Hamill's delight for Bannsiders
Saturday, April 26, 2008
By Graham Luney
Coleraine robbed Rory Hamill of a chance to grasp a fourth Irish Cup
winners' medal this season - but the former Bannsiders favourite has sent a
good luck message to his old club ahead of the decider against Linfield.
The 31-year-old was hoping to feature in his seventh Irish Cup final in
Donegal Celtic colours but an injury time winner from Davy Patton in the
semi-finals ended the west Belfast side's extraordinary history making run
in local football's top knockout tournament.
Hamill left the Ballymena Showgrounds that night with mixed emotions.
Defeat was a bitter pill to swallow - especially for the Hoops players who
had never experienced the showpiece final - but the dream lives on in
Coleraine and Hamill hopes his former club can break Linfield hearts in the
final next Saturday.
"I'm delighted for all the players associated with Coleraine," he
said.
"I know a lot of the boys well like Jody Tolan and Davy Patton. I've
known Davy since he was a teenager, I know all about him.
"Then you have boys like Stuart Clanachan, Kyle McVey and Stephen
Dooley - what a wonderful experience it is going to be for all the boys in
the final.
"I wish them all the best and a lot of credit must go to Marty Quinn.
It's a hat-trick of Irish Cup finals for him now at Coleraine.
"He wears his heart on his sleeve and that winning mentality he has
rubs off on those around him.
"Then you have Ryan McLaughlin as well who did not feature in the
semi-finals but he has done very well at the club as has John Neill.
"All the boys now have a great chance of winning Irish Cup medals and I
hope they can do just that."
While the Coleraine players try on their suits for the May 3 final, Paddy
Kelly's men can only reflect on what might have been.
They can hold their heads high, but those heads will hurt for some time.
"Hopefully the players will remember the experience and go one better
next season," added Hamill.
"In my first season with Coleraine we lost out to Portadown in the
semis and when at Ballymena Larne beat us in the semis.
"The majority of the Donegal Celtic squad hadn't been to an Irish Cup
final so that's why defeat in the semi-final was so hard to take.
"And the manner of the defeat was also heartbreaking, seconds away from
penalty kicks and then that is ripped from your grasp in cruel fashion.
"1-1 would have been a fair result but then I looked over to see the
fourth official signal one minute of extra time and the next thing I know
the ball is flying into our net.
"It would have been sweet to get to the final and I'm confident we
would have given a good account of ourselves in the final and as we have
given Linfield tough matches.
"We wouldn't have went into the decider thinking we were up against it.
It would not be a walkover.
"Perhaps nerves affected a number of players and they didn't play to
their full capability.
"But no-one can question the players' hunger, passion and ambition to
keep making history.
"Committee and Board members are highly motivated at DC and a lot of
work is going on behind the scenes including the youth set-up which is
developing."
