All’s Fair In Love And War (And Football)

by Brian Kennedy

(first published in the May 2009 Shamrock Rovers EA Sports Cup programme)

NEMESIS:  1. The Goddess of Divine retribution in Greek mythology
                          2. A long standing arch enemy or opponent
                          3. Shamrock Rovers FC

For every hero there’s a villain. For every friend a foe. Superman had Lex Luthor, Batman had the Joker. For God – see the Devil! Waterford always had our friend from Dublin. A pantomime villain in our little play which has been going on since the early 1930s. Now even eighty-odd years later, the name Shamrock Rovers is enough to raise a few eyebrows and shift even the heaviest of barstool arses out to watch a football match between the two most decorated clubs in League of Ireland football.

Think of the great sides: Waterford with six titles in eight years between 66-73, Rovers with their astonishing six Cups in a row from 64-69. The Blues with their 1980 cup final victory, Rovers with their League and Cup double sides of the mid-eighties.

The names: Peter Fitzgerald, Liam Touhy, Johnny Matthews, Mick Lynch, Al Casey, Bobby Fullam, Dixie Hale, Mick Leech – the list is endless, however one name bonds both club in the history books – Paddy Coad.

The legend was thrown into management at the deep end after the untimely death of Jimmy Dunne. Over the late fifties “Coad’s Colts” dominated League of Ireland football and won the title with arguably the best Rovers side in their history. The Waterfordian had put together names like Ronnie Nolan, Shay Keogh, Liam Touhy, Tommy Hamilton, Noel Payton, Maxie McCann – and Coad himself as player manager.
Fast forward a decade later and the Blues were head and shoulders above everything in the country, six league titles, a couple of Shields, Independent Cup victories and regular entry to Europe. However Rovers would stop the likes of Hale, Matthews and Maguire adding an FAI Cup medal to that impressive tally.

The Glenmalure club played in Milltown – possibly the finest surface in the land, and beyond, and of course many will remember the ground with affection. Sadly, dwindling attendances and the third world status of Ireland in the ’80s saw the death of the ground. Many reasons were put forward but in truth, much like United’s plight here, people didn’t come out to support Rovers when most needed.

Nostalgia tends to blur people’s minds and many will say there hasn’t been a decent tussle between the two sides in decades. I disagree. The 4-4 draw a couple of years back, when Waterford were 3-0 and only got a point after a last minute missed Rovers penalty! Our game in Tolka which gave United a 2-1 win, saving us from the drop and putting Rovers into a play-off with Dublin City – and relegation for the first time (though I’m sure the Dublin contingent here tonight wouldn’t agree!). Rovers could point to the ’68 3-0 win in the FAI Cup, the ’86 Cup final, in fact we could be here all night.

Possibly the greatest game between both sides, however, would be the 6-5 victory for Waterford in March of 1959. Under the guidance of manager Alec Stevenson and trailing 4-1 at half time, and with many Waterford and Rovers fans gone off to get a few drinks in down the road – the Blues scored five goals in twenty minutes, with Rovers replying again in an astonishing game which ended 6-5. Waterford’s goals were notched by Alfie Hale (2), Denny Fitzgerald (2) and Peter Fitzgerald (2). Rover’s goals were scored by Touhy, Hamilton, Lynch & Turner.