JAFC final
September 17, 2019
Timoleague is the venue for this year’s West Cork Junior Football Final which will be played on Sunday afternoon next. Throw in is at 5.30pm.
It will be a proud day for the host club as the 1994 junior football champions, Argideen Rangers, will be honoured at half time. It is hard to believe that 25 years have passed since that never to be forgotten season. 1994 saw great rivals and near neighbours Timoleague and Barryroe slog it out for supremacy in both hurling and football during the year. Argideen had won the hurling title for the first time since 1934 the year previous in Rossmore, defeating Diarmuid O’Mathuna’s. They again qualified for the ’94 final but Barryroe came out on top at Bandon.
Both teams also met in the football final. This was played in November in atrocious weather conditions at Kilbrittain. Carbery winning the county in hurling and Barryroe qualifying for the junior county final put football in the back burner for quite some time. This necessitated Kilbrittain being nominated by the board to compete in the junior football county championship. The less said about that course of action from an Argideen point of view the better.
Argideen overcame Barryroe in the final 0-7 to 0-5 and prevented their friends and rivals from completing the double. One title each wasn’t an unfair end to the season.
The Little Norah and The Sean Og Murphy Cups took up residence in Timoleague that year in the homes of Tadgh Crowley and Barry Harte, the respective captains.
The 1994 Football Campaign
The path to the final by Argideen in 1994 was packed with drama and excitement with some fantastic football being played in six games. First up were Ilen Rovers who were eventually defeated after two and a half hours of breath- taking football at Rosscarbery. The first game was played on the Sunday night of the World Cup Final. Argideen found themselves behind 3-1 to 0-2 after the first quarter and it looked done and dusted. At least one Timoleague supporter had enough and slipped away home to watch the soccer. Argideen recovered some what and trailed at half time by 3-4 to 0-7. They got more into the game in the second half and did enough to secure a draw 0-16 to 3-7.
The Timoleague soccer supporter got some shock at Clashfliuch creamery on Monday morning when he was told the result by one who stayed. They were the days before mobile phones.
The replay was the following Sunday. Again, it was a ding- dong affair. The sides finished level with Argideen at 3-6 to Ilen Rovers 1-12. Extra time of half an hour was played and just picture the scene. Ilen are leading by a point with just minutes to go. A Barry Harte pointed free from 40 yds. (Yards are gone now too!) levelled the score. In a last gasp attack Barry falls to the ground within scoring range but out of the side of his eye spots a lurking Tony Crowley. He somehow scoops the ball out and Tony kicks the winning point as he loses his balance and falls on the deck. One couldn’t make for better drama as Argideen prevailed by 3-11 to 1-16.
Next up were Clonakilty and again it took two games to get over the Brewery town at Ballinascarthy. A Brendan O’Sullivan equalising point saved Argideen the first day but they did the business in the replay winning by 0-14 to 2-4 with Barry Harte scoring ten points.
Tadhg MacCarthaigh’s were fancied in the semi-final but there was nothing going to stop Argideen now and they won that game in Rosmore 0-11 to 0-7 to qualify for their first ever Junior “A” football final.
Some interesting statistics from that season make for keen discussion and debate. Argideen won the West-Cork Junior “B” Football title in 1993. They went on and won the county championship that year beating a fancied Killavullen in the final at Ballyanley.
In 1994 they competed in the “A” championship. They played six and a half hours of football in West-Cork that year to win the title and remained unbeaten over two seasons.
It should be remembered that in 1994 Argideen also reached the West-Cork hurling final. The majority of the team were dual players and had little recovery period over a busy season. Add on the fact that the club also had three players on the Carbery senior hurling team that won the division’s one and only title to date. Yet with all this action on the playing field only seventeen players played in that year’s football championship. This is truly a remarkable feat by any club.
Behind any great team there are also equally dedicated and talented mentors. Leading the back -room staff was coach and trainer Peter Fleming and his long- time friend and co-lieutenant, the late Victor Smith. They also had the services of club legend Mick Foley as a “highly paid” consultant. For the record, Peter was to the fore this season with Argideen who were defeated by this year’s finalists St. James in the semi-final. It’s a disease!
The Argideen Rangers 1994 football team was: Finbarr Walsh, Seamus Crowley, Mark Foley, Declan Crowley, Tadhg Crowley (Capt.) Ted Crowley, John Dineen, Tony Crowley, Liam Harte, Noel Cashman, Barry Harte, Emmett Harrington, Niall Harrington, Brendan O’Sullivan, John Crowley. Subs used Michael Walsh, Sean Foley. Also on the panel were: Aidan Lawton, Patrick Crowley, JJ Deasy, Kevin Kelly, Jer. D. Lehane, Diarmuid Lawton, Niall Ryan, Martin Cunningham, Patrick Harte, Jim Foley, Aidan Harte, Michael Harte.