Curtain falls on Saturday Morning League season at annual dinner

The secretary of the Ballymena Saturday Morning Football League has urged the local authority to remember to assist the local teams who contribute to its coffers by paying to use its facilities.
Alan Millar (Arc Media) presents the Division 3 league cup to Ian Millar of Raceview Athletic, as Raymond Acheson (Clough Glasgow Rangers Supporters Club) presents the Sammy Moore Cup to team manager Philip McBurney. Included are team members. INBT24-249ACAlan Millar (Arc Media) presents the Division 3 league cup to Ian Millar of Raceview Athletic, as Raymond Acheson (Clough Glasgow Rangers Supporters Club) presents the Sammy Moore Cup to team manager Philip McBurney. Included are team members. INBT24-249AC
Alan Millar (Arc Media) presents the Division 3 league cup to Ian Millar of Raceview Athletic, as Raymond Acheson (Clough Glasgow Rangers Supporters Club) presents the Sammy Moore Cup to team manager Philip McBurney. Included are team members. INBT24-249AC

Brian Montgomery made his plea during his speech reflecting on the season just past, as the league held its annual presentation dinner in the Leighinmohr House Hotel on Friday night.

‘Monty’, not a man renowned for skirting around an issue when he feels something needs to be said for the betterment of the league, told guests that he believed the SML is the single biggest user group of Council sporting facilities within the borough.

“We have more than 40 teams and I’ve worked out that every Saturday morning, 1,200 players, officials and referees leave their homes to go and play in the Saturday Morning League.

“There is no other sporting organisation in Ballymena can produce those numbers.

“But when it comes to Milk Cups, international tournaments or outside agencies wanting our pitches, we are put off them and they are put on them!

“Those events are great for football but what about the locals? When we play a final at the Showgrounds, it costs us £180 to play that final.

“All I can say (to the Council) is ‘help the locals’.”

‘Monty’s’ broadside was one of the few ‘negatives’ at the end of another thrilling season, the 44 th since the league’s inception.

Pride of place went to Harryville Homers who won three domestic trophies – including their first Division One title for 24 years – and also came within a whisker of landing the ‘Holy Grail’ of junior football in Northern Ireland, the IFA Junior Cup, in which they were beaten in the final.

That achievement was hailed by the secretary who said: “They will look back now and realise how great a journey it was in getting to the final and they got the whole of Ballymena behind them.”

While paying tribute to a host of other trophy winners, ‘Monty’ also paid tribute to those who worked hard at the ‘coal face’ for little or no return, in terms of success, but whose love for the game remains undiminished.

“I take my hat off to secretaries and officials of football clubs in this town,” he said.

“I have managed teams as well as running the league and I know how much you live from Monday to Sunday, where you are thinking about training, matches, taking messages about who can play and who can’t – quite simply, you live football.

“The problem we are having now is that there are people disappearing from football and teams are starting to waver because they don’t have people to do those jobs.”

Brian also paid tribute to the league’s hard-working Council, adding: “These people sit on some very hard, hard decisions – they are taking decisions based on the rules you make. If you are not happy with the rules, get the changes in for the AGM.”

Brian also paid glowing tributes to the league’s long-running sponsors for their assistance in keeping the league going.

Other speakers at the dinner included newly-elected Mayor of Ballymena, Audrey Wales MBE, who said: “Council recognises the role that football and sport in general plays in our borough and Council continues to invest in new facilities and upgrades of facilities.

League chairman Davy King reflected on the times of celebration and sorrow in the season just past and also revealed that the league will be embarking on new social media opportunities in the new campaign which, he said, will make the league “more professional”.

Billy McIlroy, secretary of the neighbouring Ballymena & Provincial League, also paid his tributes to the SML’s season, saving a special word of praise for Brian Montgomery who, he recalled, had his own playing career brought to a premature end by a leg break.

“He took up administrative duties and today you have a flourishing league under his leadership,” added Billy.

ROLL OF HONOUR

Winners of the league’s various awards were:

Division One (sponsored by Arkmedia): winners - Harryville Homers; runners-up - Carniny Rangers.

Division Two (sponsored by Arkmedia): winners - Carnlough Swifts; runners-up - Abbeyview.

Division Three (sponsored by Arkmedia): winners - Raceview Athletic; runners-up - Riverdale.

Top Four trophy (sponsored by Ballymena Mortgages) - All Saints Old Boys.

Ace Cup (sponsored by Ace Fixings) - All Saints Old Boys.

O’Kane Cup (sponsored by County Antrim Post) - Harryville Homers.

George McAuley Cup (sponsored by the McAuley family) - Carnlough Swifts.

Sammy Moore Trophy (sponsored by Clough Glasgow Rangers Supporters’ Club) - Raceview Athletic.

Rainey Cup (sponsored by Alex Rainey) - Harryville Homers.

Leighinmohr House Hotel Cup (sponsored by Leighinmohr House Hotel) - Ballykeel FC.

Paddy Dunlop Cup (sponsored by Ballymena Shamrocks Celtic Supporters’ Club) - St Comgalls.

Player of the Year (sponsored by Andy Kerr): Division One – David Gibson (Harryville Homers); Division Two – Paul Abram (Carnlough Swifts); Division Three – Robert Crawford (Riverdale).

Leading Goalscorer (sponsored by Andy Kerr): Division One - Aaron Wilkinson (All Saints Old Boys) - 23 goals; Division Two - Roy Robinson (Abbeyview) - 31 goals; Division Three - Trevor Richards (Woodside) 35 goals.

Merit awards: Robert Caughey (Michelin); Davy McDowell (FC Moylena); Mervyn Barr (Harryville Homers).