Have you any old mobile phones lying around the house you no longer use? The Club are hoping to raise funds through recycling old mobile phones, so why not clear out those old phones which we all have sitting around in at least one drawer or cupboard at home and help our club and the environment in the process!
Can you please hand them in to Decky or anybody on the committee. Many thanks in advance.
Name: Jim Campbell.
Age: 71.
How long have you supported Newry? The first Newry Town game I attended as a schoolboy was a local derby at The Showgrounds between Newry and Bessbrook in the Irish Alliance League on the opening day of the 1955-56 season. A young Pat Davey and Frank McCabe were playing for the red shirted ‘Brook’ indeed Frank opened the scoring for the visitors, but Newry in their traditional blue and white won the game comfortably.
How did you come about supporting the Club? When I was about twelve years of age my late Father kept telling me all about the great players and great games he had watched at The Marshes when Newry Town were in the Irish Senior League prior to the second World War. These stories helped greatly to spark my early interest in the club.
Your favourite ever player? Many superb players including full Internationals like Pat Jennings and Peter Watson have played for the club down through the years, but my favourite has to be a guy, who not only has played but also managed and coached the team, and in the process of playing for us scored a magnificent total of 305 goals. He is of course the one and only Ollie Ralph.
Favourite current player? I have great admiration for a number of players in the current squad but to me one consistently stands out and he is David Anderson.
Best memory supporting the club? I have a number of great memories but probably the best would be at The Oval during 1987 when we won the County Antrim Shield . This however would be closely followed by the winning of the Intermediate Cup during the 1956/57 season and repeating that success ten years later in 1967 at Solitude. The magnificent double triumph during the 1980-81 season when we won the B League championship with three games to go and the Intermediate Cup at Seaview against Chimney Corner. Also it must be said that clinching the First Division title in 1998 at The Showgrounds against Distillery was another very special day.
Funniest moment supporting the club? It has to be an incident that happened at The Showgrounds during the late sixties when we were playing in the old Irish League B Division. In this particular game the tackles were flying in and our Captain at the time Derek “Ringo” Watson was left writhing in agony on the pitch. As he was taken off the pitch to the dressing room I noticed he was still suffering terrible pain from what appeared to be a leg injury. I was concerned about what the extent of the injury might be and ran to-wards the dressing room in an agitated state to find out. A smiling kit man confronted me at the dressing room door, and seeing my concern, put his arm on my shoulder and said “Derek’s not injured but he had a sudden urge to go to the toilet. He will be back on the pitch in a minute or so.” There was a wee chorus of laughter in the background from “Ringo” as he flushed the toilet, and to say the least I did feel a little bit embarrassed.
Favourite ground you have visited and why? I suppose it has to be Mourneview Park Lurgan. For a long time I have admired the improvements etc that Glenavon FC have made to Mourneview and it is now one of the best venues in the Irish League to watch a game. Hopefully we can further develop and improve the excellent facilities at The Showgrounds in the years ahead along the lines of the Mourneview Park model.
What is it you like most about following Newry? First of all it is my hometown club. A club that always will have a special place in my heart. A club that has always been, and I hope always will be, completely cross community. A club where each and all traditions, are treated with great respect and consideration.
Hopes for the future? I want to see the club continue their great efforts to establish a top class Youth Academy and of course I want to see us winning trophies. I want the club also, to retain and in the years ahead, the ambition and drive to get back it’s rightful place in Irish League Senior football.
Due to health and safety reasons, Newry City AFC regrettably cannot host the 2013 Bessbrook Cup Final on Boxing Day. It is anticipated that the match will be rescheduled to take place in the Showgrounds later in the season. The current problem is a result of damage caused to one of the floodlight pylons by the heavy winds during the past week.
We are delighted to announce that we are running a Last Man Standing competition starting Saturday 11th January 2014! It’s £10 to enter and the last person left in the competition wins the jackpot, which will be a minimum of £300.
What are the rules?
1. It’s simple, just pick the winner of one English Premier League match each week. If your selection wins you progress to the next week, lose or draw and you’re out.
2. Once a selection is made, you will not have the ability to change it.
3. You may not pick the same team to win more than once during the tournament. So for example if you pick Man United in Game Week 1 and they win, then you can’t pick them for the rest of the competition.
4. Should you forget to make your selection in any week, you will automatically be assigned the highest placed team in the league that you haven’t already selected.
5. In the event that any match involving a team you have selected is postponed or cancelled for any reason, you will continue to the next round. That team will no longer be available for selection in future game weeks.
6. Buy backs will be available for the first two weeks of the competition. This means if you are knocked out in the first or second week of the competition you can buy yourself back in for £10. After the 2nd game week this option will no longer be available.
How to enter?
Entry can be obtained from any member of the Newry City AFC board, coaching staff and also through various senior players and supporters.
We also accept paypal payments. If you would like to enter this way then email your name along with your selections for Week 1 and Week 2 from the fixtures below to ncafclms@gmail.com. We will then give you details on how to pay the £10.
Week 1 Fixtures (11th , 12th and 13th Jan):
Hull v Chelsea
Cardiff v West Ham
Everton v Norwich
Fulham v Sunderland
Southampton v West Brom
Tottenham v Crystal Palace
Man Utd v Swansea
Newcastle v Man City
Stoke v Liverpool
Aston Villa v Arsenal
Week 2 fixtures (18th , 19th and 20th Jan):
Sunderland v Southampton
Arsenal v Fulham
Crystal Palace v Stoke
Man City v Cardiff
Norwich v Hull
West Ham v Newcastle
Liverpool v Aston Villa
Swansea v Tottenham
Chelsea v Man Utd
West Brom v Everton
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
