Newcastle West A.F.C.

Newcastle West Afc is an association football club based in Newcastle West in the Republic of Ireland. The club are currently members of the Premier Division of the Limerick Desmond League, and play at Ballygowan Park.

Newcastle West Afc
Full nameNewcastle West Association Football Club
Nickname(s)The Magpies
Founded1948
GroundBallygowan Park Newcastle West
Coordinates52.4527°N 9.0655°W / 52.4527; -9.0655
ChairmanMartin Smallwood
ManagerNoel Murphy
LeagueLimerick Desmond League
2012–13Limerick Desmond League, 1st

History

The club was founded in 1948 and was originally called Newcastle United. They were founding members of the Limerick Desmond League in 1955, and were its first champions.[1] In 1985 they became one of the founding members of the League of Ireland First Division, finishing eighth in their first season in the league.[2] The following season the club adopted its current name.[2]

During their spell in the League of Ireland, the club twice reached the quarter-final of the FAI Cup, in 1988 and 1990. The first occasion was controversial; they faced Cobh Ramblers in the fifth round. The first match was drawn, and Newcastle West won the replay on their own ground 4–2 after extra time. According to the Irish Times' correspondent, "the style they put on in this nail biting thriller that produced four stunning goals in extra time made one wonder just why such a fine football side was having its troubles at league level."[3] However, Cobh's protest, on the grounds that their former player Billy Daly had signed for Newcastle West too late to be eligible to play in the match, was upheld by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), and they were awarded the tie.[4] In response, Newcastle West decided to pull out of the League with immediate effect. After urgent meetings involving all parties,[5] a compromise was reached which saw Newcastle West remain in the league and the cup replay replayed. They beat Cobh 1–0, with Daly scoring the winning goal,[6] but lost to Longford Town in the quarter-final, missing out on a potentially lucrative semi-final meeting with Derry City.[7] In the 1989–90 season, they produced "a shock victory" away to Sligo Rovers in a match where "high-flying tackles and off-the-ball confrontations marred the day",[8] before losing at home in the quarter-final to intermediate club St Francis, who had already knocked out two other League of Ireland clubs in their first FAI Cup campaign.[9]

After finishing ninth in the 1989–90 League of Ireland First Division, the club resigned from the league in order to make improvements to their Demesne ground,[10] and were replaced in the league by St James's Gate.[2] They had continued to run a team in the Limerick Desmond League, winning Division One for four consecutive seasons between 1989–90 and 1992–93.[11] They won the league again in 2001–02, by which time Division One had become the Premier Division. Further titles were won in 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09 and 2012–13.

Managers

Honours
  • Limerick Desmond League
    • Premier Division champions 2001–02
    • Division One champions 1955–56, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09 2012–13
    • Desmond Cup winners 1993–94, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08
    • Premier Division Cup winners 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2005–06, 2006–07
    • Division One Cup winners 1991–92

References
  1. "History". Limerick Desmond League. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  2. Canny, Julian & Byrne, Damian (6 December 2006). "(Republic of) Ireland League Tables – Second Level". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  3. Jones, Derek (11 March 1988). "Great extra time onslaught by Newcastlewest". The Irish Times. p. 3.
  4. Byrne, Peter (17 March 1988). "Angry Hale wields the axe in big Waterford reshuffle". The Irish Times. p. 3.
  5. Jones, Derek (19 March 1988). "Longford game goes ahead tomorrow". The Irish Times. p. 13.
  6. "Daly goal settles matter for Newcastlewest". The Irish Times. 28 March 1988. p. 3.
  7. Jones, Derek (2 April 1988). "Pot of gold awaits quarter-final winners". The Irish Times. p. 11.
  8. "Hogan double shocks Sligo". The Irish Times. 26 March 1990. p. A2.
  9. Jones, Derek (9 April 1990). "St Francis make semi-finals by brushing aside Newcastlewest". The Irish Times. p. 4.
  10. Kehoe, John (May 2009). "Where Are They Now? Five Clubs That Have Come And Gone". Waterford United. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  11. "Annual Competition Winners". Limerick Desmond League. Archived from the original (Word document) on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
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