John Crawford - Merit Award Winner
February 07, 2022
JOHN CRAWFORD
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, our first recipient of the Merit Award tonight is Dunbreen Rovers John Crawford. John is one of a dying breed of one club men, having started his career with the club exactly fifty years ago this month. Indeed, his name featured in the Looking Back column of the Ulster Herald a few weeks ago, noting his first appearance for Dunbreen as a seventeen-year-old against Killymore Rovers. According to John, his introduction as a substitute by then manager George Henderson changed the game; trailing by two goals to one, the debutant went on to help his team to a 4-2 victory, their first success against Killymore for 3 years. However, John points out that George’s memory of his introduction is slightly different. John’s fledgling career offered early success as he was part of the Dunbreen team who won the Mulhern Cup later that season, defeating Lisbellaw United in a replay with John as the youngest player on the pitch. This still stands as Dunbreen Rovers only major trophy win and tonight they hold the honour as the most decorated team in the Fermanagh & Western; why you may ask, the team was managed by George Henderson who is enrolled in our Hall of Fame, and Pat Chesters, our previous Merit Award winner also played in that team, so three members have now been honoured.
As John is quick to point out, success came early in his playing career and things generally went downhill from then. A serious knee injury in 1978 which required surgery ended John’s playing career and a move to management beckoned to maintain his connection to both Dunbreen Rovers and the game of football. John was due to take charge of Dunbreen Rovers Reserves along with Bernie McKelvey at the start of the 1978/79 season but missed the first game of the season due to a family wedding. The Reserves team recorded a 4-0 win away to Lisnaskea Rovers Reserves and the first team were defeated by the same score line by North Fermanagh, causing unrest amongst the players and forcing George Henderson to step down as Manager with John taking up the reigns, a position he held for the next five years, prior to Dunbreen playing in the Intermediate League for two seasons.
1996 saw a return to management with the Reserve team assisted by Charlie Mitchell. John’s son had played for the Tyrone Milk Cup team in the previous summer and had persuaded a number of his cohorts to sign and the team were enjoying good results until a total of seven players departed to Shelbourne and Omagh Town, leaving John to rebuild the team once again. Raymond Emery stepped down as first team manager in 1998 and George again looked in John’s direction to run the team, a role John maintained for the next fifteen years, a time when Dunbreen played in all three Divisions in the League.
John has been ever present on the Club Committee since 1978 and currently fulfils the role of Chairman, a position he has held for the past three years and can recall many good times over that period, which help to alleviate the lack of success on the pitch. Many away days for Junior cup trips are fondly remembered and the friendship and camaraderie engendered which still stands to this day are highlights. One of John’s funniest memories concerned another Dunbreen legend, Ivan Ross. Prior to a Reihill Cup tie against Mountjoy United Reserves at Crevenagh Road, Ivan said he would eat his boots if they lost which they did following a penalty shoot-out. Ivan promptly removed his boots and threw them into the river, thus negating his previous promise. However, on returning to their base at McAleer’s Bar, Ivan’s sister produced a cake in the shape of a pair of boots which he duly ate, reminding his teams mates that he had indeed fulfilled his promise.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think you would agree with me that fifty years of service to local football, all at one club, make John Crawford a worthy recipient of our first Merit Award of the night.