Portmarnock over-35s ended an incredible début season by completing a league and cup double last week.
The seasiders clinched the title with three games to spare and defeated Partrician Celtic on penalties to claim the Clifford Cup. John Courage puts his side's stunning first season down to the spirit of his players and the other people involved in the club.
"It's been the camaraderie, the spirit and the attitude of the people involved that has contributed to our success on the field rather than our ability. One criteria for joining this team is that we do it for the craic."
Portmarnock are a side packed with top-level experience. Six of the players represented Portmarnock against Longford Town in the FAI Senior Cup in 2001, while midfielder Gar Dunne played in the same schoolboy team as Pep Guardiola. Add in Dave Mooney's 50-odd Ireland caps at schoolboy and junior level and the quality of the squad is evident.
"These guys are winners," said Courage. "Once they cross that white line they want to win. There are five or six lads on that team who take it seriously but they all enjoy the banter too."
Portmarnock's league form speaks volumes as they only lost twice in 90 minutes over the course of the season and they could have won a treble had they overcome their closest rivals St. Kevin's in the Grimes Cup semi-final. Unfortunately, they lost on penalties. That semi-final defeat was the first of three games in five days that came to define Portmarnock's season.
The second game was the Clifford Cup final versus Partrician which finished 1-1 after 90 minutes and 5-4 on penalties to Portmarnock after a dramatic shoot-out. Mooney blazed the potentially decisive penalty over the bar, meaning it was down to Portmarnock goalkeeper Tommy Foran to win the cup.
Foran obliged, saving the spot-kick - only for the referee to demand it be retaken because the goalkeeper had moved before the ball was kicked. However, thankfully for Foran and Portmarnock, Partrician's second effort sailed over to send the cup to the coast. For Courage, victory in the Clifford Cup was the highlight of the season.
"The Clifford Cup is the holy grail of over-35s football because it incorporates all the Saturday and Sunday sides," he explained. "To win it in your first season? Not a chance. It's a remarkable achievement."
The last of the three games was against Ballsbridge to secure the league title. And, while they had three remaining league games to get the necessary points, they finished the job at the first attempt courtesy of goals from Keith Bolton and top scorer Anto Canavan.
Captain Peter Phillips, aged 58, picked up an Achilles' tendon injury against Ballsbridge and, for Courage, his reaction sums up the team's camaraderie and spirit.
"He was told they could operate immediately but he went 'nah, I'm goin' out to celebrate!'"
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