Shinrone and BT Harps braced for final-day drama

Moneygall watch on as final game plays out

By Gary Culbert

The North Tipperary & District League (NT&DL) Premier Division title race will come to a dramatic conclusion on Sunday when BT Harps travel to Shinrone, or will it?

It is the second consecutive season where Shinrone will have a shot at a league title on the final day in their own ground, but the permutations are even more complex than their famous 0-0 draw with Moneygall to clinch the First Division title last season.

Two weeks ago, a draw would indeed have been enough for the Offaly side to claim consecutive league titles, however, a shock revelation at the eleventh hour, surrounding player eligibility, has dragged Moneygall back into the title race.

A two-point boost following NT&DL disciplinary proceedings last week sees Moneygall now sit top on 38 points having played all their games.

They can only be overtaken in the event of a Shinrone win in the finale. A draw is the only result which would see Moneygall win the league, whereas a victory for BT Harps would only be enough to equal Moneygall’s points haul, forcing a play-off (leagues cannot be decided on goal difference in the NT&DL).

Having lost all three encounters with BT Harps this season, two of which were away from home, Shinrone are heavy underdogs for this clash. The most recent defeat caused the greatest embarrassment: a 5-1 hammering in the cup on home soil, which came just over a month ago. However, Shinrone manager Declan Mullally is adamant that the underdogs can cause an upset on the big stage:

“You always have a chance, and you have a really good chance when the game is in Shinrone,” he said.

“Nobody only us knows what it’s like when the place is full, it’s a very special place when you have a crowd on the pitch; it’s very intimidating, it’s a cauldron. I honestly believe the crowd is what drove us over the line last year, we need that crowd to come out again.”

Shinrone’s only official activity in the intervening month has been a routine 3-0 league win over an Ardcroney side that were all but on the beach. Harps, on the other hand, have had no rest, playing five tough games in as many weeks. Henry Newman’s charges won the first four of those in a variety of displays, from dominant performances to snatch and grab wins, before coming up short against Pike Rovers last Saturday in the FAI Junior Cup, bowing out at the last 64 stage after a debilitating 7-0 defeat to the third-place side in the Limerick & District League Premier Division.

Dylan Cody agitated a recurring injury in that game and will thus miss the league finale, whilst injured Ben Stapleton missed the game entirely. Shinrone are not without their own issues; goalkeeper Jason Ryan damaged a finger in the cup defeat to Harps last month, and with no obvious candidate emerging to take his place, manager Declan Mullally has been left with a difficult decision in an important position.

An extra angle to the game, not that it needed any more, is the fact that both managers are leaving their roles this season. Declan Mullally is moving to the role of chairperson at Shinrone United, whilst Henry Newman and his assistant manager Mark Fennell are both taking roles with the North Tipperary Oscar Traynor squad next season, following three years together at Harps.

Ahead of his final game in charge, Mullally admits that the main emotion he feels about stepping away from this group is loss: “some of them I didn’t know beforehand, some of them I knew all my life, but I have connections with them all now. It’s been huge, when we started out 4 years ago the aim was to be a competitive Premier Division side, but if we could lift it, that would be unbelievable,” he said.

While there is always scope for a manager to return for a second stint with a team, the same cannot be said for players who retire. One of those, from the Shinrone United camp, is Derek McLoughlin: “I’m 45 this year, I shouldn’t be playing at all really. Sunday is the last time I play on the Shinrone pitch; this is my last hoorah,” he revealed.

Having given three decades of service to the beautiful game, McLoughlin has plenty of highlights along the way with various teams, but playing for his hometown club alongside his son Riann and childhood friend Michael Cordial tops the lot.

“Winning a league in Shinrone village last year was mental, there was people dropping to the ground when they missed the second penalty, it was crazy,” he added.

The experience of battle-hardened veterans could be the element that tips the scale in the league decider. For McLoughlin “it’s just another game here on Sunday”, one that he “won’t look back on for another 2 or 3 years”.

“With some younger players scattered throughout the Shinrone team, McLoughlin is aware of his important role in leading by example and setting the tone in the finale: “You’d be hoping they would carry their experience from last season into this game. If you’re not nervous you may forget about it - nerves are good. But if you go into a game with fear, the game is lost already”.

Age brings experience, which is clearly helping McLoughlin’s mental approach to the big game, but age also brings injuries. The attacking midfielder has seen his game time significantly reduced this season due to an endless list of knocks, something that has not been easy for a player who has been the first name on the team sheet throughout his illustrious career.

“To be honest, I haven’t coped well with being on the bench at all; it’s killing me,” he added.

“My body is telling me now that enough is enough - my ankle, my knee, my foot – there’s loads of stuff going on!”

However, the magnitude of the occasion on Sunday means that he is willing to fight through the pain for one last battle: “I’ll be strapped up this Sunday, whether I’m needed for 10, 20, or 90 minutes - I’ll play. If I suffer for a week or two after, what about it,” he added.

Having lost three times to BT Harps already this season, and despite the fact that only a win will do if Shinrone are to secure the title, McLoughlin is steadfast in his assertion that the occasion and the home support will level the playing field.

“The same happened last year, we didn’t beat Moneygall at all last season and we won the league here in Shinrone on the final day. This isn’t a nice place to come on the final day of the season, BT haven’t experienced that yet – but I’ll say no more, we’ll see Sunday!”