Paul Mulholland fulfils boyhood dream

(Apologies this article is only being published now – it somehow slipped under the radar!) 

Paul Mulholland fulfilled a boyhood dream of playing for his home town club Newry City, when he pulled on the famous blue and white stripes in a pre-season friendly match against Maynooth Town at The Showgrounds back in August 2015.

This all came about when Paul was the highest bidder in a fundraising auction held during Newry City AFC’s 2014/2015 awards night, in which the person with the highest bid would have the opportunity  to take part in a pre-season friendly for the club.

Speaking to Newrycityafc.co.uk after the match, an elated Paul described his once in a life time experience:

“I fulfilled my boyhood dream when I ran onto the Showgrounds pitch wearing the Newry City jersey. The Newry Management and players made me feel so welcome. They made me feel really at home and treated me like one of their own, and for that I can’t thank them enough. When the final whistle went I wished it hadn’t of ended. I’ll never forget it and it’s something I’ll tell the grand-kids about in years to come.”

Paul (No17) replaced Paulius Smaryginas in the 79th minute
paul1
Newry City AFC Manager Darren Mullen congratulates Paul on his debut

Newry City AFC Premier Cup Champions 2015

On Monday 28th December 2015 Darren Mullen’s men finished off 2015 in the best way possible, lifting the Premier Cup! Speaking to the manager and a few of his players this is how they describe what winning the cup means to them and their hopes for the rest of the season ahead.

 

Manager Darren Mullen “To have a trophy in the cabinet halfway through the season is a great boost for the club and although there’s a long way to go it’s a reward for the work the lads have put in so far. Although it wasn’t our best performance of the season we had enough chances in the first half to put the game to bed. Credit to Fivemiletown though who proved that cup finals are never easy and pushed us all the way. The players were warned how dangerous they could be and we certainly didn’t take them lightly. The support we had on the day was superb and I know the players really appreciated it. Hopefully we can continue to give them something to cheer about for the remainder of the season. The cup will now be put away and our sole focus is on the league. We are currently in a good position but the players know that their standards and effort cannot drop for one game. If we can maintain the performance levels from the first part of the season then we won’t be far away.”

 

Niall Crilly: To win the cup for Newry was a very proud moment for each of us. It’s something that I will never ever forget and seeing the joy on the supporter’s faces motivated us to win even more silver wear this season. It’s important that we remember this moment and use it only as a stepping stone for the rest of the Season. Our main aim is the league and promotion and we can’t forget that.

 

Christopher McMahon: It was a great feeling to win our first cup competition and lift the trophy, the focus is now on the league to ensure we gain promotion.

 

Sean McMullan: It was great to win the cup even though we didn’t play well, but it’s in the past now and we’re just thinking about our next league game! I want a treble before I hang up these old boots!!

 

Neil Mullen: Winning the cup was great but I felt we let the fans down a bit because we didn’t play the way we know we can and that’s credit to Fivemiletown. Hopefully we can keep playing the way we know we can and at the end of the season we have a league title to go along with the cup.

 

 

Paddy Mooney: The tribute to Eamonn Morgan after the final whistle meant a lot to me it made my day even better. It’s great to be a part of this team and promotion is the aim we are good enough to win this league.

 

Stephen McCabe: It’s always great to win a trophy but to win it with such a great bunch of lads makes it even better… Hopefully the collection of the premier cup gives the players the experience hunger and desire to push on now this season and add more trophies

 

Peter Murphy: For me it’s an honour just to wear the jersey. So to win a cup for Newry I feel an immense sense of pride. Let’s hope we can add at least a league title to that as well.

 

Timmy Grant: I feel a great sense of pride to be back playing for my home town club again. It was great to win the Premier Cup and scoring the winning goal in front of our supporters and my family made it a bit more special for me. Now it’s time to get back to work and get focused on the league.

 

Conor McCaul: Very privileged to be a part of the team to win the Premier Cup for Newry City AFC and to go on and win the league will be a perfect season. One cup is enough for me, the league is main focus.

 

James Walker: Delighted to win premier cup for the fans but the cups this year is only a wee bonus, our main aim is winning that league and getting back to the top where Newry belong.

 

Link below: Darren Mullen & Chris McMahon interview on QRADIO with Kevin McAllister.

 

The Newry City AFC Committee, Management and Players would like to thank all of our supporters and sponsors who show continuous support to the club for which we are very grateful.

 

Photographs Courtesy of Brendan Monaghan Photography.

Saturday (09/01/16) v Fivemiletown

Folks,

Due to the current weather circumstances there is a chance that Saturday’s Intermediate A League Fixture AWAY to Fivemiletown (09/01/16) may be switched to the Showgrounds. Please look out for any announcement on our website/ social media pages in the coming days, the change may happen as late as Saturday morning. ATM kick off remains at 2PM either home or away. We will be trying our best to ensure the game goes ahead.

Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Manager’s corner (24.12.15)

As 2015 comes to an end it’s time to reflect on what has been a contrasting year for the team. We finished last season as a team not good enough to pick up silverware and have started this season with a great chance to pick up some. Whilst we have won nothing at this stage we have been working extremely hard to try to bring success to the club. That applies both on and off the pitch and sometimes the off field work goes unnoticed outside the club. The team cannot function successfully without the necessary support required and great credit must go to the committee and volunteers that give up their time on a continuous basis. There are too many people to name but Gary Wilson deserves a special mention for his continuous fundraising activities. I would also like to thank our sponsors who have supported us through a difficult time at the club and continue to show great loyalty. Without them we could not sustain the work that goes on from the academy through to the first team both in and off the pitch.

The premier cup final on the 28th has created a great buzz about the club and as a group we are really looking forward to the occasion. Fivemiletown will be a difficult opponent but we know if we play to our strengths we stand a good chance of success. I really hope the people of Newry turn out in their numbers to support the lads in what is our first intermediate cup final. The support we have received this year has been fantastic but I know an even bigger and more vocal crowd will help inspire the players. They have been a terrific group to work with and have created a very strong team spirit. That has been evident throughout the season and I hope for their sake they get the rewards that their efforts deserve.

Finally on behalf of the coaching staff, players and committee I would like to wish you all a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Hopefully 2016 brings the success that this terrific club deserves.

Yours in Sport,

Darren

Congrats to our Xmas Draw winners

Congratulations to the 2015 NCAFC Xmas draw winners :

1st prize: Barry Traynor – £100 note
2nd prize: Sylvia Pasternak – Brass Monkey Voucher
3rd prize: Kirsty Morgan – Paddy Power Voucher
4th prize: Marianna Lavery – Bottle of spirits
5th prize: Sylvia Pasternak – Box of beer

Newry City AFC Commercial Manager Gary Wilson wishes to thank all of those who were involved in the selling, and of course, everybody who bought tickets for the Christmas draw. The fundraising benefit of the Christmas draw is huge to the club and all efforts are greatly appreciated. Also, a big thank you to all those who donated prizes for the draw.

Newry City AFC would like to take this opportunity to wish everybody associated with the club a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.