Author: Sean McKevitt

Sean is an avid supporter of Newry City AFC and will be bringing you all the latest news from the club.

NCAFC seeking more volunteers

Newry City AFC are currently seeking more volunteers to help out at home matches.

We require volunteers to be available 1 hour before kick off for all home matches.

Typical match volunteers required are as follows:

CAR PARK ATTENDANTS 2 NO. REQUIRED

TURNSTILE OPERATORS 2 NO. REQUIRED

HALF TIME RAFFLE SELLERS 2 NO. REQUIRED

SPECTATOR SAFETY STEWARDS MINIMUM 4 NO. REQUIRED

MATCH DAY ANNOUNCER 1 NO. REQUIRED (ALSO 1 NO. AS BACK UP )

PLAYERS TUNNEL STEWARD 1 NO. REQUIRED

SPECTATOR FIRST AIDER 1 NO. REQUIRED (ALSO 1 NO. AS BACK UP)

MATCH DAY HOSPITALITY 2 NO. REQUIRED

CLUB SHOP PERSONNEL 2 NO. REQUIRED

SOCIAL CLUB PERSONNEL 2 NO. REQUIRED

In effect, for things to run smoothly we require 20 – 21 people on home match days and to be present one hour before kick off.

If you are interested in doing your bit for our newly reformed club please forward your name to one of the following:

Andrew Boyd (Safety Officer): You can call him on (028) 3031 6660,  between 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Monday to Thursday and up to 12.30 p.m. on Friday.

Martin McLoughlin (Chairman):  Email him at martin@newrycityafc.co.uk

Conlon Morrison (Events organiser): Email him at conlon@newrycityafc.co.uk

Conor McCaul is November Player of the Month

At the end of every month throughout the season Newry City AFC supporters vote on our website for the Senior Player of the Month. The First Team Management then pick the winner from the three players with the most votes in the poll.

Mark Lowry, Conor McCaul and Chris McMahon received the most votes in the November poll but after careful consideration Conor McCaul has been selected for the award. Conor was a rock in the centre of the Newry defence that kept four clean sheets from five games in November.

Newrycityafc.co.uk caught up with Senior Team Manager Darren Mullen, who wished to congratulate Conor on his award.

“Conor has been in terrific form for us all season whether it has been in midfield or defence and fully deserves his award. He has made the step up from Carnbane to Intermediate football with ease and will be a vital player in our push for promotion.”

Fans in focus: Jonny Lennon

Name: Jonny Lennon.

Age: 31.

How long have you supported Newry? Since i was about 15 or 16, only seems like yesterday!

How did you come about supporting the club? I used to always keep an eye on the scores in the paper after my dad took me to a few games, then a few fellas that i ran around with when i was younger started going to the games so i tagged along with them. Dan Dillon lived beside me as well and he used to encourage us to go to the games.

Your favourite ever player? That’s a question! I think it would have to be Jonny Kenny, he was unplayable most weeks and helped us get promoted to the top flight. A special mention must to go Mark Rutherford, Dessie Gorman and Gary McPhee among others!

Favourite current player? Another tough one! It’s hard to pick as we have a good squad there at present. I think at the minute my favourite current player is Jimmy Walker, he’s really comfortable on the ball and has bags of ability. Chris McMahon and Conor McCaul at the back would be up there too.

Best memory supporting the club? Promotion to the top flight was a great moment, as was our European adventure but overall i think appearing on Soccer A.M. has to be my best memory.

Funniest moment supporting the club? Eh, I’m not sure if there’s anything suitable enough to put on here with kids reading!

Favourite ground you’ve visited and why? Mourneview Park, home of Glenavon has always been a favourite of mine, it’s a tidy little ground that has provided some great memories following the club. I like Ballymena United’s ground as well.

What is it you like most about following Newry? The fans. We may not have the biggest fan base in the league, but the ones who do go are a credit to the football club.

How many games have you been to this season? About 12.

Hopes for the future? Getting ourselves back where we belong in the top flight of Irish League Football and mixing it with the (ahem) “Big boys” again.

Meet the players: Graeme Edgar

Name: Graeme Edgar.

Graeme (left) in action for Newry. Photo:Brendan Monaghan
Graeme (left) in action for Newry. Photo: Brendan Monaghan

Age: 22.

Occupation: Fireplace/Stove installer.

Previous Clubs: Portadown FC, Banbridge Town FC and Markethill Swifts FC.

Position: Midfield.

Footballing Hero: Steven Gerrard.

What are your interests outside of football? Socialising, shooting, watching different types of sport, motorbikes.

If you could take 3 celebrities to dinner who would they be and why? Lee Evans for a good laugh, George Best so he could show me how to dribble, shoot etc! And Megan fox. (You should know why)

What is the best ground you have played in? Windsor park.

What would you like to achieve by the time you hang up your boots? Scoring a goal would be nice! And to play a part in getting Newry back into the Irish league, picking up a few cups on the way!

Who is the joker of the team? Paul McElroy likes to laugh at his own jokes.

Who is the best at training? Christopher McMahon.

Who is the worst at training? Joel Annett.

Who has the worst dress sense? Stefan Martin.

One song that gets you pumped up for a match? Martin Garrix – animals.

Who is the best player you have ever played with? Richard Clarke (Portadown).

What one word would best describes you as a footballer? Competitive.

And finally…a word for the fans? They’re as good as an extra man on the pitch!

Fans in focus: Conor McEvoy

Name: Conor McEvoy.

Age: 26.

How long have you supported Newry? Since the 1999/2000 season.

How did you come about supporting the club? Through my mate Sean McKevitt.

Your favourite ever player? Mark Rutherford, Robbie Casey or Richie Clarke.

Favourite current player? Jimmy Walker.

Best memory supporting the club? Probably when we played Cliftonville away in the quarter finals of the CIS Cup. That game had everything. Poor refereeing decisions, penalties and late drama. After conceding a penalty in extra time I thought that Newry were going out. Then Cullen Feeney nicked one in the 120th minute to take the game to penalties. Newry scored their 5 penalties and so did Cliftonville to force sudden death. Darren King smashed his penalty home and I guess the tension was too much for the following Cliftonville player who sent his penalty into the roof of the stand behind. It was a great night.

Funniest moment supporting the club? I can’t remember exactly which year it was but I remember one year when Newry were playing Coleraine at the Showgrounds and to say there were a few rough tackles would be an understatement. We were standing behind the nets and I had turned to Sean and asked him “Does there ever be any fights between players at this level?” Sean’s reply was a rather subdued, “Na, not really.” Literally about 30 seconds later, we seen players and officials trying to break up some scuffle on the touchline so we took a run round and seen Roy McCreadie and Marty Quinn trying to knock each other out. Needless to say I was shouting abuse at Marty Quinn and laughing at him trying to fight.

Favourite ground you’ve visited and why? I always liked Mourneview Park in Lurgan, just thought it was a decent stadium.

How many games have you been to this season? About eight.

What is it you like most about following Newry? Newry is my local team and you always want to see them doing well and progressing.

Hopes for the future? Hopefully the lads can keep up this good form, stay top of the league and get promoted. I would love to see them back up in the Premiership again. A decent cup run/win would go down nicely too!