By Niall Gartland

ALL the way back in 2004, Benny Marron was, by his own admission, third-choice goalkeeper when Moneyglass reached the inaugural Ulster Intermediate final — where they fell short against Tyrone’s Pomeroy.

He was only 16 at the time. Now, just over two decades on, he’s the manager of the Moneyglass senior team preparing for Saturday’s first-round Ulster clash against Glenullin at Celtic Park.

It’s been a memorable spell for the club across the board. The ladies’ side recently claimed their fifth successive Antrim Senior Ladies Championship and are now in the Ulster semi-final – Benny is married to midfielder Laura, who recently had a baby. The club’s ladies minors also made it five in-a-row in Antrim back in August.

The men aren’t faring too badly either. Under Marron’s guidance, they’ve navigated the challenges of losing several key players to emigration and recently overcame west Belfast side Sarsfields to lift the county title.

“We ended up in Division One and then, with the restructuring, had to do a second year in it. But we were crippled by emigration, we’ve 17 lads in Australia. The team I started with last year was very young. The vast majority of our lads were 18 or 19 with a few over 30. That middle block of players are all abroad. We were relegated twice, pretty much, but I think it stood to them this year.

“We had a decent championship run last year – we beat Glenravel the first day out, then lost to Portglenone by four, and lost by a point to Ahoghill. It gave us something to build on.

“This year we went through the league unbeaten until the last game against Sarsfields, we lost it by a last-minute goal from a 14-metre free. We beat them in the first round of the championship but knew there was every chance we’d see them again. We’ve played them four times this year, so by the time the final came around, we knew everything about each other.”

He continued: “The final itself was a real cagey affair – 1-6 to 0-8. Both teams had each other well figured out. We played well but missed a lot of chances, which you expect in a tight game. They’re very strong in the middle, but our lads did really well on the breaking ball. They were usually good for two-point frees, but they didn’t get one until the very end.”

The final was particularly emotional for the club. Last year, Moneyglass was rocked by the sudden passing of Jack McCoy, a senior player who died suddenly.

“We’d a wee lad who died last year, Jack McCoy – the final actually fell on his birthday. Most of our boys are 18 or 19, and when it happened, it really hit them hard. To win it on his birthday was something special. We’d talked about it – not about winning it for him as such, but it was in the back of everyone’s mind. It was quite emotional at the final whistle. His family are big club people, so it was bittersweet in many ways.”

Their Ulster opponents Glenullin have won three of the last four Derry Intermediate Championships.

With seasoned players like Eoin Bradley in their ranks, they represent a serious test of their ambitions but it’s one they’re really looking forward to.

“It’s their third go at it, so they’ll know what it’s about.

“We saw them in their county final against Foreglen ,they looked strong and have plenty of size through the middle. There are a few very handy players who’ll need close watching. We’re building a bit of a profile on them and figuring out who their main men are.

“It’s bonus territory for us. It doesn’t come around too often so we’re going to throw everything at it. We’ve 38 at training and there’s a brilliant buzz around the squad.”