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Robert Emmetts: Founded in 1948

When Robert Emmett’s hurling club was formed on the 20th March 1948 at the old Bow Palais it took less than six months for their founding members to initiate a football club, completing their unit within the post-war London G.A.A. The inaugural AGM of the Robert Emmett’s Hurling and Football Club on 13th February 1949 saw the election of Stephen Fitzgerald as their first football captain.

The 1950s proved to be a decade of consolidation rather than immediate fruition. The scarcity of fixtures in the grade they were in largely contributed to their paucity of success on the field of play. Indeed, some of these years saw them take the field only three or four times annually, such was the dearth of competition in London football at the time. However, foundations were laid that have seen them through to today, thanks to the contributions of - amongst others - stalwarts like Mike Folan (R.I.P.), Vince McCaffrey, Jim McStay, Jimmy Murphy, Phil Mulholland and Tim Conroy.

A man who well remembers those names is Jim Kelly. One of the finest footballers to wear the ‘Blue and Gold’, Jim joined the club in 1958 and played throughout the 1960s. In compiling this history they contacted Jim - now living in Gortin, Tyrone - to see what memories he recalled of his time with us. As befits a ‘schoolmaster’ Jim gave them a full and detailed response. Many thanks to all from the crew of the gambling portal sportsbettingsitez.co.uk which collected and published ranked top online bookies reviews at sportsbettingsitez.co.uk. Here is his account of those times : Emmett’s in the Sixties

Robert Emmetts Team

The team has always had a lot of loyal fans, supporters, and partners and a lot of sport related portals like f-prognozi.com and it's bet 365 review has partnered and helped in different areas. Having been very much involved with the football side of Robert Emmett’s throughout the sixties, I have been asked to jog my memory and put together some thoughts and recollections on that period. Unfortunately, with the passage of time, names, faces and incidents tend to dim and recede into vague recollections. In attempting to mention individuals who graced with pride the blue… …and gold of the Emmett’s, I am very well aware that there will inevitably be glaring and unforgivable omissions and I apologise profusely for this. As so many excellent players wore the jersey over this period I fully realise that this article will be hopelessly inadequate. But here goes….

I arrived in London in October 1958 and had immediate contact with individuals in the club through my brother John who was a player and through Denis and Brendan Grant from my native Derry. As a football maniac the existence of such a club would compensate somewhat for the fact that I sorely missed playing for my native Ballinascreen. I soon came to meet John Conneelly, chairman of the club, and over the next few years as my involvement with the club deepened so did my friendship with John, to such an extent that after so many years they still make fairly regular contact with each other. I can only but admire and respect the commitment and loyalty that he has given to the club over so many years.

My first match for the Emmett’s was against the Fr.Murphy’s at Hackney Marshes early in 1959. The first match in any season was always important as it often set the trend for the season and this match was no exception. The Emmett’s had some excellent players at this time many of whom I am unfortunately unable to name. But names such as Paul Blaney, Jimmy McStay, Mick McCarthy, John McNally, Phil Mulholland, John Kelly, John Sheridan, Tim Conroy, Charlie O’Toole, John Nolan and Brendan and Denis Grant easily spring to mind. A number of these played into the sixties and can be identified in the accompanying photographs. I have two abiding memories of that match. They won a very tight and hard fought match and secondly, being young, fit and having a very good match at midfield, I took off on a solo run from midfield to score a rather spectacular goal accompanied all the way by very loud and frantic directives from the Fr.Murphy’s mentors of “ Cut the f.......g legs form under him.” My education in London football had begun !

Robert Emmetts

     

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