We Are Tyrone

Manchester United

  • Tyrone grouped with Man United and Rangers

    Tyrone grouped with Man United and Rangers

    THE Tyrone Premier team must have felt all their Christmases had come at once when they were paired with not one but two of the big guns competing in this year’s Budget Energy SuperCupNI in last evening’s draw.

    The Tyrone under-16s, managed by David Gilfillan and Chris Colhoun, were drawn in the same group as previous winners Rangers and Man United.

    The top English and Scottish academy are, for obvious reasons, among the big crowd pullers at the international youth tournament and that will guarantee quite the atmosphere when they face the Red Hand boys at the end of July.

    Group C is made up by West Cork Academy.

    The county’s Junior side has also plenty to get excited about having been drawn in the same group as Co Armagh and highly-rated academy sides Crewe Alexandra and Blackburn Rovers.

    This year’s under-14s are managed by Darren Crozier.

    The 2025 SuperCupNI is set to take place from Sunday, July 27 to Friday, August 1.

    Junior

    Group A: Co Tyrone; Co Armagh; Crewe Alexandra; Blackburn Rovers.

    Group B: Co Antrim; Co Londonderry; Charleton Athletic; Tottenham Hotspur.

    Group C: Co Fermanagh; Bohemians; Chicago City SC; Celtic.

    Group D: Co Down; St Patrick’s Athletic; Plymouth Argyle; West Ham United.

    Premier

    Group A: Co Down; Co Armagh; Intercontinental FA; Brighton and Hove Albion.

    Group B: Co Fermanagh; Hamilton Academicals; Tigres Uanil; AFC Bournemouth.

    Group C: Co Tyrone; West Cork Academy; Rangers; Manchester United.

    Group D: Co Londonderry; Co Antrim; Ichifuna; Southampton.

    REACTION IN MONDAY’S TYRONE HERALD

  • United still on the hunt for the treble

    United still on the hunt for the treble

    PERHAPS it’s something to do with the fact that I’m entering the old age but in recent times I’ve started dreaming quite a bit in my sleep.

    The other week I dreamt I had won the lottery, on another occasion I was named the next James Bond and one night I even had Fermanagh crowned All Ireland champions. I mean really!

    You think that’s ludicrous? One night I dreamt Arlene Foster, the former First Minister, was elected the first female president of the GAA, and on another I had Jim Allister saying ‘yes’ – I know crazy stuff!

    The dreaming didn’t stop there. One night, while wearing my reporter’s hat, I uncovered that Gerry Adams had been recruited as an informer by the Brits during the height of the Troubles and on another I imagined that Boris Johnston, the former Prime Minister, gave a damn!

    Then there was the night that Sharon Stone and I……..maybe I’ll leave that one!

    You think that’s mad? Wait to you hear this! About three weeks ago I dreamt that Liverpool would hammer their arch rivals Manchester United 7-0 in the upcoming Premiership clash at Anfield. I mean come on man..no way!

    I didn’t tell a soul mainly because people would have been thinking I was really was away with the fairies!

    But I’m not joking you I imagined that Liverpool, despite the fact that they were having their worst season in years and that some of their players would soon qualify for a bus pass, would beat their greatest rivals by a record-breaking score.

    This stuff was unbelievable. In my dream I had Cody Gakpo giving Liverpool a half-time lead before the six times European champions put the Red Devils to the sword in the second period.

    Darwin Nunez, who like Gakpo, had been hailed by some United fans as a waste of money, scored a second early in the second half and then the floodgates well and truly opened.

    Gakpo nonchalantly added a third, after Salah had sent Martinez for a hotdog, before the Egyptian King made it 4-0 with a thumping volley.

    United were in tatters as Nunez headed home number five before Salah became Liverpool’s record goalscorer in the Premier League by bringing up the half dozen.

    And just to rub salt into the United wounds, Jurgen Klopp wheeled out Roberto Firmino, to make it a magnificent seven.

    Then I woke up from my sleep thinking, “you’re nuts sir” – as they might say in Castlederg.

    But low and behold it was all true. A few days later my vision became a reality with United suffering the greatest humiliation in the club’s history.

    And boy did it hurt and boy how it still hurts United supporters. Up to that point the Manchester Reds, under Ten Hag, were having their best season in years and then the Scousers rip the ar** clean outta it!

    That crushing defeat cut so deeply that some, and I stress the word some, Man U supporters are still lashing out on social media. The other week they were all over Liverpool’s defeat at Bournemouth and again when Klopp’s Reds crashed out of Europe to Real Madrid.

    I just thought to myself, “don’t embarrass yourselves”. One local supporter even wrote on Facebook the following Thursday night something about United flying the ‘Red flag’ in Europe –seriously catch a grip man!

    Some Man U supporters harbour the notion that they are beyond a good tanking. The greatest clubs and teams in the world have all experienced a good oul hiding every now and again and United are no different. Last season, or maybe it was the season before, Liverpool took a 7-2 pasting from Aston Villa, above all teams, and bounced back.

    Remember the 2014 World Cup when Germany, the eventual winners, crushed Brazil, the hosts, 7-1 in the semi-final at the Mineirao Stadium; now that was proper humiliation!

    Even the great teams have bad days at the office and anyway United could still have their best season in years – Ten Hag’s team has already banked the Carabro Cup and are still in the hunt for the FA Cup and Europa League.

    The treble is still very much on the cards and what an achievement that would be.

    I mean Man City – unless Arsenal stick the pace – will have to settle for the Premiership title again and possibly the Champions League!

    Meanwhile all tired old Liverpool will have to show for their efforts is that new trophy sponsored by United trolls on social media, the 7up Cup! – I think the Scousers might be just be holding onto that one for quite some time.

  • Tyrone Juniors to face young Red Devils in SuperCupNI semi

    Tyrone Juniors to face young Red Devils in SuperCupNI semi

    The Coleraine Showgrounds could become a ‘Theatre of Dreams’ for the Tyrone Juniors tomorrow (Thursday) evening when they take on mighty Manchester United in the semi-finals of the SuperCupNI.

    Earlier this evening the Red Hand county defeated IDA Bermuda 2-0 in Ahoghill with goals from Nathan Sloan and Aidan Hegarty.

    That meant David Gilfillan and Chris Colhoun’s young side had accumulated seven points following yesterday’s (Tuesday) 1-0 victory over Co Londonderry and Monday’s 1-1 draw against San Francisco Glens.

    The United boys also qualified for the last four with seven points following wins over Surf Select and County Fermanagh and a 3-3 draw with MK Dons.

    Following this evening’s victory over Bermuda, Colhoun said his players would relish the challenge of playing the next generation of Red Devils.

    “The players have done everything asked of them throughout the process and they fully deserve their place in the semi-finals,” he said.

    “We’re delighted to get this far but they are not finished yet. We have the players to challenge any opposition and we look forward to tomorrow evening.”

    Tyrone have previously played Manchester United in the Milk Cup/SuperCupNI.

    Ten years ago the Red Hands Premier side defeated the United boys 2-0 at Castlederg’s Darragh Park but the following year the Red Devils gained revenge with a last minute winner in the showpiece final at Ballymena Showgrounds.

    County Antrim and Rangers contest the other semi-final.

     

  • When Man United, Liverpool and Chelsea came to Omagh

    When Man United, Liverpool and Chelsea came to Omagh

    In the latest instalment of Omagh Town: The Rise and Fall, published in this week’s Ulster Herald, former secretary Pat McGlinchey tells of how three of the biggest clubs in world football Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea came to St Julian’s Road to play glamour friendlies to help lift spirits of a town and community that had been ripped apart by the 1998 Omagh Bomb.

    The Real IRA atrocity claimed the lives of 29 people and that of unborn twins and McGlinchey and Omagh Town manager Roy McCreadie wrote to all the Premiership clubs in England and a number of leading SPL clubs in the hope that some of them would agree to come to Omagh for a friendly.

    They couldn’t quite believe it when Liverpool, United and Chelsea replied requesting further details.

    “We were gobsmacked by the response. It was beyond our wildest dreams when three of the top teams Man United, Liverpool and Chelsea gave us hope,” said McGlinchey.

    “They asked to firm up the details and to forward further proposals around security and so on. There was a lot of follow up. Roy and myself flew to Manchester to meet the then United chairman Martin Edwards and secretary David Gill. They agreed to come and little did we know at that time that they would be coming to Omagh as treble champions.

    “Chelsea and Liverpool also agreed to come and to be honest we were on cloud nine. At that point we sat down and asked ourselves what was this all about. We had three of the biggest clubs in English football coming to Omagh.

    “And that was our primary aim that these teams were coming to Omagh. It wasn’t about fund-raising, it was about lifting spirits. By the same token we wanted to maximise the numbers who could attend the games.”

    The games were hosted at St Julian’s in the second half of 1999 although initially McGlinchey and McCreadie explored the possibility of playing them at the home of Tyrone GAA Healy Park.

    Local Omagh St Enda’s officials responded favourably to the request however the leading lights at Croke Park took a different view.

    “At that time we put feelers out about hosting the games at Healy Park as we reckoned that could have trebled capacity and would have avoided any extra work to meet health and safety requirements,” continued Pat.

    “I have to take my hat off to the officers of Omagh St Enda’s they were very much in favour of it however they were quickly overruled by Croke Park who said no GAA ground would be used for major soccer matches. Yet, a short time later Croke Park was used for Irish international matches!

    “Linfield chairman David Campbell also offered us the use of Windsor Park free of charge but that would have defeated the purpose.

    “This was about Omagh, we wanted people to be able to walk out of their houses, down the road and into a football game.”

    The Chelsea game was played on Wednesday July 28 and the star-studded visitors who had recent World Cup winners Marcel Dessaily, Frank Leboeuf and Didier Deschamps sitting in the Omagh Town directors’ box alongside recent signing Chris Sutton and Gianfranco Zola, ran out convincing 8-0 winners with a hat-trick from Tore Andre Flo and goals by Dan Pretescu, Robert di Matteo, Mark Nicholls, Gustavo Poyet and Jody Morris with a delightful chip.

    Six days later (August 3) recently crowned Champions League winners United went one better with England striker Teddy Sheringham netting four times.

    Andy Cole and Michael Glegg grabbed braces apiece with an unfortunate own goal by Mark Wilson completing the scoring.

    Liverpool, managed by Gerard Houllier, hit a magnificent seven on October 18 after Derry man  McCourt had fired Town into a shock lead.

    The Merseysiders responded in emphatic fashion with twin strikes by Titi Camara and Erik Meijer and goals by Vladimir Smicer, Patrick Berger and Jamie Redknapp.

    With good reason McGlinchey fondly reflects on the staging of those incredible glamour games as the high point of his time as Town secretary. And Pat being Pat he recalls a couple of humorous anecdotes around the hosting some of the greatest footballers on the planet at that time.

    He tells the story of looking into the clubhouse during the first half of the game against Chelsea with Mary Mellon, long-term caterer at Omagh Town and who was renowned for making the best sandwiches in the Irish League, lecturing some guy with a hang-dog look and telling him in no uncertain terms that there would be no refreshments until half-time.

    Pat put his arm around Mary and begged her to meet the man’s simple request for a cup of her finest coffee as he was one of the best footballers in the world. It was none other than Gianfranco Zola!

    He, too, tells the tale of Omagh captain Mark Donnelly, after swapping shirts at the end of the Liverpool game, throwing his into the crowd as it didn’t belong to one of the Merseysiders’ household names.

    The shirt had been worn by one of the substitutes on that unforgettable October night, a fresh faced and largely unknown teenager called Steven Gerrard!

    FULL STORY INCLUDING CONTROVERSY OVER FUNDS RAISED IN THIS WEEK’S ULSTER HERALD