For the past two weeks we have taken our annual look back at the teams that competed in the two divisions of the WW/EC League and this week, we select our best eleven players of the season, in our estimation.

Each year we select our team and our selection is based on the displays of the various players that we see week in week out throughout the league and cup campaigns. Needless to say there are those who will disagree with our selection, as is the case of any selection – ask Warren Gatland!

The eleven players we have selected have been, in our humble opinion, the best players in the league last season and we believe would make a very strong Oscar Traynor side. We have as usual selected the team on a 4-4-2 system.

In goal we have Billy Sheehan, Brideview. Without doubt one of the best ‘keepers in the league for many seasons. This year we have no hesitation in selecting “Beans” as our goalkeeper of the season. He has given tremendous service to Brideview for many seasons and also the WW/EC League when called upon. A fantastic shot stopper, but more importantly, a ‘keeper that controls his area and a wonderful voice behind the back four.

The back four we have selected is we believe one of the strongest that would represent the league.

At right back we have Aaron Pratt, Brideview. Aaron is a player that is capable of holding down any position in the back four and has represented the league at youth and Oscar Traynor level. He is a certainty on any Brideview selection in any position, in either a back four or a midfield position such is his versatility.

In the centre of defence we have in our eyes two of the best players the WW/EC League has had at inter league level. Johnny Healy, Blackwater is a player who has given 100% to his club and to the inter league team any time he was selected. He has been known to play in attack also for Blackwater, but we believe his best position is at the heart of any defence. Alongside him we have JP Grey, Brideview. JP has given so many years of service to the Tallow club and in so many positions that he holds the title of the longest serving player in any club in the league. Like Johnny Healy, his exploits at inter league competition have always been 100%, and this season his displays were instrumental in Brideview fighting to the end to win back the title from Valley. He has on numerous occasions played in goal for both Brideview and the inter league team and in the latter, has excelled between the posts. Another versatile player in our selection.

At left back we select Padraig Noonan, Valley Rangers. Early in the season when we saw Valley for the first time, we felt Padraig was not working hard enough at left back, but as the season went on and when we saw him on two more occasions, we saw a player who was improving with each game. In the last league game against Brideview, his display from left back was a man of the match performance, but it was his displays from mid season that have him as our automatic left back and this position now completes our back four of the season.

Midfield was similar to the defence with a few players vying for the four positions. We believe our selection would be strong attacking and if needed, a strong defensive four line up.

Right of midfield we have selected Paul Quinn, Lismore. Paul is another player so versatile that he could command a few positions on any inter league side. His displays for Lismore in the season just finished, be it in defence or midfield, had him an automatic selection. We have him in midfield and he is ideally suited for this position with the players we have selected around him. In two games in particular that we saw him play were in the cup semi-final against Mogeely, when he gave one of the best displays of any player during the year at centre half and in the final when he was selected as man of the match.

In the centre of midfield we have selected two Valley Rangers players, Shane Kearney and Billy Carr. No doubt these two players were instrumental in helping Valley retain their league title.

Shane Kearney became the first player to be selected as player of the year in consecutive seasons, and a richly deserved award. As player/manager his role was to orchestrate Valley from his position in the middle of the park and motivate and encourage the players around him. He achieved this with his reading of the game and it was noticeable in the final league game against Brideview.

Billy Carr we believe, like his midfield colleague, was the catalyst for Valley in their run in to regaining the title. Billy was excellent when we saw Valley play and it was obvious when he was unavailable, Valley struggled. With Shane Kearney they became the perfect duo at midfield and when Brideview provided the opposition in the final game in Tallow, Carr moved forward and Kearney defended in front of the back four. This tactic worked brilliantly on more than one occasion throughout the season.

We also felt that Billy would be the closest to Shane for player of the year. With both of these manning our centre of midfield selectoin, our team would definitely be in excellent hands.

On the left of the midfield four we have Darren Guiry, Pinewood. Darren was outstanding all season and his performances and goal scoring kept Pinewood in the mix, up to the final couple of weeks. His display in the Barry Cup final must have had him challenging for man of the match, and we all remember his excellent free kick that was saved at the foot of the post by Lismore’s Dan Shanahan, to deny Pinewood extra time. But it was not just this one game, it was his performances throughout the season. Darren was an obvious choice for a midfield role and we believe in an inter league team, Darren could emerge as the player to swing a victory.

That leaves us with the front two, the strikers and goal-getters. For those two positions, we believe two players selected themselves, Ethan Hayes, Mogeely and Trevor Flaherty, Youghal Utd. Ethan had the double distinction of winning the Golden Boot in the 1st Division and selected as Player of the Year in the 1st Division. As leading goalscorer, Ethan scored 18 league goals, not counting those scored in cup games. He was without doubt an easy selection for the referees in selecting their player of the year as his displays in both league and cup competitions were of the highest order. A player who could switch to a midfield role if required, he is one of our front two.

We have partnered Ethan with Youghal’s Trevor Flaherty. Trevor won the Golden Boot in the Premier with 20 league goals. Indeed such was his goalscoring achievements, Trevor had the title won long before the end of the season. Not only was he a prolific scorer, he was very capable of playing in midfield.

So our two strikers were very like many of our other players selected, they were all versatile and played in a number of positions with their clubs throughout the season.

So there we have our eleven players that we believe would do justice to the league if they played a representative game together. Yes there are at least another five or six players who we would add to a squad, but the eleven selected would be our starting team. There will be those who will disagree with our selection, and we will be only too happy to publish any of our reader’s teams in the next few weeks, but we are confident it will take a very good team to beat our eleven!!

WINNERS AND LOSERS 2012/2013 SEASON

We now publish all the winners from the past season, starting with the Mari Mina Pharmacy Premier winners, Valley Rgs, runners-up Brideview. Relegated to the 1st Division – Kilworth and Cappoquin.

Lismore House Hotel 1st Division – Winners Mogeely, runners-up Castlebridge. Both teams promted to the Premier Division for next season. Section B winners 1st Division – Valley Rgs B.

Ned Barry Cup winner – Lismore, runner-up Pinewood.

Tony Bolger Cup (sponsor Dungarvan Leader) winner, Brideview A, runner-up Pinewood.

Tony Bolger Plate (sponsor Dungarvan Leader) winner, Inch A, runner-up Cappoquin.

Liam Fitzgerald Cup (sponsor Alan McNamee, Heating and Plumbing) winner, Mogeely, runner-up Caherdrinna.

Youth League winner, Kilworth. Fraser Cup (sponsor Fraser family) winner, Cappoquin, runner-up Brideview. U17 League winner Churchvilla, runner-up Clashmore.

Golden Boot (sponsor Red Store, Youghal) winner Premier Division – Trevor Flaherty, Youghal Utd. Golden Boot winner 1st Division Ethan Hayes, Mogeely.

Player Of The Year (sponsor Centra Castlemartyr) Premier Division – Shane Kearney, Valley Rgs. 1st Division – Ethan Hayes, Mogeely.

Next week we will take a brief look forward and any news we have to report.

CLUB AGM’s

As we wrote a few weeks back, any club wishing to publicise their AGM are more than welcome to contact us and we will be only too happy to give them a mention in our notes.

Some clubs, Brideview and Valley Rgs, have already held the AGM’s and Lismore will be holding theirs this Wednesday night. We have heard of clubs that are busy preparing their grounds for the coming season, and with the weather of the past few weeks it is a wonderful opportunity to get work done that will help the pitches in the next few months. After all, the season is due to kick off week ending 18th August with the Bolger Cup and the league proper kicks off 15th September.

DELEGATE MEETING

The first delegate meeting of season 2013/2014 will take place at Lismore House Hotel on Monday, 29th July commencing at 8.30pm. The draw for the Tony Bolger Cup will take place during the meeting, and the Bolger Cup will commence w/e 18th August.

All clubs are reminded to have their league application form with them on the night, and are also reminded that any delegate not present at the roll call will be marked absent and the club fined as per rule.

The league have been informed that two teams will not be competing next season, but have not heard anything official from the other so-called ‘newcomers’. We will await the delegate meeting when the committee will let us all know the teams competing next season.

YOUTH FOOTBALL

We spoke with league chairman, Alan McNamee last week and Alan informed us that since he became chairman last month, the committee have met three times with the focus on youth football for the coming season. We are delighted to hear this as we have emphasised on numerous occasions that the future of the league lies directly from the schoolboy league to the youth league. So many clubs unfortunately are not putting enough of their time and resources into youth football, and without the younger generation coming through the ranks, we constantly say clubs will disappear from playing competitive football.

While the season has concluded, it is great to hear the committee are working so hard behind the scenes to ensure that there will be a structured youth league in the coming months.