Irish Cup Final 6th May 2006

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">A HUGE thanks to Thompo from <a href="http://www.southstandsays.co.uk/gallery/">South Stand Says (click for more pics)</a> for most of the photos on here.<br /><br />My Cup Final day as such actually began the evening before, when I helped lay out red white and blue cards for our card display. 40+ people turned up and so a job that I thought would take hours actually took one hour.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3452/1052/1600/card%20display%20prep.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3452/1052/320/card%20display%20prep.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Quiet night, couple of beers, watched Jarhead and bed early, except  my brother's Glentoran-supporting girlfriend woke me up late singing Glentoran songs outside my door. Grr...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Saturday. Up bright and early. First decision: no monk's costume, as a) last time I dressed up we lost, and b) was meeting a load of strangers and was advised that dressing like an eejit was not in my best interests. So Linfield top and jeans (and blue wig), was a top day so dandered round to DGIG's house, where I met with a few others and Dessie treated us to a big fry-up. First drink of the day was consumed with breakfast, a fine vintage whisky :) Nerves were already showing: DGIG couldn't finish his belt-buster breakfast, I was ok, a filled soda and a fry suggesting a healthy appetite and firm constitution :)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Then it was over to Velvet Jones's house where I finally got to meet some of the more erudite members of the mighty <a href="http://www.irishleagueforums.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=17">Irish League Forums</a>. A few Stellas were consumed outside, discussions were held, and the mood was very positive despite my growing nerves and doubts.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3452/1052/1600/cnut%20clique.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3452/1052/320/cnut%20clique.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Then it was a taxi over to the Edinburgh club near Windsor for a few pints to calm the nerves and meet more stragglers. I reckon 4 pints or so of Magners cider were imbibed, phone calls from lapsed Bluemen and old school mates were taken, bumped into one or two as well.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Down to the ground well early (well, 2pm) and the streets were a sea of red, white and blue. Like my old (gay) dad would say, the atmosphere was 'electric', a veritable 'cauldron' (eejit). Went my separate way then from the guys I spent the morning with, they headed to the old man stand, the South Stand, while I went over to the Kop with the singers to meet the mighty Bluenose who had kept me a seat (the ground was already packed an hour before). </span><br /><br /><img src="http://www.southstandsays.co.uk/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_a46%7E1.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">The colour, the banners, flags, flares, tops, and the noise were incredible. I was shitting myself now, the old 61-year hoodoo playing on my mind.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Before the game, old Linfield and Glentoran legends were introduced to the fans, including Linfield legend and one-time European silver boot winner, Buckets McGaughey. He endeared himself to the Bluemen once more by kissing the hallowed turf (more on him later).</span><br /><br /><img src="http://www.southstandsays.co.uk/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_a45%7E2.JPG" /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Future Premiership star and ex-Glenman Glenn Little was at the game too, to the delight of Glenmen:</span><br /><br /><img src="http://www.southstandsays.co.uk/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_g12.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Out came the teams. The moment of truth for the card display. And it worked a treat, even my cynical mate ateta (who took this picture from the South Stand) praised it. Wow.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3452/1052/1600/ICF%2006%20004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3452/1052/320/ICF%2006%20004.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">The Glenmen played their part too, letting off a huge smoke bomb and releasing a cockerel, their symbol, onto the pitch!</span><br /><br /><img src="http://i3.tinypic.com/xc832v.jpg" /><br /><img src="http://img439.imageshack.us/img439/7618/image1504fi.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">So, on to the match. The Glens played well in the first half, better than us. We created the better chances but we didn't play to our potential. Then, one minute before half-time, a scramble in our box landed to Michael Halliday (an old mate from school who scored the winner in the 2001 final) and he scored a scissor kick from close range, and I had that horrible Irish Cup sinking feeling again:</span><br /><br /><img src="http://www.southstandsays.co.uk/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_g17.JPG" /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">But two minutes later, in injury time, up popped the mighty Peter Thompson after a scramble in their box to slot home the equaliser. Release! I knew from that moment on that we would not lose, and was more relieved than anything else:</span><br /><br /><img src="http://www.southstandsays.co.uk/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_c32%7E0.JPG" /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">In the second half, there was only one team in it, the Glens appeared to have the stuffing knocked out of them, and we played more how we can play. About an hour in, we got a free-kick out on the right, Maccers (aka the Ballymurphy Best) floated it in and Thompo flicked it in! The East Belfast ex-postman had done it, scoring his 48th goal of the season in the process!</span><br /><br /><img src="http://www.southstandsays.co.uk/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_c48%7E0.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Now by this stage, as people who go to big football games with me will know, my head was busting. Killing me. And yes, the bloomin' tears started. And continued till long after the final whistle. It is sort of as if I am overwhelmed by emotion, but more than this, apparently I explained it later in the night by 'When I have a sore head, I cry'; too much singing and shouting does strange things to me. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">A big thanks and sorry to Bluenose beside me and the wee Glasgow kids behind me, i could hardly watch the last 10 minutes. But we did it. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">The Clean Sweep. A 61-year hoodoo buried. The first time in my life I had seen Linfield beat Glentoran in the Cup Final, and win every domestic trophy available.</span><br /><br /><img src="http://www.southstandsays.co.uk/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_a36%7E4.jpg" /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3452/1052/1600/maccers%20legend.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3452/1052/320/maccers%20legend.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Maccers - legend</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">After that, it all gets a bit hazy. Couple of pints in Hunters (where I saw boys I hadn't seen in years), another couple in the Edinburgh club, then back to Windsor to await the players. There, I met some more esteemed ILFers and Buckets led the singsong :) At one stage, we were out on the pitch playing, complete with slide tackles, pile-ons and the like. But fader lightweight Jim ended up going to one of the dugouts, curling up in a ball, and going to sleep. Ateta took me home in a joe baxi and I ended up in bed at 9.30. For shame. And missed the players :(</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">But what a day. A huge thanks to everyone I crossed paths with and who helped make my day so memorable: ateta, DGIG, Dan, Bluenose, Ivan_A, wintz, smurf, ken_lfc, Stuarty, Mark, VJ, et al. And thank you to the players for doing it at last when it really mattered.<br /><br />We love you Linfield, we do, oh Linfield we love you.</span>