DLTFC v BRIGHTON CELTIC (08.11.08)

Well following the recent uncertainty with the numbers of players for each squad, the Board's decision to withdraw a squad from Division 3 to concentrate on Division 3A is already proving to be a more workable arrangement all round. The home game against Brighton Celtic was a very hard fought, though evenly balanced, match with the winning goal for the visitors coming only in the dieing minutes of the game. Ian Kane and Jay Kane, working together, fielded a team that has great potential and indeed, very much so, especially when those injured over the past few weeks return before the Christmas break. Final score: DLTFC 0 : Brighton Celtic 1. Next Saturday the squad travels to meet Palmerstown United - kick off 14.00hrs

Withdrawal of Team from Division 3

It is with sincere regret and considerable disappointment that, on behalf of this Club, we must advise the League and our fellow clubs that due to circumstances beyond our control, the Club has withdrawn its team from participating in Division 3 (Saturday).

The reasons that have impacted greatly on this most unfortunate decision include, an excessive number of injuries incurred over the past few weeks, the continued dispersal of the asylum / refugee community around the country resulting in the loss of key players and players being actively induced to join other clubs within the greater Dún Laoghaire area. Such losses to a small club like ours have serious and detrimental repercussions, of which, this decision to withdraw a team from Division 3 is an inevitable negative outcome.

The above decision will allow the Board of this Club and its management team to concentrate on Division 3A for the remainder of this season and to build towards restoring this Club’s level of participation in the Leinster Senior League for next season.

We most sincerely regret any inconvenience caused and thank all concerned for their kind assistance, advice and continued understanding on this matter.

Michael Merrigan
Chairman

04. November 2008

Review of Squads

At the next meeting of the Board which is scheduled for Monday 17th November, the recent problems in fielding full squads in both Division 3 and 3A will be considered by the Board. An investigation into the effectiveness of the current arrangements and structures will, no doubt, form a part of any review of the squads that may be ordered by the Board. Whilst, it is understood that a number of players are injured and indeed, a few others have been "poached" by other clubs, the remaining members of both squads have been sporadic in their commitment which is causing considerable difficulties for the managers. It will be with deep disappointment and regret that the the Board could be forced to reduce the squads in order to field an effective and strong team each week. But if this option is the only one available, the Board will have no choice but to advise the Leinster Senior League accordingly. However, in the run-up to the Board meeting on Monday 17th November, both managers will be expected to contact each member of their squad to ascertain their current commitment to the Club. This will allow the Board to review the position in the light of the information provided by the managers.

UP-DATING WEB-BLOG

The up-dating of the Club's web-blog has fallen somewhat behind schedule and therefore, match reports were missed, omitted or simply not filed by the Managers. Efforts to resolve this matter are currently in-hand and a marked improvement is earnestly anticipated. We can't allow the magnificent play, exceptional skill and tactics and, of course, spectacular goals scored by our players to go unreported any longer. Therefore, we require two match reporters, one home and the other away, to feed their exciting and eagerly awaited match reports to the webmaster to satisfy the hunger for news suffered by scores (or even, hundreds) of adoring fans. Anyone interested in becoming a match reporter, please contact Ian Kane or Jay Kane.

The "B" Squad Off to a Good Start

Ian Kane's "B" Squad playing in Division 3A was away to Clonee United on Saturday 23rd August 2008. The squad was in reasonable shape despite some notable absentees due to holidays. (Match Report to Follow). Final Score: Clonee United 0 : DLTFC 0

Bad Start of the Season for the "A" Squad"

The "A" Squad made its 2008/9 season debut in Division 3 against Laytown United away in the "Royal County" of Meath on Saturday 23rd August 2008. Already down vital players through injuries and holidays, Jay Kane, fielded a team that was far from match ready and very soon after kick off, the team's worst nightmare began to unfold. Readers can be spared the true awfulness of the occasion, suffice to say, with thirty minutes to the end of the match, a kind hearted referee put the lads out of their misery by sounding the full-time whistle. Never before in the history of the Club was such a disastrous performance delivered by "The Town". Final score: Laytown FC 10 : DLTFC 0. So along came Monday August 25th 2008 and a "surprise" fixture away to Whitechurch United with a kick off at 18.30hrs. There was some considerable confusion over this match as it was not listed on the Leinster Senior League website. Confirmation of the fixture only arrived late on Monday afternoon. The fielding of a team at such short notice had its inevitable consequences with lads unable to get off work early enough to play. The match went ahead with a much depleted squad on a pitch that was far from satisfactory. Final Score: Whitechurch United 7 : DLTFC 0. Well things can only get better lads!!!!

League Matches Cancelled - Sat. 16th August 2008

Rain, rain and more rain, followed by severe flooding left most of the public playing fields either under water or very soft indeed. Matches were cancelled throughout the agglomeration of Dublin and beyond on Saturday 16th August, so all hope for a much needed and long overdue improvement in the weather conditions to allow matches go ahead on Saturday 23rd August 2008.

New Season Starting Soon

The new Leinster Senior League season kicks off again on Saturday August 16th with our lads playing in two divisions 3 and 3A again this year. Jay Kane and Ian Kane, managers of the "A" and "B" squads respectively, are busy preparing the lads for the tough season ahead. A greater commitment is expected from each of the lads this year and therefore, training and fitness are of the utmost importance at this time. Tuesdays and Thursdays have been chosen for training sessions at Shanganagh Cliffs. Players are strongly urged to arrive on-time for the training sessions as a failure to do so may result in the offending players being dropped for games. The fixtures will be posted on this web-blog and on Monday nights in the "Evening Herald".

Long Tradition of Soccer in "The Town"

The lads of "The Town" are certainly following in the footsteps of a great footballing tradition in the town of Dún Laoghaire. A recently unearthed photograph of the British Railways staff football squad of nearly sixty years ago contains many of the grandfathers and great grandfathers of current and past players of Dún Laoghaire Town Football Club. Surprisingly in a wellknown publication about soccer in the Borough of Dún Laoghaire, British Railways FC didn't even receive a mention. British Railways (later known as Sealink) operated the mail-boat and later the ferry service between Dún Laoghaire and Caergybi (Holyhead) in North Wales. The photograph was taken on Sunday April 30th 1949 after the game between British Railways FC and St. Kevin's FC, in which, the gallant railway lads were between 4 : 1 by St. Kevin's FC. Pictured are from left to right: Back Row: M. Whelan, M. Cullen, S. Keane, M. McDonnell, M. Merrigan (23 yrs) and B. Smith; Front Row: M. Davit, J. Dwyer, F. Young, B. Kearns and J. Carden (?). In conclusion, this year marks the 90th anniversary of the sinking of the mail-boat RMS Leinster in October 1918 many locals lost the lives in this tragedy, indeed, quite a number of our current players have family connections to this disaster.

Ladies' Squad for 2008/9 Season

The decision by the Board of the Club at its June meeting to establish a Ladies' Team for the 2008/9 Season has been broadly welcomed as a step in the right direction for our Club. The Vice-Chairperson of the Club, Anne Traynor, (pictured right) has been appointed to the position of "Ladies' Squad Coordinator" to oversee the signing-up of the Squad and the appointment of a Manager and Deputy Manager. The Board had hoped that the positions of Manager and Deputy Manager of the Ladies' Squad would be filled from within the existing or former managerial and coaching personnel of the Club. However, this unfortunately now seems very unlikely and therefore, Anne will be examining a number of options in this regard. The Board, on advice, decided to initially recruit only persons aged eighteen years or over as members for the Ladies' Squad for the coming season. This position will be reviewed next year by the Board as and when more volunteers come forward to assist the Club's managerial team with this important and long overdue development in the Club.

Board Selects Managers for 2008/9 Season

At the Board meeting held on Monday 9th June 2008, the Managers for the "A" and "B" Squads were selected by the Board members by way of secret ballot, please see the explanation of the process below. The new Manager for the "A" Squad is Jay Kane (pictured right) who has chosen Dean McAfee as his Deputy Manager and for the "B" Squad the Board members selected Ian M. Kane who has chosen Abrahim Abdul-Wahid as his Deputy Manager on an interim basis depending on Abrahim's college commitments. Performance will be keenly monitored by the Board as major improvements are fully expected on the results achieved by both squads last season. Though, there were a number of factors involved, the commitment by both squads was far from consistent during the later half of the 2007/8 season and therefore, the Board is determined to push for considerable improvements all round in the coming year. Already many new players have signalled their intention of signing for "The Town" and indeed, quite a few of our former players are set to return to the fold. Voting Procedure: Each of the Board members present at the meeting, with the exception of the Chairperson, was entitled to vote. The Chairperson could only exercise a vote in the case of equity - "casting vote". Ballot Papers were distributed to each Board member by the Chairperson. There was no debate on the matter prior to the vote been taken. The Ballot Paper contained two questions, one regarding the position of the Manager of the "A" Squad and the second regarding the same for the "B" Squad. The names of the two existing managerial personnel for each squad were listed alphabetically and a further choice of "Neither" in each case was added. Therefore, each member of the Board was asked in this Secret Ballot to select a person to manage the "A" Squad and another to manage the "B" Squad, or if they so wished, they could indicate that they did not support any of the candidates on the Ballot Paper by ticking the "Neither" box. The reason for placing a "Neither" option on the Ballot Paper was to allow for the Board to be instructed to find other candidates for the either of the positions to be filled.

Preparing for the New Season

An informal training session in preparation for the new season will be held on Saturday 7th June 2008 at 13.00hrs at Shanganagh Cliffs. New players are always welcome as two teams will be entered into the Leinster Senior League for the 2008/2009 Season. Changes for the coming season include the abandonment of the separate training sessions for each squad as both will now be required to train together at Shanganagh and also it is planned to recruit more younger players between 16 and 18 years of age to be the backbone of the "B" Squad. The latter measure will allow the "B" Squad to act more effectively as a "feeder squad" for the "A" Squad which will compete in a higher league as before. All players will be required to sign for both the Club and the Leinster Senior League (http://www.lsl.ie/) and in signing for the Club, each player will receive a copy of the new Handbook and undertake to read it carefully. The Club's officers will also be available to clarify or explain any sections of the Handbook if requested. The management teams for each of the squads will be chosen at the Board meeting to be held on Monday 9th June 2008 in time for the first formal training session on the following Saturday. In the interim all enquiries regarding the training sessions should be directed to Ian M. Kane, Club Development Officer (pictured above) on 085 764 7900 or by e-mail on ian_m_kane@hotmail.com The Player Directors, listed in the panel to the right, represent the views of the player members at the meetings of the Board of Directors of the Club and therefore, these Player Directors always welcome suggestions from players aimed at improving the Club, its facilities or indeed, any aspect of the Club's activities.

LÁMHLEABHAR : HANDBOOK

The production and publication of the Members' Handbook for the Club is intended to facilitate a greater understanding of the Club, its structures and its functions amongst the Board members, members, players and others connected with the Club.

The first edition of the Members Handbook, published this month, contains the copies of the Club’s Strategic Development Plan, Standing Orders, Child Protection Policy, Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedure.

The text, below, of the Mission Statement of the Club clearly sets this Club apart from similar sporting organisations in the County of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown and indeed, the participatory nature of the decision making structures established within this Club allows for a real sense of ownership by all members, whether playing or non-playing.

Our Mission

“Through the universal love of football, provide an opportunity for integration and social inclusion amongst the young people from many backgrounds, religions and nationalities living in the Central Dún Laoghaire area and through, education and example, promote respect and tolerance for difference, encourage co-operation and unity of purpose and through, teamwork in sport develop lasting bonds of mutual support and friendship as each young person plays with commitment and pride for their own hometown”

From the establishment of the Club by Abrahim Abdul Wahid and Ian M. Kane back in 2002 and through the assistance received from Dún Laoghaire Community Association, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, An Garda Síochána and most recently, the Equal Transition Support Project, this Club has successfully executed each of its programmes aimed at integration, tackling anti-social behaviour and encouraging responsible and active citizenship.

The Club is continuing to roll-out programmes with these very important objectives and it is especially pleased to have been offered the possibility of doing so in the Shankill area following the allocation of a pitch at Shanganagh Cliffs to the Club by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. Indeed, many of our most promising players now come from the Shankill area providing, some would say, a much needed injection of new talent and skills in to our squads.

The success of this Club depends greatly on the dedication and commitment shown by our most important members, the players themselves – they will be the future owners of this Club and to this end our duty as Directors is to facilitate and guide the structured development of the Club on their behalf.

“The Town” is definitely a work in progress!!

Michael Merrigan
Chairperson
Dún Laoghaire Town Football Club Ltd

Nota Bene: At the May 26th meeting of the Board of the Club, it was agreed that each member of the Club, players and non-players, should receive a copy of the Handbook and sign for same giving the personal undertaking to read it carefully. Failure to adhere to this procedure will mean that a member has voluntarily resigned from the Club and therefore, cannot participate in any of the Club's activities. There are no exceptions as this decision covered each of the Board members also.

Leinster Senior League AGM

The Annual General Meeting of the Leinster Senior League will take place on Wednesday May 28th at 19.45hrs in the Teachers' Club, 36, Parnell Square, Dublin. It is anticipated that the Chairperson of the Club will lead this Club's delegation to the AGM.

New Board Elected

The new Board of the Club has been elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Club held on Monday 7th April 2008 in Park House, Library Road, Dún Laoghaire. Outgoing Chairperson, Michael Merrigan, was reelected for a further year as was Vice-Chairperson, Anne Traynor. Derek McAsey was elected Company / Club Secretary and will also hold the Financial Controller portfolio for the time being. Others elected were Ian M. Kane, Kevin Plunkett, Sighle L'Estrange, Lorie Kelly, James Kane, Robert Rogerson, John Paul Durkan, Noel Vaughan, Jonathon Corcoran and Denis Ryan. Anne Traynor will also hold the positions of Child Protection Liaison Officer and Registrar of Members. Luke Oliver Martin and Cllr. Cormac Devlin stepped down at the AGM. The Board will assign specific portfolios to the various directors at its meeting in May.

Winning End to the Season

In the "A" Squad's last game in Division 3 the lads finally found the winning touch which had seriously eluded them for weeks. Playing against Monksfield at home was certainly not going to be a repeat of our last encounter in October 2007 when we lost by six goals without reply. (MATCH REPORT TO FOLLOW) Final mscore: DLTFC 3 : Monksfield 2

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PADDY

A founding member of the Club, Patrick Kershaw, turned twenty-one on Thursday April 3rd 2008 and will celebrate this momentous achievement with a big bash at "The Wicked Wolf" in Blackrock on Saturday 5th April 2008. Paddy is most certainly one of the most outstanding and talented players that this Club had ever produced, solid and reliable in defence. Indeed, in the Club's Special 5th Anniversary Awards, Paddy received the "Best Player Award" at the celebrations held in McKenna's just before Christmas last. Choosing Paddy as a recipient for that Special Award, the Manager and the Club gave due recognition to Paddy's commitment and determination over, not only the previous season, but over the past five years since the foundation of the Club. On behalf of the Board and all the players, we wish Paddy all the best for his twenty-first and hope that all have a most enjoyable night at "The Wicked Wolf" on Saturday.

"Dún Laoghaire News"

The latest edition of the Dún Laoghaire Community Association's newsletter "Dún Laoghaire News" is now available at http://www.dun-laoghaire.com/dir/DunLaoghaireNews.pdf The newsletter has been delivered to households in the central Dún Laoghaire area and copies are also available at Costello Flowers, 1, Northumberland Avenue, Dún Laoghaire.

Third Match in the Wally Winn Cup (29.03.08)

We travelled to Walkinstown Park for our third match in the Wally Winn Cup on Saturday 29th March 2008 to meet Walkinstown United. Before the game it looked as if the skies were just about to open up and drown the pitch, indeed, one of the Walkinstown lads jokingly said that if they won the toss they should "play against the tide". He didn't have to worry as the rain held off for the entire match. The game was a tense and tough affair with both sides determined to progress in the Cup. The lads of "The Town" were certainly up for this game despite, once again, missing a number of our strong regular players. Twenty minutes into the first half produced few chances for either team as sold defences held firm. However, an unfortunate lapse of concentration in our midfield allowed Walkinstown to put away an easy goal - a lead they held right up to the break. At the break our Manager, Japo Kelly, encouraged the lads to keep up the pressure on the opposition and to take every chance available - be confident, he urged. At the restart the pep-talk seemed to hit home as the lads came out in great spirits and it showed in the quality of play. However, it wasn't long before the fitness levels of the two squads became a deciding factor as Walkinstown began to heavily pressure our defence. Our youngest players, Daniel Cruise, Gary Leonard and Nathan Jennings, all from Shanganagh, gave a great account of themselves against much stronger and taller opponents. Japo's decision to take off Nathan Jennings midway in the second half was, to say the least, a bit puzzling. Replacement Kevin Plunkett, despite his pace and determination, had a very tough game. The host's second goal was a shocking and embarrassing display of a combination of errors by our midfield, defence and goalkeeper. With two goals up, the Walkinstown lads sensed that it was all over but our forwards Jay Kane and Kevin Corcoran kept up the pressure. Alas easy chances were just not going our way - even with a near open goalmouth!!. But to be fair to the lads, the team played with determination and never gave up the fight. They came out of strong tackles, sometimes with very hard knocks, and continued to give it their all. Indeed, all the team members could and possibly should, be cited here as each and everyone deserves praise for their tenacity and hard work during this very tough match. Final score: Walkinstown United 2 : DLTFC 0 (pictured above, Jay Kane battles his way through stiff opposition)

"The Town" Joins the Campaign

The campaign launched by the Dún Laoghaire Community Association to have a memorial erected in the Town Centre of Dún Laoghaire to the eponymous founder of the "dún" (stone fortress) that gave its name to the Town is gathering support. The proposal for the erection of an iconic monument to Laoghaire who was High King of Ireland between 428AD and 461AD received the support of the County Council's Strategic Policy Committee on Culture, Community Development & Amenities and now the Community Association is intensifying its campaign. Pictured at the public launch of the campaign are (from left) Cllr. John Bailey, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council; Ian M. Kane, Director & Co-Founder of the Club; Stephanie Batt, Dún Laoghaire Tidy Towns Committee and Club Chairperson, Michael Merrigan. The momument behind is of that the Gaulish leader Vercingetorix in Alesia, France. The Community Association has suggested that an impressive, iconic monument such as a scaled version of that to Vercingetorix should be placed in our Town Centre. This Club which has as its emblem the Sacred Black Bull of High King Laoghaire would most certainly welcome such a monument. (click on photo to enlarge - photo by Ken Finlay)

Park Celtic 2 : DLTFC 1 (22.03.08)

Whilst the "B" Squad was been mauled in Ratoath, Co. Meath, it was quite another story back in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown on Saturday 22nd March 2008 as the "A" Squad faced local foe Park Celtic at Meadowvale. Park Celtic hoping to repeat their triumphal win over "The Town" at the beginning of the month came out in a buoyant mood brimming with confidence and sure of an easy win. Japo Kelly's lads were ready and Park Celtic were near shell shocked at the performance of the "A" Squad. Tight and effective defending, good solid passes and teamwork produced the goods as with only three minutes to go the teams were level with one goal a piece. The very talented young striker from Shankill, Dean Kelly (pictured above) once again doing the business for "The Town" with a remarkably executed and simply superb goal. But then, three minutes to the whistle, Park Celtic clenched the winning goal. Disappointed but proud of a solid performance, the lads of "The Town" must be congratulated for a job well done. Final score: Park Celtic 2 : DLTFC 1

A Right Royal Hammering

On Saturday 22nd March 2008 the "B" Squad travelled to the picturesque village of Ratoath in County Meath to meet Ratoath Harps in the final match of the season in Division 3A. It was a bitterly cold day with a cutting wind blowing right across this very exposed pitch. The ground itself was soggy to soft - understandably the host Club was very concerned about this pitch and had insisted that if there had been any rain overnight the match was certainly in doubt. Acting Manager, Ian M. Kane, fielded a team, most of whom, had never played together before. Many of the regular members of the "B" Squad were unavailable due to the holiday weekend - so Ian did his best. Well, as expected, we got a right royal hammering at the hands of the County Meath lads as the first half produced three mediocre wind assisted goals for the hosts. At the break, Ian implored his raggle-taggle bunch to pass the ball, push forward, hit everything forward and to pressure their goalmouth. Sounds familiar? Well it worked last week. The second half was a mirror image of the first and three more lackluster goals were added to the host's total before the referee put us all out of our misery by blowing the final whistle. Final score: Ratoath Harps 6 : DLTFC 0 (pictured above, Johnny Kelly and Joey O'Reilly - the picture says it all!!)

Mud Bath - But Great Match

On Saturday 15th March 2008, the "B" Squad was at home to Clonee United on what must have been the wettest, windiest and coldest days yet at Shanganagh Cliffs. Many members before the match speculated that the referee would call off the match, but thanks to the drainage system on the pitch, it was playable. Standing on the sideline was difficult enough and the playing conditions could only be described as muddy, slippery and soaking wet. But both teams were certainly up for the game as Acting Manager, Ian Kane, rallied the lads before the match with some words of encouragement and warning. The latter was a thinly veiled reference to yellow and red card instances in the recent past - any dissent, he said, and your off!! Ian fielded a relatively young squad the majority of which were smaller, lighter and much younger than any of the visitors. This difference between the squads was very evident as the visitors took an early control of the game with two fine goals before the break. At the break, Ian clearly was determined to claw back the game so he insisted that we push everything and everyone up to pressure their goalmouth. His tactic worked exceedingly well with a beautiful goal from young Nathan Jennings, (pictured above) followed by near miss after near miss, across the goalmouth, hitting the woodwork and going just over. The visitors were visibly rattled though, with their greater strength and experience they managed to hold on until the final whistle. After the match the visitors admitted that it was a very tough game and praised our lads for their vigorous come-back in the second half, unfortunately, with only one goal to show for all the effort. All in all, despite the appalling weather conditions, the lads themselves, muddied, blooded and soaking wet, all agreed that it was probably the best match of the season so far irrespective of the result. It was evidently as enjoyable to watch as to play. Certainly, a great game lads, well done. Final score: DLTFC 1 : Clonee United 2

Loughlinstown Leisure Centre

The Wednesday night block booking of the indoor training facility at Loughlinstown Leisure Centre has been cancelled following the acquisition by the Board of equipment that will permit training sessions to be undertaken at Shanganagh Cliffs. It is envisaged that these training sessions will commence next week. For further information please contact Ian Kane on 085 764 7900 or ian_m_kane@hotmail.com

Park Celtic win on St. David's Day

Saturday March 1st 2008 - St. David's Day for our Celtic cousins across the Irish Sea and without doubt the saintly Welshman certainly favoured the visitors, Park Celtic, at Shanganagh Cliffs this afternoon. The Division 3 match kicked-off at 14.30hrs in bright sunshine with hardly a breeze coming in from the sea. This suited the lads of the "A" Squad who opened the score barely minutes into the first half with a fine goal by young Nathan Jennings of Shankill. The visitors regained their composure and within ten minutes had equalised. But it wasn't long before the lads of "The Town" were back in fighting form attacking the Park Celtic goal with a passion unfortunately too rarely witnessed and it paid off with an excellent goal from yet another very talented young Shankill player, Dean Kelly. But, as luck will have it, the visitors with their more disciplined tactics and, it must be said, superb passing, quickly equalised leaving it 2 all at the break. The second half was certainly a different game altogether as the visitors vigorously and relentlessly pressured the home goal. They were certainly greatly aided by a strong to, at times, gale force wind coming in from the Irish Sea hampering and utterly frustrating our defenders. With the strong wind advantage, no doubt thanks to the saintly Welsh fan, the visitors all too easily put three further goals on the scoreboard. Final score: DLTFC 2 : Park Celtic 5 Note: the Division 3A match against Clonee for the "B" Squad was postponed as the home pitch was double-booked. (pictured above, Nathan Jennings is congratulated by his team-mates on the fine opening goal of the match)

Dressing Rooms Refurbished

The Dressing Rooms at Shanganagh Cliffs consist of a 12.20m converted box container which was "kitted-out" on a very temporary basis at the start of the season by Ross Rogerson and Joey O'Reilly in order that the Club could meet the requirements for entering the Leinster Senior League. This temporary job proved sufficient for most of the season, however, it was always the intention of the Board to have a more permanent refurbishment carried out at the end of the season. Following the obtaining of quotations from local carpenters in the Dún Laoghaire area, the Board decided to offer the job to Kevin Murdock, Carpentry & Building Services (Tel: 086 887 3716). With both squads rested over the weekend of the Galway Trip it was decided to avail of this opportunity to totally refurbish the container to provide new seating with under-seat storage areas in both dressing rooms, new storage rooms at either end of the container, new shelving and new strengthened glass for the windows in both the home and away dressing rooms. The completed works were inspected by members of the Board, including Mrs. Lori Kelly, (pictured above) on Saturday March 1st 2008 and all expressed considerable satisfaction with a job very well done indeed. The next phase of the refurbishment will involve a complete paint job - exterior and interior. Just before the arrival of the "A" Squad for the Division 3 game against Park Celtic, the Chairman posted the amended "Code of Conduct" (see bottom of web-blog) and a copy of the Club's Child Protection Policy on the notice board in the home dressing room. Copies of these documents will be made available in booklet form to all members, playing and non-playing, in the near future.

DÚN LAOGHAIRE to DÚN AONGHUSA

On Saturday 23rd February 2008, as part of the Club's TSP Programme, members of the "B" Squad visited the ancient fort of Dún Aonghusa on Inis Mór in the Aran Islands. This was certainly the highlight of the weekend trip which took in the sights of Galway City and the Aran Islands as an introduction to Irish culture, heritage and history. Accompanied by the Co-Founders of the Club, Abrahim Abdul-Wahid and Ian M. Kane, the party travelled by private coach from Dún Laoghaire on Friday 22nd February for Galway picking up three more of the "B" Squad in Dublin City on the way. Arriving in Galway City at 17.30hrs, after a brief stop in Moate for a late lunch, the lads soon settled into their accommodation at the Galway City Hostel before exploring the City itself. Traditional music venues were high on their agendas and most got a taste of the real "ceol agus craic" in and around Shop Street and Quay Street which included a bit of "sean nós" dancing. Next day it was off to the Aran Islands firstly by bus transfer to Ros a Mhíl and then by ferry to Cill Rónáin on Inis Mór. The 40 minute ferry ride over was described as "choppy" but most, though, naturally not all, were exhilarated by the experience of the high seas. On arrival we made our way for some light refreshments as the tour of the island was arranged. Our driver/guide, Noel MacMahon, then brought the group through the various sights of interest including, the Seven Churches, Seal Sanctuary, homes of famous islanders etc en route to Dún Aonghusa. As we arrived at the small hamlet at the base of the national monument heavy drizzle descended soaking us all as we climbed the meandering limestone pathway to the monument. Then, as if the old Celtic gods were pleased at our arrival, the sun broke through the clouds to reveal the true purpose for which our ancestors laboured to construct this monument. Standing in the centre of the "dún" and looking over the stone playform as the rays of the sun reached down to the surface of the Atlantic below, nobody was in any doubt of its ancient religious significance and all were in awe at the shear beauty of this magical place. Each of the lads seemed to seek out and capture their own private moment amidst the traquility and yet, the wild remoteness of this place. Hundreds of digital photographs taken we commenced our descent to the base only to pause outside the walls, alone and sometimes in small groups, attempting to capture and retain the moment. At the base more refreshments before heading back to Cill Rónáin for a few pints (and soft drinks) in a local to catch up on match results and to relax. Each of the group leaders practised their command of An Ghaeilge (Irish language) whilst ordering the much needed stimulant to face the expected bumpy ferry ride to the mainland. At 17.00hrs we departed Inis Mór and to our great surprise the journey back was quite smooth and very enjoyable. Landing once again in Ros a' Mhíl we boarded our coach to Galway City centre for another night of "ceol agus craic" and this time at An Púcán on Forster Street. On Sunday morning after breakfast we all tried to take in the last of the City sights before boarding the private coach at 15.00hrs for Dublin. With a brief stop at Athlone for a late lunch at Rayner's we arrived back in Dublin City at 19.36hrs - just as predicted by our coach driver Ian. Most of the party left the coach at O'Connell Bridge with the remainder dropped off in Dún Laoghaire around 20.05hrs. (pictured above, part of the group pose with the Dún Laoghaire flag overlooking the Atlantic in Dún Aonghusa on Inis Mór whilst the rest explored the monument)

"B" Squad in Cup Match : "A" Squad in Planet Love

Saturday 16th February 2008 was to see both squads in action, the "A" Squad in Division 3 away to Mount Tallant in Stannaway Park and the "B" Squad at home to Division leaders Malahide United in the Tom Watt Cup. However, on Saturday morning it transpired that about six players of the "A" Squad had contacted the manager to say that they had obtained tickets for "Planet Love" at Leopardstown, thankfully the League organisers and Mount Tallant were very understanding and permitted the Division 3 match to be postponed. The "B" Squad, under the management of Ian Kane and missing Jack Bwalya through the one match ban and without the star players Bruno de Carvalho and Tiziano Makanzu, fielded a team drawn from both squads to play Malahide. The match was a tense affair with both sides battling it hard and the halftime score of one all perfectly reflected the strengths of both teams. Our goal, the first in the game, came from the "B" Squad's striker, Johnson Goodwin. The pace quickened in the second half with some very hard tackles from both sides, but thankfully all in good sporting manner. A great loss to the lads was the injury to goalie Derek McAsey who had to hobble off to be replaced midway in the second half. The lads of "The Town" went briefly ahead with a fine goal from young Karl Smith. But not long after the visitors equalised as their greater strength and experience started to show in the last twenty minutes of the game and very soon the winning goal put Malahide through to the next round of the Tom Watt Cup. Final score: DLTFC 2 : Malahide 3

Second Win in the Wally Winn Cup

Match report to follow.

Trip to the Brazil Match

On Wednesday 6th February 2008 the Club, as part of its TSP integration programme, attended the International Friendly Match between the Republic of Ireland and Brazil. Twenty members braved the cold and later the driving rain to see this match from the heights of the Cusack Stand. Though, the match was a lacklustre affair with an underperforming Brazilian team barely battling it out with an Irish team that only displayed a few moments of flair, enthusiasm and determination. This match was only a little better than the last friendly encounter between these countries which produced a nil all draw. The final score was hardly a surprise with a one goal win for the visitors. The Club's intention in including visits to international matches as part of our TSP integration programme is clearly to expose the programme's participants to the Irish sporting culture, its expression of national solidarity and, of course, the inclusivity of the "New Ireland" especially in the arena of sport. The participants, from many countries (mainly in Africa), had a unique opportunity to join their Irish team-mates at this international match - all supporting "the lads in green" and to personally experience the wonderful stadium at Croke Park - the home of our national games. The group met at Connolly Station and walked the short distance to the cathedral of Gaelic games, Croke Park, experiencing all the buzz and the colour of the occasion right in amongst the fans from both countries en route to the game. Sitting high up in the Cusack Stand and right on the halfway line provided the group with an excellent view of the match and indeed, with the full panoramic view of the stadium. Though, the weather was cold and damp, this did not hamper in anyway whatsoever the participants' fullest enjoyment of this important and wonderful exposure to Irish sporting culture. The organisers are sincerely grateful to the TSP programme for providing the funding to enable this aspect of the Club's integration programme to be so very successful. The participants are now looking forward to the Galway Trip between February 22nd to 24th and indeed, to the next international game against Serbia.

Dún Laoghaire Town 1 : Blackforge FC 5

We've all heard of the well worn and often threadbare cliché that the scoreline didn't reflect the game, well in this case on Saturday 2nd February, a truer observation couldn't be made on this hard fought and immensely enjoyable game. Dún Laoghaire Town's "B" Squad was at home to Blackforge FC in the LSL Div. 3A. An early and arguably foolishly easy goal for the visitors threatened to totally disrupt the carefully constructed game-plan of acting Manager, Ian M. Kane, as the lads of the "B" Squad struggled to get back into the game. It seemed that Blackforge FC were taking the game to the lads of "The Town" and punishing them for each lack of concentration or sloppy passing. But as chances arrived for "The Town" luck seemed to desert the lads until Johnson Goodwin finally found the back of the net with an exceptionally executed goal. The first half ended with the score 3 : 1 to the visitors. The half-time instructions by the acting Manager seemed to have hit home as the lads came out in the second half certainly in better shape and with a determination that was sadly lacking in the earlier stages of the game. But just as the lads of "The Town" were putting their own stamp on the game injuries plagued the squad and tiredness due to the pace of this game began to take its toll. The introduction of substitutes Dean Kelly and Nathan Jennings midway in the second half unfortunately didn't produce the badly needed goals for "The Town" and the sending off of Jack Bwalya for retaliation didn't help at all. Certainly Blackforge FC found the second half a tougher match, however, they still were able to add to their tally. Despite the scoreline, it was generally agreed that Goalkeeper Derek McAsey had an outstanding and yet, very difficult and challenging game. Final score: DLTFC 1 : Blackforge FC 5. (Ref: Noel Kelly)

Seven Goals Without Reply

On Saturday 26th January 2006 "The Town" was at home to Mount Tallant in a match that went that was marked by chaotic defending, a midfield in disarray and a failure to capitalise on any chance. The game produced the worst ever result recorded by the "A" Squad in the Leinster Senior League to-date. With three goals conceded by half time, disagreement dogged the squad during the break with blame and counter blame filling the air. The second half opened with the loss of the very talented Thomas Downey dropped by the manager for misconduct. This air of despondency carried through for the first twenty minutes or so of the half before the lads of "The Town" finally found form - but alas, too little and way too late. Chances came one after another in the closing fifteen minutes of the game but luck clearly abandoned the lads as none could find the back of the Mount Tallant net. The visitors managed four further goals in the second half to inflict on "The Town" its greatest defeat ever. Final score: DLTFC 0 : Mount Tallant 7

"B" Squad Kick Off the New Year

On Saturday 19th January 2008 the "B" Squad kicked off the New Year with a home match against league leaders Malahide United. Weather conditions were simply appalling with constant rain making the going very tough on the pitch, but thankfully the excellent drainage system at Shanganagh Cliffs kept our pitch playable. The match started rather predictably with Malahide determined to press home their undoubted advantage of position, experience and, in someways, skill. Two early goals for the visitors seemed to invigorate the lads the "B" Squad under the direction of acting Manager, Ian M. Kane. They quickly found form and made the going very difficult for Malahide with a number of excellent chances on their goal. The second half opened with the lads of "The Town" refusing to allow the visitors an easy ride and despite another goal for the visitors, the lads kept up the pressure which finally paid off with a wonderfully executed goal from the "Most Improved Player of the Year" Johnson Goodwin (pictured right). Final score: DLTFC 1 : Malahide United 3 (Referee Robbie Kearns)