Hall of Fame and Merit Awards 2018
February 26, 2018
On Friday the 23rd February in the Killyhevlin Hotel, Enniskillen the Fermanagh and Western Association & League honored 4 special people for all they have done for local football.
Joe Keenan was inducted into the Fermanagh and Western Hall of Fame, with John Crawford, Kenny Forde and Seamus Fanthorpe all receiving deserved Merit Awards.
Hall of Fame inductee - Joe Keenan (Enniskillen Rangers & Enniskillen Santos)
This season is the first for more than forty years that Joe Keenan has not kitted out to play in the Fermanagh and Western League. Since his first senior game at the age of fifteen for Enniskillen Rangers Reserves against Lisnarick Reserves on the old High School Playing Field – Joe remembers scoring the winner – until last season with Enniskillen Santos, Joe has been a regular fixture (and he says he might not be finished yet!)
The Keenans have always had a strong family connection with Enniskillen Rangers. Joe’s older brothers all played for many seasons, and of course the young Joe was inspired and mentored by “Uncle” – Uncle Jim Keenan, a Rangers stalwart since the early sixties. Joe first played for various Rangers youth teams from the Under 12s to the Under 15s, winning the Telegraph Shield and a host of tournaments, and he played for the Esso Cup squad managed by Ced McLeer, another Rangers stalwart.
He graduated to Rangers First team under John Craig’s management, initially as a lean, strong and speedy full back, and won a total of six Mercer Cup medals between 1982 and 1999. Over that period he played in no fewer than 12 Mulhern Cup Finals, with a haul of seven Winners medals. He has numerous Top Four or Kennedy Cup medals, and he played in three IFA Junior Cup Finals, gaining a Runner-up medal in 1989 at Dungannon against Oxford United, a Winner’s medal at Loughgall against Lisburn Rangers in 1999 and another Runner-up medal the following year when Rangers, with Joe as Player Manager, lost the Junior Cup Final to Lisnaskea Rover at Ballinamallard. Joe’s exploits in the Junior Cup were almost repeated when he led Santos to a semi-final in 2008 which they lost narrowly to Bessbrook. He can even claim to have a Second Division Championship medal after managing Santos to the Enda Love Cup in 2015. Joe has the perfect response to any young player who might have the cheek to say, “Show us your medals.” His trophy cabinet provides the answer.
Joe played for the Fermanagh and Western Representative team on a number of occasions, always at full back, but as his career progressed he showed his versatility by moving upfield. One of the trophies in his cabinet marks the season he scored fifty-one goals.
Joe describes as his proudest moment in football the occasion of the Fermanagh and Western FA’s Centenary in 2007. As part of that celebration, a Team of the Century was chosen, and from it the Player of the Century was voted on by those present in the Killyhevlin. Joe emerged as a clear leader for that accolade, and another fine trophy found its way to his cabinet. Joe is typically modest about this achievement, and pays tribute to all of the others in the squad, saying that he was in good company.
Indeed Joe is quick to give credit to the many players he has encountered over the years. It’s a very long list, and there are far too many to mention, but in conversation the names of his Rangers team mates, Warren Dixon, Tony Roofe, Ray Sanderson, Davy Phair usually crop up, while he says he always had great respect for opponents like Shelbourne’s Marty Woodhead, Mickey O’Sullivan and Paul McAnea, or Tommy Nethery from Dergview. He picks out Kenny Maguire and George McFarland as probably the goalkeepers he found most difficult to beat.
Joe is quick too to point out that credit should be given to the team managers he served under – he learned a great deal, he says, from John Craig, Denzil McDaniel, his brother Paul and Liam Williamson, to name but four. And Joe will also acknowledge the support he got later in his career from Thomas McCaffrey, a fine example of commitment and enthusiasm.
Joe will also acknowledge the rapport he has had over his long career with referees. He concedes that he was sent off three times, though one of these was later rescinded, due in fact to the intercession and evidence of our League Secretary, Mr Connolly. On another occasion he was sent off by Gerry Flynn, after a mistimed “last man” tackle, the first season that measure was introduced, and once by Joe Crawford.
Joe puts down his longevity in the game to his dedication to training, the fact that he never smoked or drank, and his sheer love of the game. He still talks enthusiastically about great matches in the past. He misses the great derbies between Rangers and Town in front of big crowds at Celtic Park and Derrychara. He remembers one match in particular which finished 6-5 in Rangers’ favour, with Denzil McDaniel and James Rehill each scoring hat-tricks. He recalls two Mulhern Finals against Irvinestown Wanderer in the Eighties: the 1981 Final when Rangers beat Irvinestown Wanderers 4 – 1 (Phil Murphy and “Toots” Lunny were outstanding that day) and the 1988 Final at Ferney Park when Rangers won 3-0 with Greg Turley scoring twice and Joe getting a goal himself.
Finally, it’s a tribute to Joe’s popularity and the respect that he has gained in Fermanagh and Western circles that so many people wanted to be a part of tonight’s tribute. He is proud that his two sons, Christopher and Jason, and his daughter Lisa, are heavily involved in local football. Joe was occasionally almost tempted away to play at a higher level, but his devotion to local football always held sway, and it is entirely appropriate that he is honoured with a place in the Hall of Fame, joining two of his dear friends, Enda Love and Brendan Keogh. In his young days, Joe regularly drove those two gentlemen to matches and meetings in Belfast, and I’m certain both would be very proud of the contribution Joe has made over many, many years to a body which they held dear and which tonight recognises one of its greats. (Wrote by Roy Cathcart- Fermanagh and Western Association Chairman)
Merit Award - John Crawford (Dunbreen Rovers)
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, our first recipient of the Merit Award tonight is Dunbreen Rovers John Crawford. John is one of a dying breed of one club men, having started his career with the club exactly fifty years ago this month. Indeed, his name featured in the Looking Back column of the Ulster Herald a few weeks ago, noting his first appearance for Dunbreen as a seventeen-year-old against Killymore Rovers. According to John, his introduction as a substitute by then manager George Henderson changed the game; trailing by two goals to one, the debutant went on to help his team to a 4-2 victory, their first success against Killymore for 3 years. However, John points out that George’s memory of his introduction is slightly different. John’s fledgling career offered early success as he was part of the Dunbreen team who won the Mulhern Cup later that season, defeating Lisbellaw United in a replay with John as the youngest player on the pitch. This still stands as Dunbreen Rovers only major trophy win and tonight they hold the honour as the most decorated team in the Fermanagh & Western; why you may ask, the team was managed by George Henderson who is enrolled in our Hall of Fame, and Pat Chesters, our previous Merit Award winner also played in that team, so three members have now been honoured.
As John is quick to point out, success came early in his playing career and things generally went downhill from then. A serious knee injury in 1978 which required surgery ended John’s playing career and a move to management beckoned to maintain his connection to both Dunbreen Rovers and the game of football. John was due to take charge of Dunbreen Rovers Reserves along with Bernie McKelvey at the start of the 1978/79 season but missed the first game of the season due to a family wedding. The Reserves team recorded a 4-0 win away to Lisnaskea Rovers Reserves and the first team were defeated by the same score line by North Fermanagh, causing unrest amongst the players and forcing George Henderson to step down as Manager with John taking up the reigns, a position he held for the next five years, prior to Dunbreen playing in the Intermediate League for two seasons.
1996 saw a return to management with the Reserve team assisted by Charlie Mitchell. John’s son had played for the Tyrone Milk Cup team in the previous summer and had persuaded a number of his cohorts to sign and the team were enjoying good results until a total of seven players departed to Shelbourne and Omagh Town, leaving John to rebuild the team once again. Raymond Emery stepped down as first team manager in 1998 and George again looked in John’s direction to run the team, a role John maintained for the next fifteen years, a time when Dunbreen played in all three Divisions in the League.
John has been ever present on the Club Committee since 1978 and currently fulfils the role of Chairman, a position he has held for the past three years and can recall many good times over that period, which help to alleviate the lack of success on the pitch. Many away days for Junior cup trips are fondly remembered and the friendship and camaraderie engendered which still stands to this day are highlights. One of John’s funniest memories concerned another Dunbreen legend, Ivan Ross. Prior to a Reihill Cup tie against Mountjoy United Reserves at Crevenagh Road, Ivan said he would eat his boots if they lost which they did following a penalty shoot-out. Ivan promptly removed his boots and threw them into the river, thus negating his previous promise. However, on returning to their base at McAleer’s Bar, Ivan’s sister produced a cake in the shape of a pair of boots which he duly ate, reminding his teams mates that he had indeed fulfilled his promise.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think you would agree with me that fifty years of service to local football, all at one club, make John Crawford a worthy recipient of our first Merit Award of the night. (Wrote by Neil Jardine Fermanagh and Western League Chairman)
Kenny Forde (Lisbellaw United)
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, our final Merit Award winner tonight is Kenny Forde of Lisbellaw United. In compiling this oration, it struck me how similar the circumstances are with our first nominee of the night, John Crawford. Kenny is also a one club man, having his first contact with the village team as a 10-year-old spectator at Rampart Lane, the predecessor to the infamous Cloughcor Road, in 1968, the year of Lisbellaw’s first Mercer League triumph. A keen historian of the local game, Kenny mentioned that my late father was listed amongst the opposition on that day. Although he never played for the club, Kenny was a regular on the line each week as Lisbellaw enjoyed a halcyon period in their history during the late 70’s and early eighties, winning four Mercer League Titles and five Mulhern Cups, including two doubles. The pinnacle of success during this time was the 1978 Junior Cup win, Lisbellaw becoming only the second Fermanagh & Western team to win the blue riband trophy and the first since Enniskillen Corinthians in 1958. During this period, Kenny assisted in anyway possible, marking the pitch and cutting grass, acting as kit man and all the other jobs that so often go un-noticed and un-appreciated within many clubs. In the 1980’s , Kenny assisted fellow bank official Keith Elliott at Reserve Team level and following Keith’s transfer away from the area in 1985, took over as Manager of a team low in confidence following eight defeats on the trot; one piece of advice given to him at the time by then first team manager John Scott was to do your own thing and take no crap, although Kenny admits to Scotty’s language being rather more colourful than that. Kenny’s involvement with the Reserve team continued both as Manager and Assistant for the next thirty years working alongside many others including Robert Fitzpatrick and Enda Love. Lisbellaw United Reserves and Kenny played in four Reihill Cup finals from the inception of the competition in 1987, losing them all before finally getting their hands on the silverware in 2009 by defeating Orchard Farm Reserves and retaining the cup a year later against NFC Kesh III. League success had come in 2004/05 season when Kenny lead the Reserves to promotion from Reserve Division 2 undefeated, and the Reserve Division 1 title was secured for the first time in 2010/11 season and retained in 2011/12 double winning season along with a third Reihill Cup.
Behind the scenes, Kenny harnessed his knowledge in the banking sector to secure the purchase of Drumad in 1985 on a 99-year lease from Fermanagh District Council for £18,000.00, followed by the construction of the clubhouse in the early 90’s at a cost of £90,000.00. These are not easy amounts of money to raise but Kenny undertook this task with his usual diligence and the results are there for all to see. During all this time and still today, Kenny acts as kit man for all teams throughout the club, ensuring a clean and complete kit is available for each match, no easy task when the club could be playing upwards of 10 matches per week at times. 45 years later and Kenny is still lining pitches on a weekly basis, a true measure of the committed clubman and asset he is. One of Kenny’s anecdotes over the years concerns a legend of the local game who played for the Reserve team in the twilight of his career, and was subsequently red-carded by Referee Davy McFarland in a Reihill Cup match away to Shelbourne Reserves at the Omagh Showgrounds for a deliberate handball, his only ever dismissal. At this stage, Lisbellaw were losing 2-1 and despite being reduced to ten men, went on to record a comprehensive win by 9 goals to 3; the consensus of opinion amongst the other players that they were better without Hoppy, but that’s another story.
Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to present this Merit award to a stalwart of out game, Kenny Forde. (Wrote by Neil Jardine Fermanagh and Western League Chairman)
Seamus Fanthorpe (Strathroy Harps)
When it was announced at the end of last Season that Seamus Fanthorpe was stepping down as Manager of Strathroy Harps it signaled the end of a career and a contribution to the local Game that can be described as monumental. He is a huge loss to his Club and it will be strange to watch a Harps Team without his guiding presence on the touchline. A football person to the core since turning out with Dunbreen Colts U14s he enjoyed a colourful career which saw him play for a myriad of Clubs. He played for local sides Dunbreen Rovers, Sperrin Athletic and Shelbourne before moving to Ballinamallard United who then played in the Irish League ‘B’ Division. Roy McCreadie took him to Omagh Town where he enjoyed five relatively successful Seasons before wanderlust set in again and he signed for Dungannon Swifts. He was a defensive cornerstone as the Stangmore Park side finished fourth in the Irish League which qualified them for the lucrative Setanta Cup. He struggled to regain his place at the beginning of the following Season and signed for Institute and their ebullient Manager Liam Beckett before returning to Ballinamallard United as Assistant to Whitey Anderson. He moved to Omagh United when they entered the Intermediate ranks and captained them to a Mid-Ulster League and Cup ‘double’ before they folded in their second Season. All the while he was also registered with Strathroy Harps and played with them when circumstances permitted. Season 2009/10 saw Harps win the Mulhern Cup for a second time but their poor run of form in the League at the wrong time saw them lose their battle against the drop after three years in the top flight and led to their Manager Dominic McMullan being replaced by Seamus whose drive and enthusiasm were exactly what Harps needed. Displaying all his characteristic single-mindedness he instilled confidence and self-belief in a Team still reeling from relegation. He laid down targets at the start and demanded a change in attitude. He knew he had the rudiments of a successful side but was also aware that in certain cases there was a lack of dedication indispensable to winners. He delivered a metaphorical boot up the backside of those who needed it while employing more subtle psychology where he deemed it suitable. He established stringent ground rules, standards were set and maintained and at the end of his first Season in charge Harps were Second Division Champions – the prelude to a level of success without precedent in Fermanagh & Western Football circles. Harps comfortably retained their Division 1 status in Season 2011/12 and upset all known odds by capturing the Irish Junior Cup with a 4-1 win over St Marys to become the first Omagh Club to win Junior Football’s Blue Riband Competition. Seamus’s charges incredibly retained the coveted trophy twelve months later by virtue of a 3-0 victory over Harryville Homers. To put that in perspective retention of the Cup was an elusive target which had never before been achieved by a Fermanagh & Western side. Many great Teams had failed and it provoked a certain chagrin in many quarters that Harps had pulled it off. For the previous nine years the Fermanagh & Western had been defined by the ‘top two‘ – Enniskillen Town United and Lisbellaw United and the 2013/14 campaign will be remembered as the Season when their nine year stranglehold on the Mercer League title was ended by Harps. Before the Season began many pundits were tipping the back-to-back Irish Junior Cup Winners to be Champions and a narrow 2-1 win over Fintona Swifts on the final weekend of their Season ensured them of a deserved first ever title. There followed further Mercer League titles in 2014/15 and 2016/17 (they lost out on a third successive title in 2015/16 by a single point) while the coveted Mulhern Cup has been adorned by the Club’s green and white ribbons for the past three Seasons. In between there were two Kennedy Cup successes (it would have been three but for Kieran McGirr) and in Season 2014/15 the Club won an unprecedented ‘clean sweep’ of trophies. A dominating personality his is a seemingly impossible act to follow by virtue of his achievements which cannot be disputed. There is no doubting the impact he has had on Strathroy Harps and his positive dedicated approach has transformed them from comparative nonentities into the force it is today. His contribution to Strathroy Harps is without parallel and that contribution is acknowledged here tonight as he becomes the youngest recipient of a Fermanagh & Western Football League’s Merit Award. (Wrote by Gerry Connolly Fermanagh and Western League Secretary)