ST CLARETS GFC

Laurence Forde


A battering ram of a forward, Laurence gave his all for St Clarets for many years and even as the pace started to desert him, the power was always there.

An excellent target man in later days, Laurence, or “Loz” as he was known, was a popular and reliable member of the team, with an eye for a score and a real commitment to the cause.




 

Dave Rowe


On his game, Dave was the purest mix of football and poetry imaginable. A nimble, intelligent, quick-thinking and fast-moving forward, Dave could play either in the corner or at wing forward.

Of no Irish extraction at all, Dave took to the game with great ease coming out of minor level and went on to become one of the most feared forwards in London intermediate football for some years.

In tandem with the like-minded John Flanagan on the other wing, this dynamic duo broke many hearts in London during their particular reign of terror.




 

John Flanagan


One of the most naturally gifted footballers to come out of St Clarets in the 1980s, John made forward play look effortless.

Full of tricks and turns, with lightening speed, John will go down as one of St Clarets favourite sons.

He graduate through the underage system and soon cemented a place in the senior team.

John played until 1988.




 

Mark Mellett


An absolute Trojan of a clubman and a player, Mark was a fixture on the St Clarets team for more than ten years.

A team orientated player, Mark formed a formidable midfield partnership with Kevin Gilmartin, as well as linking well with the likes of Denis McCarthy in attack and Paul Treanor in defence.

A maintenance-free footballer if ever there was one, Mark’s place in the annuls of St Clarets are secure.




 

Seamus Waites


Seamus played primarily throughout the early and middle part of the 1980s and developed into a strong, reliable defender, who excelled in the corner.

A graduate of St Clarets seemingly limitless academy of quality Gaelic footballer born in London, Seamus was a deserved representative on the 1982 team.




 

Kevin O Shea


Son of Mick, one of the founding members of the club, like so many of his team mates, Kevin grew up playing football for St Clarets and it was fitting that he was part of the team of 1982, the first to make a significant breakthrough in London football.

Of Kerry-stock, Kevin was a dependable player and represented St Clarets for ten years.




 

Kevin Platt


The highly versatile Kevin represented St Clarets for many years in many positions.

He scored one of the club’s three goals in their semi-final win over John Mitchells in ‘82.

During that campaign he featured manly as a forward but later on in the 1990s, he played in goals for the sides too with much distinction.

A calm and confident individual, Kevin could always be relied on to do a solid job for St Clarets, regardless of where he played.





 

Brendan Collins


Brendan is the eldest son of Danny, one of the founding members of the club.

Having developed through the youth ranks of the club, along with his younger brothers Eamonn and Danny, London born, Brendan was a member of the senior panel for more than ten years and during that time he became a reliable and valued member of the team.

Brendan stopped playing around about 1988.





 

Brendan Walsh


Mayo man Brendan was often the cool head among the young guns in this team of 1982.

One of only two non-London born players in the side, along with Galway man John Carey, the Kilmaine sharp-shooter figured highly on the scoring charts in the 1982 campaign and his contribution was crucial to the progress of the club that year.

Now living back in Kilmaine, Brendan’s younger brother Ollie was a member of the 1989 Championship winning side.




 

BRIAN MacNEICE

Big Brian has been there and done it all with St Clarets, stretching right back to the Senior Final in 2002.

Now, dare we mention it, a veteran, Brian can still be called upon to put in a solid shift in the middle of the field when required.

The big Armagh man, has also been included in various London squads down through what has been a very honourable career thus far.
 

GERRY McMURROW

A dependable clubman for the time he was involved with St Clarets, Leitrim man Gerry was a key part of the defensive effort in 2004.

The quality of the incumbents of the back three positions especially denied Gerry the opportunity to play more games in 2004.

 

BRIAN TANSEY


Multi-talented Ballaghaderreen man Brian, played for the club for several seasons in the early 2000s.

Although primarily an out-field player, when regular goalkeeper became a long-term absentee in the summer of 2002, it was Brian who stepped in between the posts and his performances in the No.1 position were a vital contributory factor in helping the club reach their first Senior Championship Final.

Brian is a graduate oh NUI Maynooth and now lives in Dublin.

He was also part of the team in 1999.



 

MARK KNOWLES

New Zealand born Mark has been a key member of the club for several years now, stretching right back to the senior final of 2002.

Having learned to play the game in the tough leagues of Auckland, Mark has brought with him sound skills and excellent fitness. A rugged no nonsense type of defender, Mark is always a welcome addition to the back line.

Always a popular member of the club, Mark's presence helps to increase the international dynamic of the club.

DERMOT WALLACE


Dermot Wallace was the rock upon which much of the success of the team between 1999 and 2002 was built.

Deceptively fast, cool under pressure, the strength of a gladiator and ferociously competitive, London born Dermot defined excellence for several years at full back. His partnership and understanding with Paul Myers in and around the goal area was as good as any that St Clarets have ever had.

Like Steven Sherry, Dermot was an early graduate of Hillingdon Gaels before moving on to St Clarets.

An accomplished rugby player too, sadly Dermot’s football activities were cut short by a serious leg injury in 2003 and his premature exit from the full back slot was a blow that took some time for the club to overcome on any sort of permanent basis.

Dermot was the personification of everything positive about football and about St Clarets.



 

TONY COUGHLAN


Offaly man Tony was one of two Coughlans to represent the club for a number of years, the other being his cousin John.

A consistent performer throughout his time with St Clarets, Tony's reliability at corner back, complimented the toughness and consistency of the rest of the club's defence at that time.

Playing in the 2002 SFC final was the highlight of Tony's time with the club, during which he gained much respect from his fellow team mates for his practical approach to the game.



 

ALEC MacINDOE

Alec was one of life’s eternal subs, totally by choice and nothing to do with the esteem that he was held in within the club.

Despite making the centre half back position his own for several years, Kerry man’s MacIndoe’s refusal to don the No.6 jersey meant that he appeared in every game wearing No.16.

Occasion made no difference to Alec’s choice of jersey and in the county final programme of 2002 he is listed among the subs, due to the number of his jersey, despite the fact that he was very much part of the starting XV.

A player of immense quality and great talent, during his time with the club, Alec became one of the most respected defenders in London.

Alec now lives in Newbury.

 

GERRY DALY


Cork man Gerry hails from the area of Drimoleague and Drinagh, where his local club is Clann na Gael, otherwise known as "The Scorchers".

Throughout his time with St Clarets Gerry proved to be a loyal and faithful servant to the club, a period that stretched over the best part of a decade.

Always a consistent performer and also a hugely dedicated club man, Gerry was a cornerstone of the defence for many years and always one of the most reliable operators.

Unassuming in his approach to the club and the game, Gerry was one of the most popular figures within the club during his time with us. He is a club mate of another former Clarets defender, Dan Keating.

Sadly, work commitments led to Gerry moving north and thus ending his playing relationship with the club.

 

MARK BURGESS


Mark Burgess was the second of our kiwi contingent in the early 2000s.

Yet another graduate from the Auckland GAA school of hard knocks, Mark settled into the half back line with the club and made the position his own for a number of years.

Mark got married and moved back south of the Equator, but this time to Australia. Obviously the Auckland school of hard knocks was too hard for Mark!

A top bloke and a top player.



 

DECLAN McGEENEY


Roscommon man Declan arrived in London and quickly established himself as a very competent midfielder with St Clarets and was soon on the radar of the London senior football selectors.

While work commitments made it difficult for Declan to commit to the county, his involvement with St Clarets was never an issue.

Forging a great partnership in the middle of the field with Brian McNeice, Declan became an integral part of what was a very polished engine for two seasons before moving to Australia.

Declan started in midfield in the 2002 senior county final.





 

MATT KELLY


A brother of current club chairman John, Mattie Kelly played for almost a decade with St Clarets and he will be best remembered for his hard-working attitude and is not inconsiderable talent.

Most comfortable in attack, Mattie had the knack of being in the right place at the right time, especially in and around the goal area.

Making his trademark lung-busting runs from wing forward especially, Mattie had the ability to avoid the attention of defenders with apparent ease.

Galway man Mattie stopped appearing regularly for the club in the mid-2000s and was one of three brothers to appear for the team, along with John and Kieran.





 

Joe McKeown

Limerick man Joe joined St Clarets in the early part of the 2000s, just in time to be part of the club’s historic first ever appearance in a county final in 2002.

Hailing from the Pallaskenry club in Limerick, Joe was a hard working half forward, who valued similar qualities in his team mates, and always held the approach of players like Colm Lynott in high esteem.

However, being a forward by trade, it was always going to be another attacker who captured his imagination and being a Limerick man, and what with the county not being blessed in that particular department, Joe is quite happy to highlight Maurice Fitzgerald as is all time football hero.

Joe now lives and works in Australia where he is a rep for Unilever.



 

MICKEY McCONOMY


Tyrone man Mickey quickly established himself as one of the most energetic and most-recognisable figures in the St Clarets team during his four years with the club.

A forward of the very highest quality, Mickey’s personality and attitude sat well within the St Clarets club, with his desire to always prove the doubters wrong one of his key personality traits. A natural underdog within a pack of underdogs one might say.

Without doubt the sheer quality of McConomy as a footballer was instrumental in helping the club make the senior final in 2002.

Mickey was also a regular member of the London senior team for several years.



 

Stephen Finnegan


Like his fellow Claretians and rugby team mates Dermot Wallace and John McDermott, Steve was blessed with phenomenal strength and great athleticism - traits that made him a handful for any opposition full back.

Somewhat unorthodox in his style of play, this fact however did not take away from Steve's effectiveness and for several years he was a reliable source of scores for the Clarets.

Simply known as Superstar during his playing days, Steve worked hard to justify that particular moniker.

Steve served the club for several seasons with distinction.




 

John Coughlan


Offaly man John Coughlan was a rock in the St Clarets’ defence in the late 1990s and early noughties.

His cool presence and general excellence was a crucial factor in the development of some of the younger players emerging out of St Clarets at the time, particularly Dermot Wallace and Stevan Sherry.

John was joined at St Clarets by his cousin Tony and they played together for a couple of seasons before John left London.

John was the son of a former Offaly player, also John.





 

Mark Stockton


Tyrone man Stockton played for St Clarets for one year and was instrumental in helping the club to win the IFC in 1999.

Haling from Newtownstewart, the same club as fellow forward Mickey McConomy, the pair of them made a very effective attacking combination and helped to bring the best out of the players around them.