has been more recent rumours of entering a team into the new under 20 league to hopefully build back up to the possibiltiy of A Championship, but we'll have to wait & see what unfolds...

Keep the Faith. Kilkenny and buckley park will always have a special place in Bohs hearts since 2001

[Higgo]

I satarted following Shels around 14 years ago. I used to go with a friend of mine who sadly died 2 years after we started going. The reaction of the club after the death is the reason I am now hooked for life. The day after he died Ollie Byrne rang my friend's dad and asked him would he and I come down to Tolka for a match against Dundalk. Stephen Geoghegan scored that night and ran over to my mate's dad, in the middle of the game, and told him the goal was for his son. After the game we were invited into the dressing room and every single player had a warm word to say to us. Neither of us uttered a word in the car on the way home, we didn't have to. The look on the players' faces after the game said it all. For a long time after the death, Alan Gough used to come out and visit the house. When people say to me that football is only a game, I laugh to myself. I probably traet it too seriously but it's not only a game to me. Following Shels means much more than that to us.

[Calcio Jack]

Mick Bennett of Waterford United, guesting for Rovers definitely got one of the goals in the Shay Brennan testimonial. Liam O'Brien got the other just before his own move to Old Trafford. I think Mick Byrne scored when Rovers played Manchester United a year or so later.

I stand corrected.. the ol' memory isn't what it was then again I made my debut at Milltown 1970 , full house v Athlone..was totally enraptured by the coolness of long haired mega sideburned Mick Leech whom I thought when i first saw him must be our own version of George Best and he was !!

[Block G Raptor]

I satarted following Shels around 14 years ago. I used to go with a friend of mine who sadly died 2 years after we started going. The reaction of the club after the death is the reason I am now hooked for life. The day after he died Ollie Byrne rang my friend's dad and asked him would he and I come down to Tolka for a match against Dundalk. Stephen Geoghegan scored that night and ran over to my mate's dad, in the middle of the game, and told him the goal was for his son. After the game we were invited into the dressing room and every single player had a warm word to say to us. Neither of us uttered a word in the car on the way home, we didn't have to. The look on the players' faces after the game said it all. For a long time after the death, Alan Gough used to come out and visit the house. When people say to me that football is only a game, I laugh to myself. I probably traet it too seriously but it's not only a game to me. Following Shels means much more than that to us.

Thats the kind of stuff that I absolutely love about our league. look at the tribute that our own WWS got after his sad parting and more recently Sonic too. we are a community and the clubs are central to that in the way that no super dooper EPL franchise PLC CO LTD will ever ever be.(I know Liverpool were wonderfull after Hillsborough but thats a different situation entirely)
when was the last time any "Big" football team had even a minutes silence for the passing of a life long fan

[disko]

Rovers v St Pats in 1990. First game after the WC in the RDS. There were 20,000 there apparently. Didn't miss a home game for years. Even remember my dad taking me out of school to go watch us win the league against Shels on a soggy Thursday afternoon in 1994.
The best part of the early 90s though was going to the derby games in Dalyer when the Ring of Fire was in full swing!

[Fester]

Saints v Samrock Rovers 1985 we lost 2 nil. A brilliant sunny day. I can still smell the bovril at half time. I never looked back.

[DmanDmythDledge]

FAI Cup Quarter Finals against Finn Harps in 1998. Was only 8 at the time. Don't remember much about the game other than we lost 1-0. We narrowly avoided escaping the playoffs that year and had to play Limerick. Remember checking the second leg result on Aertel but don't know if I was at the first leg or not.

[Longfordian]

Town v. Derry in 1987 in Abbeycartron was my first game, packed to the rafters with Derry fans. No idea what the score was, I think Derry won.I couldn't believe how exciting it was to be in the middle of it all. I remember some Derry lad falling asleep on his feet, locked. I being 6 or 7 didnt fully comprehend what was up with him!. I didn't go regularly back then but used to go to the odd match til about 98 or 99 when I started going more frequently. So many memories since, good and bad.

[Terry-Lander]

1977. Galway United's (then Rovers) first game in LOI against St Pat's. At the tender age of 13 my father brought me to our first game. No idea what the score was but I was hooked. Why?....... because I was spending quality time with my dad. Might sound corny to some but back then it was special. I loved the fact that we were supporting a local team and they became OUR team. There was a sense of pride and belonging that stays with me today.........despite our current situation. My eldest son made his debut on New Year's day 1998 aged 3 months. Why?.....because now friday nights are reserved for me and the two boys. The passion, excitement and pride is as strong for them as it has been for me.
I'll stop reminiscing now 'cos the lads are ready to head in to Terryland and I wouldn't want to disappoint the next generation of the maroon army.

[Block G Raptor]

1977. Galway United's (then Rovers) first game in LOI against St Pat's. At the tender age of 13 my father brought me to our first game. No idea what the score was but I was hooked. Why?....... because I was spending quality time with my dad. Might sound corny to some but back then it was special. I loved the fact that we were supporting a local team and they became OUR team. There was a sense of pride and belonging that stays with me today.........despite our current situation. My eldest son made his debut on New Year's day 1998 aged 3 months. Why?.....because now friday nights are reserved for me and the two boys. The passion, excitement and pride is as strong for them as it has been for me.
I'll stop reminiscing now 'cos the lads are ready to head in to Terryland and I wouldn't want to disappoint the next generation of the maroon army.

Ditto for me. never could persuade the Auld Lad to follow the Bohs (he's a reformed Hoop) but he did bring me to a heap of Ireland games down the years so I know where you're coming from on the "quality time" aspect. I bring the Daughter(6) to as many games as I can (not easy as I only have access on saturday and sunday) and Bring the 2 step kids regularly. my little fella is 3 mths old tomorrow and I'm currently trying to persuade the missus to let me bring him tonight. if not tonight then soon and for the rest of his life

[Rovers fan]

Cant remember tbh and I don't really have a clue what season I started going. For some reason my first memory of a rovers game was beating bohs 4-0 and some knacker walked by sayins "bohs yis are fookin sh1te". Don't know why I remember that! I know i was going for a few years before that but not every game,just when the father decided to go.

[Aaron]

1996. Derry City v Bohs at the Brandywell. I was only 7. What a game to make your debut at. Was in the old jungle, crazy. It was a crazy match. James Coll, had committed 3 poor tackles on Derry players. Not one of them recieved a booking. The match was at boiling point and it erupted at half time.

Felix Healy and James Coll got into an altercation. Felix, obviously unhappy at Coll's 3 tackles went "to let him know what he thought". Of course a big scuffle ensued and subsequently Coll was red-carded at half time. Turlough O'Connor took great exception and proceeded to man-handle the linesman.

So with things boiling over, it settled a little in the 2nd half. Then Liam Coyle went down the wing and swung a cross into the box, only for Maurice O'Driscoll's hand to block it. Penalty! Bohs enraged but I dont knwo what they were enraged at. Gary Beckett stepped up and slotted it past Dave Henderson.

I, being down the front of the stand, turned to run back up the steps, ran straight into one of the barriers that people use to lean on, knocked back to where I was originally. Cried for a while but was grand after that.

Hooked since!!

[bennocelt]

I satarted following Shels around 14 years ago. I used to go with a friend of mine who sadly died 2 years after we started going. The reaction of the club after the death is the reason I am now hooked for life. The day after he died Ollie Byrne rang my friend's dad and asked him would he and I come down to Tolka for a match against Dundalk. Stephen Geoghegan scored that night and ran over to my mate's dad, in the middle of the game, and told him the goal was for his son. After the game we were invited into the dressing room and every single player had a warm word to say to us. Neither of us uttered a word in the car on the way home, we didn't have to. The look on the players' faces after the game said it all. For a long time after the death, Alan Gough used to come out and visit the house. When people say to me that football is only a game, I laugh to myself. I probably traet it too seriously but it's not only a game to me. Following Shels means much more than that to us.

wow what a story, thanks for that


first time i saw a LOI team was in the early 90's when the big team from dublin ..........Bohs...... came to mullingar town for a pre season friendly and won about 4-0, cant remember much but plenty of long balls and the pitch was nice (not the same really, sorry)

[hoops1]

I satarted following Shels around 14 years ago. I used to go with a friend of mine who sadly died 2 years after we started going. The reaction of the club after the death is the reason I am now hooked for life. The day after he died Ollie Byrne rang my friend's dad and asked him would he and I come down to Tolka for a match against Dundalk. Stephen Geoghegan scored that night and ran over to my mate's dad, in the middle of the game, and told him the goal was for his son. After the game we were invited into the dressing room and every single player had a warm word to say to us. Neither of us uttered a word in the car on the way home, we didn't have to. The look on the players' faces after the game said it all. For a long time after the death, Alan Gough used to come out and visit the house. When people say to me that football is only a game, I laugh to myself. I probably traet it too seriously but it's not only a game to me. Following Shels means much more than that to us.

How could you not go after that.

[dcfc_1928]

Sunday 1st December 1985 - Monaghan Utd vs Derry City (Belgium Park)

My first ever Derry City game and Derry's first ever League victory in the LOI. The game also marked the City debuts of Nelson Da Silva, Owen Da Gama and Stuart Gauld.

For those of who you don't remember Belgium Park, it was little more than a field with a fence around it - but it was jammed with a few thousand City fans that day. The atmosphere was brilliant and the banter was great. Despite the surroundings our team seemed so exotic - with a Brazilian and a South African playing for us. God knows what they thought of Belgium Park.

We won 2-0 with Frank Devlin scoring both goals and I was hooked from that day on. It's hard to believe that almost 21 years later, I was watching my club play in the Parc des Princes. What a contrast to Belgium Park!