Fivemiletown Football: Coffey Cup 1973
Prize Money £150
According to the money sorter website £150 in 1973 is equivalent to £1268 today, that is a very tidy sum to be put up as prize money, I don’t know what the entry
fees, if any, the teams had to pay or how much it cost to watch the matches (20p for the final) but a report in the Impartial Reporter stated that;
‘The 1973 Coffey Cup has been hit by many misfortunes, a small number of entries despite £150 prize money, a seeming lack of interest in Lisnaskea leading to small attendances, potential big gates being decimated by rain, hail and cold, and a continual problem with fixture clashes in other tournaments’ it went on to say ‘Tommy Armstrong and his committee have battled through to keep the competition on the rails and give football supporters in the area several good games, It is to their credit that the setbacks, of this year, have never given rise to the idea of abandoning the tournament next year.’
Teams that entered this year;
Irvinestown, Enniskillen Celtic, Maguiresbridge Rovers, Lisnaskea A, Lisnaskea B, Killadeas, Kesh, Barrowfield, Clones United, Lisbellaw, Rangers A, Rangers B, Dromore United and Fivemiletown.
Barrowfield into the final
Barrowfield last season’s third division champions, have made it to the 1973 Coffey Cup Final. On the way they disposed of a strongly fancied Clones United, a hard Dromore United side and in the semi-final sent Lisnaskea A reeling.
Fivemiletown were forced into a replay of the replay, Fivemiletown met Irvinestown in the quarter-final and won easily 8-0, but a replay was ordered on account Fivemiletown having used illegal players and this time a much changed and improved Irvinestown side made sure the humiliating rout was not repeated and gave Fivemiletown many an anxious moment, twice taking the lead.
In front of surely the biggest turn out for a long time.
It took Fivemiletown until nearly the half hour to get back on level terms through a Billy O’Malley goal. One of the neatest first half moves came only three minutes later from Fivemiletown when Dessy Kerr and Kenny Morrow temporarily dazzled the Irvinestown defence, but the ball was eventually cleared. Irvinestown came out for the second half the brighter and within five minutes of the restart were back in the lead. As the game progressed Irvinestown were holding onto the game, more in desperation than anything else. Fivemiletown brought on substitute Willie McCusker in the 65th minute to add punch to the attack, this he did one minute later, lying on a perfect cross for Dessy Kerr to stab home.
So to a replay, again, Fivemiletown won the second replay but I was unable to find a report on the match.
Fivemiletown 2 – 1 Enniskillen Celtic
Fivemiletown’s semi-final seen them up against Enniskillen Celtic but the first 45 minutes were not particularly exciting. Enniskillen Celtic seemed to be capable of attack, but the Fivemiletown defence was far more capable of dealing with it and so no goals there.
Fivemiletown had a very limited idea of attack, persisting in hitting long balls up the wing or which Noel Dunlop found impossible to control and convert into anything positive.
However, it was Fivemiletown who came closest to scoring after 17 minutes, best move of the first half, Albert Little strongly running through the Celtic defence, drawing them towards the corner flag and then hooking the ball back into the centre for Kenny Morrow to just crash over the bar, this gave some indication of what Fivemiletown could do if they could just get going.
The second half immediately showed greater promise. Both teams appeared more eager to get on with it, and the crowd responded to the greater sense of urgency on the field by becoming vocal for the first time.
But the large Fivemiletown following were momentarily silenced when Celtic picked up a loose ball and drove it into the back of the net.
This might have shaken some side, but it had the opposite effect on Fivemiletown. Players like Davy Burke, Mervyn Mitchell and Albert Little only saw it as a need to put in a greater effort, and their influence was infectious as suddenly the side clicked into top gear.
Only a few minutes later the Celtic keeper could not hold an Albert Little cross-shot and Dessy Kerr was on hand to prod it into the net. Fivemiletown enjoyed the honeymoon for a while but no second goal came. Indeed Fivemiletown seemed to have rather lost the initiative until; Albert Little showed his mastery again. The winning goal was so typical of Little, a powerful run, successful evasion of at least despairing tackles, and the accurate cross for Dessy Kerr to nod home.
So Fivemiletown go through to the final.
Coffey Cup Final 1973
Barrowfield 2
Fivemiletown 5
Fivemiletown United came away from Lisnaskea proud and triumphant after elegantly strolling to victory in the Coffey Cup final. And they proved just what a fine side they are by coming back to win 5 – 2 after being two goals down after little more than a quarter of an hour.
The evening was pleasant and warm, and the football was in the same enjoyable vain. There cannot be many complaints about a match that produces seven goals, and as much good football as this one did. Yet it was never a thriller in any sense of the word, despite the Fivemiletown comeback, it was relaxed and unhurried, and the goals seemed to just come as a matter of routine, indeed, a pleasant match to either play in or watch, but not greatly exciting nor one to set the pubs alight with controversy afterwards.
Barrowfield opened the scoring with some fine football which silenced the large mainly pro-Fivemiletown crowd when Barrowfield hit a vicious strike into the Fivemiletown net, and the faces became even longer when they lobbed a second over the keepers head, and Fivemiletown were two behind after only 17 minutes gone on the clock.
The comeback by Fivemiletown was typical of the game, no panic, and everything flowed gently as if prearranged. David Burke got the first one back just before half-time from the penalty spot after Albert Little was brought down in the box.
The second half bought four Fivemiletown goals, two in each of two explosive spells. In the 55th minute, David Burke punished them again when the Barrowfield defence was hesitant in getting the ball away from their goal area, and less than 30 seconds later the ever deadly Dessy Kerr was given the space to ram home a third.
After this reverse, Barrowfield seldom sparkled and it began to look as if the remaining half hour was just for the playing out. But Fivemiletown delighted their large following by getting two more in the 67th and the 69th minutes, the first from Dessy Kerr using all his speed, determination and finishing ability to get number four, and then Noel Dunlop was helped by a deflection to get the last goal in the 1973 Coffey Cup Final.
1972/73 | Coffey Cup Final 1973 | 1973/74
Elsewhere this Year
Pink Floyd released The Dark Side of the Moon, the all-time best-selling album by British artists.
