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19TH JULY 2015.UCD BOWL.

3PM.

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ContentsFrom the Dugout: Welcome to the Bowl; Collie O’Neill That Europe Feeling; Action ReplayUCD Team photoMeet the Opponents: Liverpool team todayGreetings from Liverpool: Liverpool Manager Michael BealeA LiverBirds Eye View; Cameron BrannaganA trip down memory lane: The last time they played Liverpool; The UCD Team of ‘95 The Ex-files:Packie LynchShay KellyThe Liverpool team of 1995:Interviews with John BarnesFootball QuotesAbout Liverpool FC The ClubA Sea of Red: The Irish in Liverpool Interviews with Ronnie WhelanCelebrity Status - The Celeb Liverpool fansAre you a true Kopite? Half time quizUCD Supporters Club - Flying the Flag Fixtures/ResultsTonights Teams!

Editorial: Editorial: Georgina Dwyer. Design: Patrick McKay, Advantage Point Promotions

Contributions: Josh Dolan, Declan Hughes, Conor McCarthy, Stephen Joyce, Ed Scannell, Liverpool FC. Thanks to: Ed Scannell Photography, Sportsfile, Inpho, Seamus Kelly, Patrick Lynch, Jason Sherlock, Tony McDonnell, John Barnes, Ronnie Whelan,

Credit to: UCD AFC, dangerhere.com, extratime.com goal.com, irish mirror, thisisanfield.com, liverpoolfc.com, 11v11.com, irishkop.com,

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I would like to welcome everyone to the UCD Bowl for tonight’s UEFA Europa League game against F91 Dudelange from Luxembourg. I would particularly like to welcome all the players, staff, and fans of F91 Dudelange.

This is a fantastic occasion for UCD, with it being fifteen years since we last competed in Europe, and will be our third European tie.

It was disappointing to concede an equaliser so late in Saturday night’s game against Cobh Ramblers, particularly after we had done brilliantly to hold onto our lead for so long despite playing the majority of the game with 10 men. Even though we were really disappointed with only getting the draw, come the end of the season, we might look back on that game and be thankful for the point we did pick up

F91 Dudelange are a quality side, having dominated the Luxembourg league in recent times, as well as picking up some great results in Europe, including knocking Red Bull Salzburg out of the UEFA Champion’s League in 2012. They will be confident of advancing, and we will need to be at our very best in both legs to have any chance of going through.

I would like to wish all our supporters travelling to Luxembourg for the second leg a safe trip and we look forward to having your support and hope that we will do you proud.

I hope that everyone enjoys the game.

Collie O’Neill

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As we read this, the students will have completed their first leg of the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League! That’s right, the second round! No one expected the Belfield Boys to get through the first leg and even when young Ryan Swan produced a wonder goal on what was an equally wonderful night at the Bowl, some felt that the moment would pass and the away leg in Luxembourg would be a different story!

Well a different story it is! The young UCD team now prepare for a most unexpected Europa League battle against Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava. It will be a different task but the same approach!

UCD AFC, not by choice, stay out of the spotlight in Irish media and sporting circles for most of the time but has featured across all media platforms this week not just at a national level but the likes of BBC Sport, Match of the Day, the Guadian and UEFA itself have been reporting on the Students. The club have made a lot of people sit up and take note! One of only two second-tier sides in Europe this season, with clubs like Red Star Belgrade and St Johnstone already gone

from the Europa League, College now enjoy a place in round two, with the promise of more to come.

BBC Sport commented that “as West Ham’s big earners eased into the second qualifying round of the Europa League, a group of students from Ireland matched that feat on a remarkable night in Luxembourg.”

Tweets, facebook comments and messages to the team and management following the win were once of absolute joy and support stating that the young team had proved them all wrong and silenced the so called critics.

“Tweets, facebook comments and messages following the win were once of absolute joy and support stating that the young team had proved them all wrong and silenced the so called critics.”

Action Replay The European Experience

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Again, few expected UCD to do well in Europe and in advance of the first leg at home in UCD, Manager Collie O’Neill put a collage of the criticisms by soccer critic Dermot Keely and other online comments about UCD on the dressing room wall. Keelys comments were particularly noted as he predicted a disaster for ironically, his former club. “I hope I’m wrong, but I think they’ll embarrass the league,” Keely wrote in his column in the Irish Sun.

UCD Defender Mark Langtry confirmed that the players were not frustrated by these comments but motivated by them. “We are aware of the stick that UCD get from all sides, so it was really nice to shut up some of the critics by getting through a round.”

Keely had a good-natured response to the fantastic win, explaining he would “put on a few pounds” from eating humble pie!

The game itself!1ST LEG; UCD BOWL 2ND JULY

The Students took a 1-0 lead going into the second leg of their Europa League First Qualifying Round courtesy of Ryan Swan’s crucial goal. The striker held his nerve to slide the ball past Dudelange goalkeeper Jonathan Joubert after Robbie Benson caught Jerry Prempeh in possession 25 yards out and found the forward with a cool reverse pass.

It was the least UCD deserved for a battling display that saw them frequently penned back deep in their own area by their bigger and stronger opponents. They could easily have added to their tally in the second half as Dylan Watts and Chris Mulhall were thwarted by crossbar and goalkeeper respectively.

The size and speed of the experienced professionals, who had six internationals on the Dudelange side made it difficult for UCD to sustain any kind of meaningful possession, but Jamie Doyle and Swan worked tirelessly to ease the load on a defence that was being pressurised without looking unduly troubled. In front of a packed out UCD Bowl and crowd in full voice, the clock ticked down, UCD weren’t to be denied and calmly emerged unlikely victors!

The trip to Luxembourg was an emotional rollercoaster. Ryan Swan struck again to give his side an early lead over F91 Dudelange at the Stade Jos Nosbaum and more importantly an away goal.

But soon after, on 28 minutes, left-back Sean Coyne was shown a straight red card and it spelled big trouble for UCD. Midfielder Dylan Watts was sacrificed as Maxim Kouogun came on in a rejigged back four.

Dudelange levelled on 43 minutes from Joel Pedro whose cracking left-foot drive from 20 yards found the top corner of the net.

Then, three minutes into added time, Dudelange were ahead on the night when Nakache headed home Da Mota’s long throw. But try as they might in the second half, the Luxembourgers could find no way past an inspired Niall Corbet in the Students’ goal.

The busy College keeper excelled with a brilliant stop with his feet from Ney who had been played in by Pedro.

Corbet was there yet again on 64 minutes with another save to turn Rosa Cruz’s low shot from distance round a post. Once more, ten minutes later, Corbet sprung to his right to palm away a drive from Pedro as UCD hung on until the final whistle.

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An amazing traveling crowd could barely watch as the 4th official raised 5 minutes injury time on the board but the students again showed courage, experience and maturity beyond their years and gallantly hung on to record arguably the biggest night in their history.

“I’m really, really proud of the bunch,” said manager Colin O’Neill. “It was going to be hard enough coming here to play with 11 men but to have to do it with ten is incredible. I said to the players at half-time that if we lose this and we don’t go through, don’t let that be because one of us hasn’t done our job or done what we were supposed to do.”

Although every player in the team played out of their skin in both legs, the goal scorer, Ryan Swan will be remembered for the tie.

Ryan Swan’s first-leg goal earned UCD a slender lead to take to Luxembourg. The 19-year-old, who’s father Derek registered twice in UEFA competition for Bohemian FC in the mid-90s, struck again in the return leg to equal his father’s continental tally and become, alongside Robert McAuley, UCD’s all-time UEFA top scorer with two goals.

“the students again showed courage, experience and maturity beyond their years and gallantly hung on to record arguably the biggest night in their history.”“He just smells it,” said Manager Collie O’Neill of his young forward. “He seems to be able to be in the right place at the right time and it was vital for us. I knew he’d get one or two chances and if he finished one, we’d see this tie out. Scoring first really put the cat among the pigeons – you could see they were down.”

Never a Dull Moment!With a fairy tale story to accompany the huge win, Manager Collie O’Neill arrived in Luxembourg just hours before kick off. As the team left for Dublin, O’Neill made a dash to the Coombe maternity hospital to his wife where they welcomed into the world their third child at 5.40am.

Next UpThe team and management are very aware that it’s a big ask to take on Slovan, a club who made the group stages of the Europa League twice in recent seasons but as history has told, ŠK Slovan Bratislava should not underestimate this young side and should expect an uncomfortable night as they take on College in the next round.

“No one expects us to win. But no one expected us to beat Dudelange, so nothing changes for it’s the same approach and the same self-belief because there’s no pressure on us, the only pressure is from within and we will give it our best effort over the next two legs.” said defender Mark Langtry

“...hopefully this is not the peak, we certainly hope there is more to come.”

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Ryan Swan has told UCD’s Twitter tormentors that his first goal in Europe was the perfect answer to their dismissals. Stung by the criticism he observed on the social media site after the First Division club qualified for the Europa League via UEFA’s Fair Play League initiative, College boss Collie O’Neill decided to use it to his advantage.

So when the players arrived into the Belfield Bowl’s home dressing-room ahead of their clash with F91 Dudelange on Thursday evening, they stopped dead in their tracks. O’Neill had plastered the walls with posters of the twitter criticism and the players took time to read what have been written. “I didn’t need to give a team talk,” admitted O’Neill.

Although they rode their luck of numerous occasions, UCD pulled off their first win in Europe at the fifth time of asking and in their first attempt in 14 years. And they managed that feat despite playing in the SSE Airtricity League’s second tier and with a young, mostly inexperienced side.

“It’s funny, we’re the only team that won from Ireland in the Europa League,” said Swan, whose poacher’s effort just before the half-time break earned the victory. That’s all them tweets answered.”

Swan, 19, revealed that the players were fired up when they read the posters. “It’s judging a book by its cover,” he protested. “It’s judging us before they see us play.

“We proved them wrong - we wanted to prove those people wrong. We showed them. We were relegated last year but we want to get back into the top division. If we are back next season, we’ll be thrilled.”

Among almost 1,100 delighted supporters watching history in the making was Derek Swan, the ex-League marksman who was a cult hero at Bohemians. Swan senior also scored goals in Europe - in the Intertoto Cup and in the UEFA Cup.

But his son, who joined UCD from Bray Wanderers’s under-19s in the close season having played schoolboy and senior football with Tolka Rovers, admits that sometimes he tires of the obvious comparisons that people make.

“I want to make my own name,” he said. “So doing that, scoring goals on the big occasion that will help. But he was delighted to see me scoring. Before the game he said to keep the head and when the chance comes, take it.”

“I do briefly remember him playing. I’ve seen videos as well. He was at Belfield in 2000, scored a couple of league goals to keep them (Bohemians) up.”

Of course UCD only have half the job done and given the goal threat Dudelange possessed in the first half, it will be a tough assignment to finish it. It was probably the hardest game of my career,” remarked Swan, who is currently doing the FAI FAS course in Cabra.

“We had to put in a lot of hard work just to stop them, but thank God we did it. I don’t think it will be totally different but it’s going to be as hard. We’re going to have to dig deep and try and grind out another result.

“But we broke well on the counter, we knew that’s what we had to do, and they left a lot of space.

“Chris Mulhall and Dylan Watts both hit the bar. We like to get the ball down and play. I thought that would suit us in Europe, and it did.”

RYAN Swan Goalscorer

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A5-SS-July2015-2.indd 1 15/07/2015 10:47

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Hello and welcome on behalf of myself and the Liverpool Academy team to our tour of the Republic of Ireland.It’s fantastic to be back in Ireland and a real privilege to be able to represent this great football Club and see so many of our fantastic supporters.

The warm welcome we received during our last visit was truly heartening and left me and the Club with a lasting impression.

It is my hope that this tour, in the summer of 2015, will leave as many special memories, as we prepare for the new season ahead.

We had a good week of training after our break and the lads are happy to be back on the field again playing competitively.

We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, as a group, as we look to improve upon our performances and results from last season.

These tours are fantastic for the Academy because we are able to get the players away together in lovely surroundings, and it also provides us with a chance to try new things out in training and during the games.

Liverpool has a great following in Ireland and throughout the world, as we know, so it is great to be able to play in these friendly games.

In our squad we have Alex O’Hanlon who is Irish and very much looking forward to playing in his home country alongside his fellow teammates who are also excited to be playing in front of our Irish supporters.

I am sure that this tour will provide Liverpool supporters with a chance to watch some potential stars of the future who can hopefully follow the likes of Jon Flanagan and Jordan Rossiter in achieving first team status.

Thank you for taking the time to come and see us on this tour as I know that the players involved really appreciate your continued support.

You’ll Never Walk Alone

Michael.

Greetings from Liverpool

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Cameron Brannagan, is an 19-year-old academy prospect and Liverpool starlet who has been named on the Reds bench on a number of occasions. Cameron Brannagan is a Salford-born who, whisper is quietly, is from a massive Manchester United supporting family.

Despite his Red Devil roots he has been on the books on Merseyside since the age of seven and has progressed through the system in impressive fashion. He played in the Liverpool All Stars charity match alongside the likes of Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Luis Suarez, Xabi Alonso and Thierry Henry at Anfield in March.

It gave him a taste of the big time and he’s hungry for more.

Where does he play?

As an attacking midfielder although not especially as a number 10 behind the striker, he is a very balanced runner. Brannagan is comfortable with both feet and thrives in pockets of space where he can use his fine range of passing.

While midfield projects to be his best position going forward Brannagan has shown versatility too, having previously being employed at right-back in the club academy.

Brannagan is seen as one of the brightest prospects to come through the Reds’ academy in years.

Comparisons have been made to Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere thanks to his touch and technique, but obviously young Brannagan’s career is still very much in the development phase. Brannagan was included in the Liverpool squad for the Europa League tie with Besiktas in Turkey, where he was named at the bench at the Ataturk Stadium in February 2015 and was named as a senior substitute a further four times before the conclusion of the campaign.

Brendan Rodgers has proved his willingness to put his faith in youth and the teenager is relishing working with the Northern Irishman. You can expect Rodgers to bring him more and more into the first-team fold next season!

UCD’s Conor McCarthy spoke to Cameron about coming up through the Red ranks of Anfield and playing here today in the Bowl!

CMcC: Having played for Liverpool since you were 7 and progressed through the ranks, you must be delighted with your continued progress?

CB: Yes I am really happy with my progress at the Club. I’ve learnt and developed so much during my time here, which is something I’m keen to continue

CMcC: How have you found your time in the Academy?

CB: It’s been fantastic, I’m really settled and happy at the Academy. It’s a great environment to work in and be a part of.

CMcC: As you may know UCD are currently involved in the Europa League and are playing SK Slovan Bratislava in the second qualifying round. You were part of the Liverpool squad

A Liver Birds Eye View

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that travelled to Turkey to face Besiktas in the competition in February. How did you find that experience?

CB: It was such a fantastic experience and one which I took a lot from. It’s definitely a great incentive to continue to work hard and prove yourself.

CMcC: Have you ever been to Ireland before?

CB: Yes I was a part of the Club’s previous pre-season tour of Ireland in 2011 and really enjoyed it.

CMcC: Liverpool as you mentioned, toured Ireland in 2011. Where do you see you see yourself in four years?

CB: That’s difficult to predict but I just hope that I am still continuing to progress well and enjoying the game as much as I am now.

CMcC: What are your aims for this season?

CB:To keep my focus and work and train as hard as I can.

CMcC: As you may know, we have one of the youngest squads in Europe, with some players dreaming of the chance of playing in England. What do you think is the biggest challenge for a young player trying to make their break through into the first team?

CB: Competition. It’s obviously very competitive so it’s about proving yourself and demonstrating that you can perform at the highest level.

CMcC: Who is the best player you have ever played with or against?

CB: Playing with Steven Gerrard. He’s always been a big inspiration.

CMcC: Pre-season is always a tough time for every player. How is it going so far for you?

CB: It’s going really well. I’m enjoying the training and being in Ireland again with the team.

CMcC: A common debate that arises amongst our players is who is better, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Who would you prefer to have in your team?

CB: They’re both unbelievable player but I’d have to say Cristiano Ronaldo.

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NEW from Stadium Tours

Stadium Viewing Tour: routes and availability are subject to change depending on the Main Stand expansion work. The Stadium Viewing Tour does not include the press room, dressing rooms, This is Anfield sign, tunnel and dug out. Unfortunately due to the building work, we are unable to offer full access of the tour route to wheelchair users. Please contact us in advance of booking to discuss accessibility plans during this time.

Hear about the exciting Main Stand expansion, celebrate our wonder years with your tour guide, then visit The Steven Gerrard Collection to

see the former captain’s footballing memorabilia.Plus, visit the Boot Room Sports Cafe.

Book Now liverpoolfc.com/tours or call 0151 260 6677

STADIUMVIEWING TOURAND THESTEVEN GERRARDCOLLECTION

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NEW from Stadium Tours

Stadium Viewing Tour: routes and availability are subject to change depending on the Main Stand expansion work. The Stadium Viewing Tour does not include the press room, dressing rooms, This is Anfield sign, tunnel and dug out. Unfortunately due to the building work, we are unable to offer full access of the tour route to wheelchair users. Please contact us in advance of booking to discuss accessibility plans during this time.

Hear about the exciting Main Stand expansion, celebrate our wonder years with your tour guide, then visit The Steven Gerrard Collection to

see the former captain’s footballing memorabilia.Plus, visit the Boot Room Sports Cafe.

Book Now liverpoolfc.com/tours or call 0151 260 6677

STADIUMVIEWING TOURAND THESTEVEN GERRARDCOLLECTION

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experience, from as little as £106 (+VAT).

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The crest of Liverpool Football Club is known worldwide. One may wonder how it came into existence and developed through time to become what it is today. A Liverpool crest of some kind is first mentioned by reported Field Sport on 19 September 1892 in Liverpool’s inaugural season. “A new man - beg pardon, a flag - floated on the old staff, bearing the letters, L.F.A. surmounted with the liver. Right proudly did it wave over the field of battle and seemed to beam on its patrons with a hopeful smile.“ 

The club crest is based upon the city’s coat of arms where the Liverbird is prominent. The Liver bird is a subject in itself, and is essential to the crest’s history.

The arms were granted in 1797 and show a cormorant with a piece of seaweed in its beak. The cormorant also appears on the crest. The supporters are a Triton and Neptune, the God of the sea. They hold banners with the cormorant and a ship. The arms shows the importance of the sea to the city of Liverpool.  The cormorant is often referred to as the Liver Bird, and is used widely in the city. Liverpool was founded in 1207 by King John. He needed a new port to ship his troops to Ireland and to control the Irish Sea. The new town adopted King John’s seal as its own. The seal showed the eagle of St John holding a sprig of broom in its beak. The broom, or planta genista was the symbol of the royal house of the Plantagenets. 

In 1644 the seal was lost and a new seal was made. For some strange reason the eagle was replaced by a cormorant, a more familiar bird in the area. It is likely that the artist mistook the eagle for a cormorant. The piece of broom was replaced by a piece of seaweed. The cormorant became later known as a mythical liver bird.  The ‘break’ that WWII imposed upon the official league programme of fixtures, from 1939-1946, seems also to have been when the club crest first changed. It seems that the City Council either refused to give continued permission for the city’s crest to be used or perhaps permission may have never been given in the first place.

In 1961, The Liverpool Echo reported that Liverpool City Council had turned down a request from Liverpool FC to use the city’s Coat of Arms as its club crest. It was turned down by the “Finance and General Purposes Committee” before the decision was confirmed at a full Council meeting. The Club directors were reported to be “surprised and disappointed” at not being allowed to follow the likes of Newcastle United (amongst others), who wore the “coat of arms of their municipality.” The board felt that the club could do more for the city by wearing the Coat of Arms in games in England and abroad. The club crest became something other than the city’s crest, with a life and development very much of its own.

An end to the apparent division between shirt and merchandise crests started to come about in 1987, when the shirt crest was altered to match the merchandise, and ushered in the

The Liverbird and You’ll Never Walk aloneThe story of the Liverpool FC crest

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beginning of a more co-ordinated approach in the use of the club crest. This shirt crest still retains the Liver bird look that seems to have evolved over time on our shirts, probably because of the nature of embroidery. The current Liver bird appears to have come about as a ‘merger’ between the printed or merchandised versions, and the appearance that a stitched or embossed design on the team shirts gave.  When the crest was significantly altered for the 1992-93 season, to mark the club’s centenary, this historic and symbol-ridden change led to a 1993 post-centenary version, with more symbolic changes, before the crest was changed to the current crest, c1999.

“You’ll Never Walk Alone” You’ll Never Walk Alone is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel. 

The song’s most successful cover was released in 1963 by the Liverpudlian Merseybeat group Gerry and the Pacemakers, peaking at number one in the singles chart for four consecutive weeks. What a song!!

There is much discussion between Liverpool and Celtic fans about which group of fans

first adopted the song as their own, but it is widely accepted that The Kop were the first group of fans to perform it on the terraces thanks to the local connection with Gerry and the Pacemakers, and according to former player Tommy Smith, lead vocalist Gerry Marsden presented Liverpool manager Bill Shankly with a recording of his forthcoming cover single during a pre-season coach trip in the summer of 1963. “Shanks was in awe of what he heard. ... Football writers from the local newspapers were travelling with our party and, thirsty for a story of any kind between games, filed copy back to their editors to the effect that we had adopted Gerry Marsden’s forthcoming single as the club song.”

The squad was subsequently invited to perform the track with the band on The Ed Sullivan Show and Shankly later picked the song as his eighth and final selection for Desert Island Discs on the eve of the 1965 FA Cup Final.

The song quickly became the anthem of Liverpool and is invariably sung by its supporters moments before the start of each home game.

The words “You’ll Never Walk Alone” also feature in the club crest and on the Shankly Gate entrance to Anfield, the home stadium.

The song was later adopted by Scottish team Celtic and is now sung by their fans prior

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to every home European tie. The song has also been adopted by Dutch teams Feyenoord, FC Twente and SC Cambuur, Germany’s Borussia Dortmund, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, Mainz 05, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Alemannia Aachen, FC St Pauli, Belgium’s Club Brugge, SV Darmstadt 98, Eintracht Braunschweig, Japan’s F.C. Tokyo,Spain’s CD Lugo and the Marist St. Pats MSP 80/80 Blues. In Ice Hockey, the song has been adopted by German Deutsche Eishockey Liga side Krefeld Pinguine and Croatian Medveščak Zagreb.

A special recording of the song was made in solidarity with Bradford City following the Valley Parade fire in 1985, when 56 spectators died and many more were seriously injured. The song was performed by The Crowd, featuring Gerry Marsden and Paul McCartney, among others.

Some years later, after witnessing a rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at Anfield in 2007, the President of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco, said he felt inspired to seek lyrics to his country’s wordless national anthem, the Marcha Real, ahead of Madrid’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

A documentary aptly named “Walk On” was aired on BT Sport, charting the history and significance of football anthem.

Liverpool legends Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher all appear in the film to share their experiences of the anthem.

Gerrard and Dalglish both believed “You’ll Never Walk Alone” has carried extra significance to Liverpool fans in the wake of the Hillsborough tragedy. “As well as being a footballing song, it also filled a huge void for people who lost somebody at Hillsborough,” said Dalglish.

“It was emotive for many reasons, footballing was one of them, but not the most important one.”

It’s also said by Gerrard to have provided the inspiration for that famous Champions League final comeback in 2005.

“You’re three nil down you think your dream is in tatters, you’re waiting for the half time whistle, waiting for a chorus of boos, you’ve let them down, you’ve let yourself down,” said Gerard

“You’ve been totally played off the park for 45 minutes. And then you hear the chorus of You’ll never walk Alone, probably the loudest and most emotional rendition I’ve ever heard as a player.”

When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high And don’t be afraid of the dark At the end of the storm, there’s a golden sky And the sweet, silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind Walk on through the rain Though your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on, walk on With hope in your heart And you’ll never walk alone You’ll never walk alone

Walk on, walk on With hope in your heart And you’ll never walk alone You’ll never walk alone

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Seamus Kelly

Eamon McLoughlin

Jonathon Treacy

Terry Palmer

Conor Timmons

Jason Colwell

Ciaran Kavanagh

Patrick Lynch

Jason Sherlock

Michael O’Byrne

James Keddy

Declan Fitzgerald

Robert Keogh

Darren O’Brien

Andy Myler

Danny Horan

Jimmy Donnelly

Robert Griffin

Tony McDonnell

Michael O’Keeffe

Joseph Lynch

David Dunnion

Coach: Theo Dunne Trainer: Dick Shakespeare General Manager: Tony O’Neill Equipment Manager: George Casey Athletic Therapist: James O’Toole

UCD Squad of 1995

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He made his League debut alongside five other debutants in Longford Town’s old ground at Abbeycartron in October of that year in a 2-0 away win....The others included Ciaran Kavanagh, Ultan McCabe, and Robert Griffin. The team had just been relegated from the Premier Division. Little did any of us know how long it would take to get back there.

UCD won the First Division Shield in Packie’s second season at the club 1991/92 and came agonisingly close to promotion in 1992/93 and 1993/94. The team in 1994/95, UCD’s Centenary season, was fantastic winning 20 of the 27 League games down to be played and conceding only 12 league goals scoring 56. UCD played a 5-3-2 system using wing backs. Packie was the sweeper and marshalled the defence as well as pushing on into midfield when the team was on the attack. UCD also added the Leinster Senior Cup and another First Division Shield to the haul of trophies that year.

DH : You were on the field of play twice in Lansdowne Road in 1995. Once at half time in the FAI Cup Final to receive the First Division trophy as captain of UCD what did that feel like ?

PL: Receiving the 1st Division trophy was personally very fulfilling but also a justifiable reward for all the hard work the players . Tony and Theo had put in over the course of the previous 4-5 seasons when we had come close to promotion. Most of the playing group came together in 1990/91 and 1991/92 following the club’s relegation from the Premier Division in the 1989/90 season. Whilst we had League of Ireland Shield and Leinster Senior Cup titles, winning the First Division in such emphatic fashion resulted in a well deserved return to the top flight of Irish football.

“winning the First Division in such emphatic fashion resulted in a well deserved return to the top flight of Irish football.”DH : The second time obviously was to play against Liverpool. There were over 23,500 at the game unfortunately there were 23,000 to see Liverpool how did the UCD players feel about that?

IN CONVERSATION

Patrick LynchPatrick, better known as Packie Lynch joined UCD on a soccer scholarship in the summer of 1990. We caught up with him recently and asked him to reflect back on that season 20 years ago which culminated in the friendly game at Lansdowne Road in front of 23,000 plus spectators.

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PL: If truth be most of the UCD starting XI and substitutes that day were all Liverpool fans too, me included, so as players we were there to enjoy the occasion and above all else go out and express ourselves. It was a brilliant occasion and one I’ll always remember.

DH: As a Liverpool Fan it must have been a huge thrill to score that goal against them, and your celebration scored it. To be fair I doubt you scored a better goal in your career ... would you agree?

PL:I played my schoolboy football with St Joseph’s Boys FC in Sallynoggin. I was capped for Ireland at Schoolboy international level and when I was 15 years of age, current Director of Football at UCD FC, Pat Devlin , who was then a Liverpool scout, sent me to Liverpool on trial. Little did I know 8 years later I would be playing for UCD against Liverpool and fellow trialists like Dominic Matteo, Steve Harkness, Jamie Redknapp and Robbie Fowler at Lansdowne Road. The same Liverpool side had beaten Blackburn Rovers at Anfield the preceding Saturday 2-1, but Blackburn Rovers still won the Premier League title as Man United were held 1-1 by West Ham at Upton Park. We went a goal down to a Robbie Fowler strike off a Mark Walters cross very early on. Mid-way through the first half Jason Sherlock was fouled about 25 yards out from the North Terrace (Havelock Square End). I took the free kick and bent the ball around the wall and just knew the minute I hit it David James was not going to reach it. Luckily for me the ball went past his outstretched left hand and went in off the butt of the post. Cue unbridled joy and my shirt went AWOL too. Ti this day I am not sure if legendary League of Ireland referee Pat Kelly ( father of FIFA Ref Alan Kelly) booked me or not. We eventually lost 3-1 with Redknapp and Fowler scoring Liverpool’s 2nd and 3rd goals. I still have Fowler’s shirt to this day. A treasured memento of the great occasion.

DH: You won three medals in that Centenary season 1994/95. How much did that mean to the club looking back on it with the benefit of hindsight?

PL: The three medals we won that season were fantastic. The highlight was probably Terry Palmer’s winning solo goal ( a mazy dribble from the half way line ) in the Leinster Senior

Cup Final against Dundalk in Richmond Park. Great memories , great players , great team, many of whom went on to win Premier Division and FAI Cup winner’s medals at other League of Ireland club’s including myself. Oh what might have been....

DH: You’ve played in Europe with St. Patrick’s Athletic , and played against Liverpool at what we now call the Aviva. What advice would you give to the UCD lads taking on Liverpool on Sunday?

PL : My advice to the players ... Keep your shirt on! Honestly enjoy the game, play with no fear and express yourselves. As Mick Meagan used to say to us “ do what you do well, and do it often!”

My advice to the players ... Keep your shirt on! Honestly enjoy the game, play with no fear and express yourselves.

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Seamus hailed from Mucklagh, near Tullamore in County Offaly. His first brush with the League of Ireland came when he played for Shelbourne in the League of Ireland B Division, while repeating his Leaving Cert at Coláiste Dhulaigh on Dublin’s Northside. When he re-sat his Leaving Certificate he got enough points to enter UCD and study Commerce and he went on to do two masters and a PhD.

He was awarded a scholarship in the summer of 1993. He made his league debut at Buckley Park in 3-2 defeat by Kilkenny City and was the first choice keeper for the next five years. Like Packie Lynch he was an integral part of the 1994/95 Centenary season treble winning team and had an outstanding league campaign only conceding 12 goals in his 25 League outings that year. He went on to play 150 League games for the students in total over the next few seasons and only missed two League games before moving to Cardiff City in 1998. After two seasons at Ninian Park having made 13 League Appearances , he returned to Ireland where he played for St. Patrick’s Athletic, Bohemians and Longford Town. His career was brought to a premature end by a back problem. He spent a couple of seasons coaching goalkeepers at Shelbourne before concentrating on his lecturing career. He took up a permanent appointment at UCD three years ago after a few years at DIT.

DH: Growing up in a GAA stronghold like Offaly, you probably never imagined yourself playing in the League of Ireland or indeed cross channel,

or was that the target all along?

SK: That’s fairly right yeah, I wouldn’t have imagined it. There was very little soccer where I grew up. I had a spell with Tullamore Town but that was in my late teens .

DH: How pivotal in your soccer career was getting into UCD in the first place?

SK: Crucial, if I didn’t get a soccer scholarship I probably wouldn’t have played soccer in the League of Ireland. The Doc gave me that opportunity , I don’t think I would have got that chance anywhere else.

DH : You won three medals in that Centenary season 1994/95. How much did that mean to the club looking back on it with the benefit of hindsight?

SK: I think it was massive for the club, but I don’t think we were aware of it at the time. We were a group of young fellows that clicked and got on with one another. The Doc had expectations, we never knew when we were doing well or not. He’d let you know if you weren’t doing well. Some managers these days put an arm around you when you’re doing well , the Doc wasn’t like that. If you didn’t reach Doc’s expectations for you, you simply didn’t play.

DH: What are your particular memories of the last time UCD played Liverpool in May 1995 at Lansdowne Road?

SK: Walking out in front of the crowd was quite impressive. Conor Timmons did a tackle on Steve McManaman, and Terry Palmer said to

IN CONVERSATION

SEAMUS KELLYDeclan Hughes caught up with Shay recently to ask him what he remembered of that ‘95 season and the friendly at Lansdowne Road.

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me, “Oh Shit, tell him it’s not a competitive game, “ but to Conor it wasn’t a friendly. Personally making a save to deny Robbie Fowler his hat-trick and seeing the family afterwards was a real highlight. We were caught up in getting ready for the match and missed out on the excitement somewhat. My family on the other hand......

DH: In the 1994/95 season on your way to winning three trophies with UCD , you and your defence were outstanding , only conceding 12 goals in your 25 League Appearances. Was that UCD team the best you ever played in?

SK: Quite simply, it was one of the best teams I ever played in. Terry Palmer, Conor Timmons, Packie Lynch, Jonny Treacy, Eamon McLoughlin, James Keddy, Ciaran Kavanagh , Darren O’Brien , Mick O’Byrne and Jason Sherlock. We used to go on holidays together as a group. We just got on very well.

DH: Having been a student at UCD and having played for the soccer team, does working in UCD feel a bit more special than any of your previous employment positions?

SK: It does yeah. I’ve a strong affinity with the place, been coming here since 1993, as a student, as a player and as a lecturer. It’s only when you mention it like that, I’ve been here a long time. It’s a special place. I’ve played with professional teams , you have a group of individuals who are highly educated and dedicated. Other soccer team dressing rooms I’ve been in are completely different. About 95% of the players I played with at UCD have done really well in business. I still have the letter the Doc wrote to me , informing me I’d been awarded the scholarship. That’s up on the wall in my office.

Even when I played for Cardiff I looked out for the result. And I know it sounds bad but when I played for St. Pat’s, Bohs or Longford , losing to UCD wasn’t as bad as losing to other teams. I’ve been a fan ever since I played for the club.

Dressing rooms are ruthless and cut throat at a lot of other teams especially among the professional clubs. I’ve more friends who I played with at UCD than all the other clubs I played for combined.

“Personally making a save to deny Robbie Fowler his hat-trick and seeing the family afterwards was a real highlight.”

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The Liverpool team of 1995 was one of tremendous talent and one that went one to achieve success at all levels. The players collectively had endless international caps between them and experience that was always going to be an intimidating yet exciting venture for the UCD team that day. Looking back the players I’m sure were somewhat a little star stuck as there were Liverpool supporters among the UCD camp and they watched week in week out their favourite team, whom they were now playing against, in the English premiership, FA Cup, Champions League etc.

The 1994-95 season was Liverpool’s 103rd season of football since they were established. It was their first full season under the management of Roy Evans, who had succeeded Graeme Souness halfway through 1993-94.

The season saw Liverpool win the League Cup for a record fifth time, beating Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in the final at Wembley with two goals from Steve McManaman. They improved on last season’s eighth place finish to reach fourth place in the final table, their best final position in four years, although they never really looked like serious title contenders. Liverpool therefor sealed their return to European Football by finishing fourth also won the League Cup. Robbie Fowler improved on his goalscoring record from the previous season, finishing as Liverpool’s top goalscorer with 31 goals.

The team on the day was: James, Thomas, Babb, Harkness, Matteo, Walters, McManaman, Kennedy, Redknapp, Clough, Fowler. Unused subs: Warner (gk), Thompson.

Goalkeeper David James made his Liverpool debut on 16 August 1992 in a 0–1 league defeat to Nottingham Forest. After conceding twenty goals in eleven matches in the first half of the 1993–94, he was dropped in favour of veteran Bruce Grobbelaar, but was recalled to the starting line-up and kept his first clean sheet of the season in a 1–0 away win over Arsenal on 31 January 1993, which included a penalty save. He also received a runners-up medal in 1996 in the FA Cup while being on the losing side against Manchester United.

James rose to fame together with Liverpool teammates Steve McManaman, Jamie Redknapp, and Robbie Fowler, who were nicknamed the “Spice Boys” – an epithet named after the Spice Girls that was used by those who alleged the Liverpool team of the 1990s were more focused on partying than winning games. James’ frequent blunders earned him the nickname Calamity James. He put down his spate of errors to an overindulgence in playing computer games that in turn affected his concentration. Despite winning the 1995

Liverpool team of ‘95

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Football League Cup, James’ hold on the starting position was put in jeopardy with the acquisition of Brad Friedel. On 23 June 1999, after 277 games for Liverpool, he was sold to Aston Villa for £1.8m.

James rose to fame together with Liverpool teammates Steve McManaman, Jamie Redknapp, and Robbie Fowler, who were nicknamed the “Spice Boys”Irelands Phil Babb came to Liverpool on 1 September 1994 for £3.6million, which made him the most expensive defender in Britain at the time. Babb won the Coca Cola Cup with Liverpool in 1995 and became an FA Cup runner up the next year but only scored once during six Premier League years at Liverpool and 170 appearances in all competitions for the club. He also played in Portugal for Sporting Clube de Portugal and in the Football League for Bradford City and Tranmere Rovers.

Michael Thomas made his Liverpool debut two days after signing, on 18 December 1991.Thomas scored his first goal for the Reds on 18 January 1992 in league victory over Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park. His first season at the club culminated with an FA Cup victory at Wembley against Sunderland where he scored a spectacular goal. However, after that, injuries began to blight Thomas’s time at Anfield. He became a squad player who was largely used as

cover for the likes of Jamie Redknapp and John Barnes.

A hard-tackling and strong-running midfield player and Thomas’s impression on the Anfield faithful during his time at the club was confirmed when he was voted in at No. 83 in 100 Players Who Shook The Kop,

Steve Harkness notably had spells in the Premier League with Liverpool as well as playing in Portugal with Benfica. He also played in the Football League with Carlisle United, Huddersfield Town, Southend United,Blackburn Rovers, Sheffield Wednesday and Chester City.

Harkness spent his career struggling with suspensions and injuries including a broken leg in Liverpool’s 1–0 league defeat at Coventry City on 6 April 1996 and was out of action for nearly a year afterwards.

He was a favourite amongst many of the Liverpool supporters but never established himself as a first-team regular, making 140 appearances in his 6 years at the club. He was sent out on loan twice during his Anfield career, firstly to Huddersfield Town, where he played 6 times and also Southend United, where he, again, played 6 times.He remained at Anfield until 1999 but was one of the first victims of the Houllier revolution.

Scottish International Dominic Matteo was spotted by Kenny Dalglish as a youngster. Born in Dumfries where his father, who “wanted his

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boy to play like Cesare Maldini”, ran Matthew’s Cafe in Friars Vennel, Matteo started his career at Liverpool, for whom he played between 1992 and 2000. He scored two goals for Liverpool, one against Southampton in the Premier League and another against Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup. After making arguably his biggest impact at Anfield in the 1999–2000 season, Matteo was expected to become a first team regular, but was instead sold to Leeds United in August 2000.

Mark Walters was bought for Liverpool after having been a great success under Souness at Rangers. Liverpool paid £1.25 million for Walters’ services and he made his debut four days after signing, when he came on as a 65th minute substitute for Steve McMahon in a 2–1 league win over Oldham Athletic at Anfield on 17 August 1991

He lost his regular place in central midfield to youngster Jamie Redknapp in the 1993–94 season and never regained it.

Walters had already been sent out on loan to Stoke City (9 games, 2 goals) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (11 games, 3 goals) during the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons, and thus it was not surprising that, after not appearing at all during the first half of the 1995–96 season, Walters was allowed to leave, joining Southampton on 18 January 1996 on a free transfer.

Steve McManaman developed through the youth system at Liverpool where he spent a decade with the club. Controversially, Steve was an Everton supporter and in fact originally offered a contract with Everton but declined it to take up a place on Liverpools academy programme. In total he had 364 appearances for Liverpool with

66 goals.

His best performance was the 1995 Coca Cola Cup final at Wembley when he scored two fantastic goals in a 2-1 win over Bolton. So good was his performance Kopites called it ‘The McManaman final.’

Irish International, Mark Kennedy, joined Liverpool in March 1995 for an initial £1.5 million fee (potentially rising to £2.3 m), making him then the most expensive teenage footballer in British history.

Irish International, Mark Kennedy, joined Liverpool in March 1995 for an initial £1.5 million fee (potentially rising to £2.3m), making him then the most expensive teenage footballer in British history. Mark was always considered a player of immense talent who never quite reached his potential. Despite being blessed with lightening pace and accurate crossing, his career at Liverpool was not considered a successful one.

Opportunities at Anfield were scarce, and he managed just 18 appearances over three seasons, which also saw him loaned to Queens Park Rangers to gain first team action. He found a permanent route to regular football when he moved back to the capital with Wimbledon in 1998, for £1.75 million, but he stayed for just one season with the “Dons”, scoring once against Bolton in the League Cup, before returning to the north, this time to Manchester City, for £1.6 million, in 1999.

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England international Jamie Redknapp joined Liverpool from Bournemouth and was a loyal servant to the club for many years.

Redknapp was the last player to be signed by manager Kenny Dalglish before his surprising resignation on 22 February 1991 and later became the youngest Liverpool player to appear in European competition, at 18 years 120 days by which time Liverpool were being managed by Graeme Souness. Following Dalglish’s departure, Redknapp was part of a transitional Liverpool team under Graeme Souness and spent most of his first two-and-a-half years as a substitute or in the reserves. Jamie spent the later years of his career plagued by a knee injury but He played 308 times for the Reds and scored 41 goals, becoming a favourite amongst Liverpool fans, who included him at number 40 in the 2006 poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop.

Nigel Clough was signed strategically from Nottingham Forest as a partner for Ian Rush. Clough scored twice on his debut for Liverpool against Sheffield Wednesday on 14 August 1993 but by Christmas had found himself struggling for a first team place after the emergence of 18-year-old Robbie Fowler alongside Ian Rush in the Liverpool attack.Clough did manage to find the net three more times the 93/94 season, his final two goals coming on 4 January 1994 when he scored twice against Manchester United at Anfield. However, the continuing effectiveness of Fowler and Rush in attack meant that Clough made only a handful of appearances for the Reds in 1994-95, and was not in their Football League Cup winning side. He finally left Anfield in January 1996, when he signed for Premier League relegation battlers Manchester City for £1.5million.

Robbie Fowler played for Liverpool in two different spells. Fowler’s two spells at Liverpool ranged from 1993-2001 after graduating from the academy, and the second time for the 2006-07 season. Fowler was not only one of Liverpool’s most popular and well known players but most prolific goalscorers, netting 183 goals in 357 appearances in all completions.

Fowler was not only one of Liverpool’s most popular and well known players but most prolific goalscorers, netting 183 goals in 357 appearances in all completions.Another victim of Gerard Houlliers clear out, after nearly 5 years away, with spells at Leeds and Manchester City, Fowler returned to Liverpool on 27 January 2006. Fowler’s debut for his second spell at Anfield came on 1 February 2006 in the 1-1 tie against Birmingham. Fans hung signs at the match reading things such as “God – number eleven, welcome back to heaven”. Fowler himself described his return as “a kid waking up on Christmas morning every day”. After having three goals overruled for being offside, Fowler finally hit the back of the net on 15 March 2006 against Fulham, who he scored his first Liverpool goal against 13 years previous.

His final appearance for Liverpool came against Charlton Athletic on 13 May 2007. He was given the captain’s armband and was substituted two minutes before the final whistle where he was given a standing ovation. The crowd continued to chant his name for the remainder of the match even when he was off the field.

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