TEAM STUNNED AS NEWS OF BOMBING REACHES THE OVAL
Team stunned as news of bombing reaches the Oval
"FOOTBALL really comes second after the news we have heard, news that has been filtering through to the dug-out from fans behind us with radios switched on, from about 10 minutes after the game kicked off.
"They kept updating us, and we had people from Omagh who were obviously concerned. Trying to concentrate on a game, when acts like this are taking place, puts football secondary. I was not bothered whether we were beaten 10-0, in the circumstances."
The solemn, sombre words of Omagh Town boss, Roy McCreadie, after his rebuilt side's 2-0 defeat by Glentoran on the opening day of the season at the Oval, and before the full scale of the horrendous drama back home unfolded.
Fans and players alike made a speedy exit from east Belfast, most having been unable to establish contact with loved ones at home due to the heavy demand on telephone lines.
Some managed to get through when the supporters' coach reached Quinn's at the end of the Dungannon bypass, but the rest had to wait another anxious 40 minutes, until the coach returned to Omagh, before learning if any of their next-of-kin had been caught up in the town-centre carnage.
One member of the club's management committee summed up the mood, when he told our reporter on the bus: "It's not often a football coach makes a 70-mile journey, and there's no talk of football."
Adjectives which litter the copy of sports reporters were, on Saturday, reserved for their proper use. Omagh Town lost to the Glens because they conceded two goals in a minute early in the game. It was not a tragic start to the new season for McCreadie and his side, just another statistic in the results sequence.
Eerie
There was an almost eerie feel to the match, which lost all its early zip after Roy Coyle's men established their two-goal advantage at just about the same time as terrorists detonated their evil cargo, which visited such mayhem on the innocents 70 miles away.
Skipper Mark Donnelly barged over a lively David Rainey, who had swooped on Chris Walker's pass, and Philip Mitchell coolly sent Damien Bradley diving the wrong way from the spot.
And, following good work by Mitchell and Pete Batey, central defender, John Devine, released Rory Hamill through the centre with a delightful pass, which the striker decisively converted with a quality left-footed finish.
The upbeat start faded, remarkably, with the Glens, perhaps, jaded, from their Thursday evening European outing, and Town failing to cause any real threat to Wayne Russell's goal, apart from a scare late in the first period.
Frankie Wilson had the goalkeeper clutching air as he stepped into Eamonn Kavanagh mode and curled in a beautiful 45th minute free kick with his left foot, the ball rebounding to safety off the face of the crossbar.
Omagh had needed 35 minutes to earn their first corner, and never troubled Russell in the second period, when Bradley won his spurs with some excellent stops. He did, however, enjoy a certain amount of good fortune thanks to the waywardness in front of goal of substitutes, Andy Kirk and James Quigley, and of David McCallan, who unbelieveably missed from eight yards out.
Town began without 11 of last season's first team panel, when tough-tackling midfielder, Brian Donaghey, cried off with an achilles injury, and McCreadie gave Irish League debuts to Aidan Doherty and Colin Elliott, who began on the bench.
Thus, on any other day the manager would probably have expressed himself pleased with the narrow margin of defeat, and the impressive displays of John Crilly and Bradley.
Bemoaned
Instead, in a short, sharp interview, he bemoaned the goals conceded as of the type that would have been out of place even in junior circles, and offered a plaudit to Doherty, but was more concerned with the off-the-field happenings.
McCreadie said: "The tackle by Donnelly was astonishing, to say the least, and, despite playing five at the back they hit a 40-yard ball for the second which beat everybody. It looked then as if the floodgates would open, and 1 couldn't concentrate with the news I was hearing.
"We kept it from the players who started the match, knuckled down, restricted Glentoran to a few long rang efforts, but lacked something up front. That is a position we will have to sort out, get somebody very, very quickly who can get us amongst the goals, because we never looked like scoring.
"Aidan Doherty, playing at this level for the first time, had a superb game. He accepted responsibility, took people on, held the ball up, and
was prepared to get stuck in.
"But, as I have already said, this has been a bad day for Omagh, the town, and I offer my sympathy on behalf of everyone in the dressing room to all who have been affected."
Teams: Glentoran - Russell, Nixon, Kennedy, C. Walker, Devine (capt.), Leeman (Quigley 60), Mitchell (Ferguson 77), Hamill, McCallan, Batey (Kirk 60), Rainey.
Omagh Town - Bradley, Toland, Gray, Moore (Elliott 74), Donnelly (capt.), Wilson, Doherty, M. Gallagher, Mclntyre, Crilly, D. Walker; subs, not used, Melly and D. Gallagher.
Referee: Mr. Davy Malcolm (Bangor).
Cautions - Toland (21), Doherty (45), Rainey (45), Nixon (60), Gray (86).
"FOOTBALL really comes second after the news we have heard, news that has been filtering through to the dug-out from fans behind us with radios switched on, from about 10 minutes after the game kicked off.
"They kept updating us, and we had people from Omagh who were obviously concerned. Trying to concentrate on a game, when acts like this are taking place, puts football secondary. I was not bothered whether we were beaten 10-0, in the circumstances."
The solemn, sombre words of Omagh Town boss, Roy McCreadie, after his rebuilt side's 2-0 defeat by Glentoran on the opening day of the season at the Oval, and before the full scale of the horrendous drama back home unfolded.
Fans and players alike made a speedy exit from east Belfast, most having been unable to establish contact with loved ones at home due to the heavy demand on telephone lines.
Some managed to get through when the supporters' coach reached Quinn's at the end of the Dungannon bypass, but the rest had to wait another anxious 40 minutes, until the coach returned to Omagh, before learning if any of their next-of-kin had been caught up in the town-centre carnage.
One member of the club's management committee summed up the mood, when he told our reporter on the bus: "It's not often a football coach makes a 70-mile journey, and there's no talk of football."
Adjectives which litter the copy of sports reporters were, on Saturday, reserved for their proper use. Omagh Town lost to the Glens because they conceded two goals in a minute early in the game. It was not a tragic start to the new season for McCreadie and his side, just another statistic in the results sequence.
Eerie
There was an almost eerie feel to the match, which lost all its early zip after Roy Coyle's men established their two-goal advantage at just about the same time as terrorists detonated their evil cargo, which visited such mayhem on the innocents 70 miles away.
Skipper Mark Donnelly barged over a lively David Rainey, who had swooped on Chris Walker's pass, and Philip Mitchell coolly sent Damien Bradley diving the wrong way from the spot.
And, following good work by Mitchell and Pete Batey, central defender, John Devine, released Rory Hamill through the centre with a delightful pass, which the striker decisively converted with a quality left-footed finish.
The upbeat start faded, remarkably, with the Glens, perhaps, jaded, from their Thursday evening European outing, and Town failing to cause any real threat to Wayne Russell's goal, apart from a scare late in the first period.
Frankie Wilson had the goalkeeper clutching air as he stepped into Eamonn Kavanagh mode and curled in a beautiful 45th minute free kick with his left foot, the ball rebounding to safety off the face of the crossbar.
Omagh had needed 35 minutes to earn their first corner, and never troubled Russell in the second period, when Bradley won his spurs with some excellent stops. He did, however, enjoy a certain amount of good fortune thanks to the waywardness in front of goal of substitutes, Andy Kirk and James Quigley, and of David McCallan, who unbelieveably missed from eight yards out.
Town began without 11 of last season's first team panel, when tough-tackling midfielder, Brian Donaghey, cried off with an achilles injury, and McCreadie gave Irish League debuts to Aidan Doherty and Colin Elliott, who began on the bench.
Thus, on any other day the manager would probably have expressed himself pleased with the narrow margin of defeat, and the impressive displays of John Crilly and Bradley.
Bemoaned
Instead, in a short, sharp interview, he bemoaned the goals conceded as of the type that would have been out of place even in junior circles, and offered a plaudit to Doherty, but was more concerned with the off-the-field happenings.
McCreadie said: "The tackle by Donnelly was astonishing, to say the least, and, despite playing five at the back they hit a 40-yard ball for the second which beat everybody. It looked then as if the floodgates would open, and 1 couldn't concentrate with the news I was hearing.
"We kept it from the players who started the match, knuckled down, restricted Glentoran to a few long rang efforts, but lacked something up front. That is a position we will have to sort out, get somebody very, very quickly who can get us amongst the goals, because we never looked like scoring.
"Aidan Doherty, playing at this level for the first time, had a superb game. He accepted responsibility, took people on, held the ball up, and
was prepared to get stuck in.
"But, as I have already said, this has been a bad day for Omagh, the town, and I offer my sympathy on behalf of everyone in the dressing room to all who have been affected."
Teams: Glentoran - Russell, Nixon, Kennedy, C. Walker, Devine (capt.), Leeman (Quigley 60), Mitchell (Ferguson 77), Hamill, McCallan, Batey (Kirk 60), Rainey.
Omagh Town - Bradley, Toland, Gray, Moore (Elliott 74), Donnelly (capt.), Wilson, Doherty, M. Gallagher, Mclntyre, Crilly, D. Walker; subs, not used, Melly and D. Gallagher.
Referee: Mr. Davy Malcolm (Bangor).
Cautions - Toland (21), Doherty (45), Rainey (45), Nixon (60), Gray (86).
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0258
Published Date: 20-Aug-98
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.