eircom League Supporters Cup Champions 2008

Written from the point of view of Athlone Town team member, Ashley Cahill.

Ahead of their official membership drive, the Independent Supporters Trust of Athlone Town (iSTAT), were invited to take part in the inaugural eircom League Supporters Cup. The tournament, the brainchild of the Galway United Supporters Trust, was organised to forge links between supporters of eircom League clubs.

On Saturday 14th June the Athlone side made the short trip West and found upon arrival that they had been placed in the “Group Of Death” where they would face not one, but two “Tribes” from Galway.

Despite having the lions share of possession in the opening game, iSTAT just couldn’t put the ball in the net and disaster was to strike late on when they were caught short at the back allowing the Galway Rovers team to nick two goals as the game neared an end.

This defeat was the wake up call the Town players needed and they exacted revenge in the second group match when they disposed of Galway Hibernians on a 7-1 score line. Hibs took the lead midway through the first half but Joe Fallon cut through the home defense like a hot knife through butter to score a dramatic equaliser. The goal boosted the confidence of the iSTAT players and a rout ensued with Fallon netting his second while younger brother Declan Fallon chipped in with two goals of his own. Ruairi Fitzmaurice also bagged a brace while Eoin O’Flatherty made his mark on the score sheet. This left iSTAT in second place in the group, advancing to the knock out, semi final stages where they faced the pre tournament favorites Galway/Mervue.

As expected, the semi’s provided a tough tackling game where the slightest mistake could lead to a Cup exit. After a scoreless first half, Mervue took the lead but Eoin O’Flatherty was on hand to bring the game level. The Galway outfit once again took the lead and looked sure to advance to the final until they were left shell shocked by Ruairi Fitzmaurice fantastic equaliser. 2-2 at the final whistle meant extra time with a twist. Golden Goal rules applied however for the extra time, both keepers were also given their marching orders. With both net minders missing, keeping possession was paramount and iSTAT got their reward 3 minutes into sudden death when they were awarded a penalty from the half way line. Declan Fallon kept a cool head and calmly slotted the ball down the middle to send The Town Fans through to the tournament final.

The final pairing of Supporters Trusts from Galway United and Athlone Town was not the pre tournament expectation and the bookies certainly lost out on this occasion. With a partisan crowd on the sideline, iSTAT rose to the occasion and took an early lead through Declan Fallon, while Ruairi Fitzmaurice followed it up with a second soon after. The Athlone side was cruising but this lead to complacency and the GUST side showed enough determination and strength of character to deservedly follow Athlones pattern, scoring two goals in quick succession. Disaster struck again for Athlone when stalwart midfielder Fitzmaurice was injured in a do-or-die tackle, halting the Galway striker in his tracks but sacrificing his own ankle in the process. Stretchered off, this allowed the youngest of the Fallon brothers, Gerard, to hit the headlines. With two minutes and eleven seconds on the clock, the game resumed with a free in for Galway. iSTAT created a “brick wall” defense and with GUST adopting a win at all costs tactic they were caught on the break and super sub G. Fallon broke clear to give iSTAT the lead. With less than a minute of time left, iSTAT used every trick in the book to help the clock run down and held on until the final whistle to become the first ever eircom League Supporters Cup Champions.

The Winning Team: Mark McClean, Declan Fallon, Ashley Cahill, Eoin O’Flatherty, Joe Fallon, Gerard Fallon, Ruairi Fitzmaurice