TRAGEDY MAKES IT A DAY OF TORMENT FOR OMAGH
Tragedy makes it a day of torment for Omagh
GLENTORAN 2 OMAGH TOWN O
ROY McCreadie, Omagh players and backroom staff had to endure a most distressing afternoon at the Oval.
Once the magnitude of the bomb horror in the Tyrone town filtered through to the Belfast ground it was an anxious time or all concerned. "The match did not matter," said manager McCreadie.
"We were well beaten, because Glentoran was the better team. But that became insignificant when you see the devastation at Omagh. At 3.20 people were telling me through the fence at the Oval a bomb had exploded in the heart of Omagh.
"We had people in the squad from Omagh, players on the bench, kitmen and so on - and understandably all they wanted to do was to get to a telephone, and find out what was happening.
"It was a dreadful day. No Omagh Town squad member or club official, to my knowledge, has been directly affected by the bomb tragedy, but we are all affected by the tragic happenings," added McCreadie.
Glentoran's 30 year old midfield man Philip Mitchell agreed. "It was a good start to the championship for us, but a day to forget," said Mitchell.
"What happened at the Oval paled to insignificance when the news of the Omagh tragedy filtered through. We started wed, scored two goals very early in the game, and then after that it didn't seem to matter. We hadn't a great second half, but a cloud was cast over the game by the news from Omagh."
Mitchell opened the scoring, in the 12th minute.
"I volunteered to take the early penalty award, after David Rainey was fouled. With Andy Kirk on the bench and Justin McBride in the Stand, I fancied the job. John Devine also takes penalty kicks for Glentoran.
"He told me to carry on, and that was my first penalty for the Glens. Two minutes after the penalty Rory Hamill scored a great goal, after an excellent through ball from John Devine. It was a nice three happenings at Omagh took away from a game of football, and placed things in perspective,"added Philip.
GLENTORAN 2 OMAGH TOWN O
ROY McCreadie, Omagh players and backroom staff had to endure a most distressing afternoon at the Oval.
Once the magnitude of the bomb horror in the Tyrone town filtered through to the Belfast ground it was an anxious time or all concerned. "The match did not matter," said manager McCreadie.
"We were well beaten, because Glentoran was the better team. But that became insignificant when you see the devastation at Omagh. At 3.20 people were telling me through the fence at the Oval a bomb had exploded in the heart of Omagh.
"We had people in the squad from Omagh, players on the bench, kitmen and so on - and understandably all they wanted to do was to get to a telephone, and find out what was happening.
"It was a dreadful day. No Omagh Town squad member or club official, to my knowledge, has been directly affected by the bomb tragedy, but we are all affected by the tragic happenings," added McCreadie.
Glentoran's 30 year old midfield man Philip Mitchell agreed. "It was a good start to the championship for us, but a day to forget," said Mitchell.
"What happened at the Oval paled to insignificance when the news of the Omagh tragedy filtered through. We started wed, scored two goals very early in the game, and then after that it didn't seem to matter. We hadn't a great second half, but a cloud was cast over the game by the news from Omagh."
Mitchell opened the scoring, in the 12th minute.
"I volunteered to take the early penalty award, after David Rainey was fouled. With Andy Kirk on the bench and Justin McBride in the Stand, I fancied the job. John Devine also takes penalty kicks for Glentoran.
"He told me to carry on, and that was my first penalty for the Glens. Two minutes after the penalty Rory Hamill scored a great goal, after an excellent through ball from John Devine. It was a nice three happenings at Omagh took away from a game of football, and placed things in perspective,"added Philip.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/039
Published Date: 17-Aug-98
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.