The Irish News - Friday May 27 2005: Culbert puts his faith in the rookies
ANTRIM football manager Mickey Culbert has handed Championship debuts to no fewer than eight players for the Saffrons’ Ulster opener against Cavan on Sunday.
Midfield – where veteran captain Joe Quinn and Martin McCarry are paired – is the only area on the pitch without any new faces.
Two notable debutantes are Damien Gault and Brendan Herron. Both joined the Antrim set-up after Culbert took over the reigns from PJ O’Hare last year.
Gault, a 21-year-old St Enda’s player has been handed his first Championship start in the left corner.
Herron came to the panel about the same time as Gault, although he has had to make the choice between hurling and football.
The Lamh Dhearg man played with his brothers Michael and Ciaran in the hurling team which lost out to Cork last year. He will line up at centre half-forward on Sunday.
The other men making their first Championship starts are Paddy Murray, Andrew McCann, Tony Scullion, Ciaran Close, Terry O’Neill and Michael McCann.
Culbert speaks highly of his new-look team, a starting 15 which he has been crafting for the past few months.
But the acid test will be in Breffni Park.
“They’ve been playing all year together, they just haven’t played Championship yet, so I hope it all goes well for the boys,” Culbert added.
Antrim (SF v Cavan): P Murray; C Brady, A McClean, D Gault; T Scullion, G Adams, S Kelly; J Quinn (capt), M McCarry; C Close, B Herron, T O’Neill, K Brady, M McCann, K Madden
Antrim (MF v Cavan): R Thibodeau; P Gribben, S Burke, C McCurdy; C McCann, K McQuillan, A Kelly; L Garland, B Hasson, G McAleese; MJ Cooper, C Dowds, C McGourty, T McCann, P Maguire
ONLY four current Down players have Ulster Championship medals from the last time the county lifted the Liam Harvey Cup in 1997.
While Gary Savage, Graham Clarke, Stephen Murray and Martin Coulter were collecting the medals, Brendan McGourty was plying his trade with Ballycran’s U12 side.
A 20-year-old McGourty has now established himself as an automatic choice in John Crossey’s Down side.
He will take up his usual position at left half-forward for this Sunday’s Ulster Championship semi-final replay with Derry.
Crossey has named the same starting 15 that took the field last week, resisting the temptation to swap Andy Savage for Paddy Monan at midfield.
Ciaran Coulter, who made an impressive debut last week at left corner-back, keeps his spot ahead of the returning Paddy Hughes, who was exam-tied last week.
McGourty will be hoping for an improvement in Down’s display and he admits that perhaps a few players suffered from nerves in the drawn encounter.
Down
Graham Clarke; L Clarke, S Murray, C Coulter; Gabriel Clarke, G Savage, S Wilson (c); P Monan, G Adair; E Clarke, G Johnson, B McGourty; M Coulter, E Trainor, S Clarke.
DERRY manager Sean McCloskey has named Geoffrey McGonigle at full-forward for the Oak Leafers’ Ulster SHC semi-final replay clash with Down at Casement Park on Sunday.
The Dungiven man had been a serious injury doubt earlier in the week after sustaining a hand injury in the drawn game last Sunday, but has been included in a side that shows three changes from that match.
The experienced John O’Dwyer, who scored a point coming off the bench in the drawn game, comes in at corner-forward for Fergal McGuigan, while Conor Quinn, who also did well after coming on last Sunday, replaces Paul Hearty at left half-forward.
With captain Gary Biggs unable to change holiday arrangements, a space has been left at midfield beside his brother Gregory.
Derry (SHC v Down): K Stevenson; B McGoldrick, L Hinphey, G Brunton; C Brunton, M Conway, P O’Kane; AN Other, Gregory Biggs; R Convery, R Kennedy, C Quinn; S McBride, G McGonigle, J O’Dwyer.
LIVERPOOL: BETTER THAN BRAZIL
“EVEN the Brazil team that won the 1970 World Cup could not have staged a comeback with Milan leading 3-0,” said Diego Maradona.
“I am disappointed as anyone who has played in Italy would be. At 3-0, Milan were convinced that no-one could come back.
“Milan never stopped playing and (Andriy) Shevchenko could have won it in extra-time.
“I have seen comebacks like that in football but never against a team that so clearly was superior as Milan were.”
BIRTHDAYS
John Conteh (boxing) - former world light-heavyweight champion, born 1951.
Duncan Goodhew (swimming) - won gold medal in 100 metres breaststroke at 1980 Olympics, born 1957.
Pat Cash (tennis) - Australian who won Wimbledon in 1987, born 1965.
Paul Gascoigne (soccer) - former England, Tottenham, Newcastle, Lazio and Rangers midfielder, born 1967.
Lee Sharpe (soccer) - former Manchester United and England midfielder, born 1971.
Michael Hussey (cricket) - former Australia batsman, born 1975.
Mahela Jayawardene (cricket) - former Sri Lanka batsman, born 1977.
Roberto Soldado (soccer) - Granada's former Tottenham and Spain striker, born 1985.
Gervinho (soccer) - Parma and Ivory Coast striker, formerly of Arsenal, born 1987.
Aymeric Laporte (soccer) - Manchester City defender who has played for France Under-21s, born 1994.
QUICK QUIZ
1. Who scored the winner in Spain's 1-0 victory against the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final?
2. What record does the goal hold?
3. Who is the host country for Euro 2024?
4. Which club does Timo Werner play for?
5. How many times has Andy Murray reached the Australian Open final?
6. Name the England and Saracens lock who has signed a one-year contract with Japan's Panasonic Wild Knights.
7. Australia lock Izack Rodda was among three players recently released from which Super Rugby team in a pay dispute?
8. Who won the final LPGA event before the Covid-19 pandemic halted the tour?
9. Which county defeated Meath to win the 1991 All-Ireland GAA Senior Football Championship final?
10. Which boxer is known as 'El Terremoto'?
(See quiz answers at bottom)
ON THIS DAY
1961: Fiorentina beat Rangers 2-1 in the second leg of the first European Cup Winners' Cup final in Florence. The Italian club took the trophy 4-1 on aggregate.
2004: England batsman Nasser Hussain announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
2005: Warwickshire cricketer Keith Piper was banned until the end of the season following his positive test for cannabis.
2008: Barcelona and Manchester United reached agreement for the transfer of defender Gerard Pique to the Catalan club.
2009: Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0 in the Champions League final in Rome with goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi.
2010: Alex Horne replaced former FA chief executive Ian Watmore and was given the title of general secretary.
2012: Jessica Ennis set a new British heptathlon record of 6,906 points in Gotzis, beating the previous mark of 6,831 set by former Olympic champion Denise Lewis in 2000.
2013: New Zealander Vern Cotter was named as new head coach of Scotland's rugby union side, taking up his role when his contract with French club Clermont Auvergne expired in June 2014.
2015: FIFA was plunged into a fresh crisis after a wave of arrests of football officials - including two FIFA vice-presidents - in Zurich on bribery, fraud and money laundering charges following an FBI investigation.
2016: Jose Mourinho was appointed Manchester United manager on a three-year contract.
2016: Marcus Rashford scored three minutes into his international debut in England's 2-1 friendly win over Australia at the Stadium of Light.
2017: Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2-1 to win the FA Cup final at Wembley, while Celtic beat Aberdeen 2-1 in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park to land the treble.
RECORD BREAKER
Today in 2012: Jessica Ennis breaks British heptathlon record
Jessica Ennis answered her critics as she warmed up for the London Olympics by setting a new British heptathlon record of 6,906 points in Gotzis, Austria on this day in 2012.
Ennis broke the previous mark of 6,831 held by 2000 Olympic champion Denise Lewis, and became only the eighth woman to score more than 6,900 points in the event.
And 26-year-old did all this after arriving in Austria to find herself bizarrely branded "fat" by a senior figure at UK Athletics, having lost both her world titles in the space of seven months.
Her performance in Austria included personal bests in the 200 metres (22.88 seconds) and javelin (47.11 metres), while equalling her personal best in the long jump (6.51 metres).
QUICK QUIZ answers: 1. Andres Iniesta; 2. Latest winning goal in a World Cup final; 3. Germany; 4. RB Leipzig; 5. Five; 6. George Kruis; 7. Queensland Reds; 8. Inbee Park; 9. Down, 1-16 to 1-14; 10. Leo Santa Cruz.
