Tullamore Town FC Notes

AGM - Tullamore Town FC held their AGM last Friday as the members looked back on an eventful year and made plans for the coming season. Chairman Joe Connolly opened proceedings by calling for a minutes silence for all those connected with the club who had passed away during the year. He expressed his thanks to Keith Colsh and Michael Dolan who had guided the first team through their first season in the League of Ireland A Championship. He congratulated Leslie Francis and Mary Treacy and their cup winning women"s team and he reserved special mention for the exploits of the Tullamore Special Olympics squad who won silver for Ireland in Portugal last May. In conclusion he thanked groundsmen Mark Lowry and Sean Lawlor for their great work and wished Sean, who is currently in hospital, a speedy recovery. Club secretary Barry Hennessy reflected on the clubs on-field activities with particular satisfaction being expressed in the remarkable upsurge in the first team"s fortunes. With wins over Derry City, Dundalk and Finn Harps, manager Mark Dempsey has positioned his squad for a real push for promotion. That the team is made up of all local players has made their achievement all the more noteworthy, with Scott Delaney, Gary Buckley and Michael Kenaney successfully making the transition from underage football into the first team. He also congratulated Tony Albin and Kevin O"Connor for their great work with the Leinster Senior League side while also looking back at the many underage internationals held in Leah Victoria Park throughout the year. Treasurer Leslie Francis presented a detailed set of accounts to the members showing the club to be on a sound financial footing but also highlighting the expensive nature of running such a large sporting facility. He impressed upon the members the need for a professional approach to all the club"s activities and thanked John O"Keeffe and Mattie McCormack for their assistance during the year. Schoolboys/girls secretary Gary Coffey thanked the committee for their great support throughout the season and informed the attendance that the club had fielded 13 underage teams consisting of a total of 270 players. There were 170 games played and he was pleased to note that there was five Tullamore players selected for the Kennedy Cup squad competing in Limerick this week. There followed the election of officers and committee with the results as follows. President - Pat Nicholson, Chairman - Joe Connolly, Secretary - Barry Hennessy, Treasurer - Leslie Francis and PRO - Frank Nicholson. Vice Chair - Mattie McCormack and Asst Sec - Christy O"Toole. Committee: Loughlan Fitzsimons, John Joyce, Clive Evans, Gary Coffey, Joe Farrington, Tom Dowling, Kevin O"Connor, Shane Colsh, Noel Colgan and Roddy McGowan.