How a Westport soccer referee saved Rice College’s All-Ireland final

In kitchens, sitting rooms, offices and shops they gathered around screens ready to watch the young men of Rice College following their dream. On Wednesday afternoon as the teams ran out onto the green carpet in Athlone the FAI’s live stream carried coverage of the schools national soccer final into the homes and hearts of men, women and children all around Clew Bay.

In the historic midland setting, the hundreds of supporters fortunate enough to be in the Athlone Town Stadium were readying themselves for one of the most exciting schools games ever played. The swarms of Blackrock College followers congregated to the left of the press box, the battalions of Rice College students, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents and friends gathered to the right. The scene was set for an encounter which would etch itself in Mayo sporting lore.

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Those of us with diplomas in people-watching were in our element. The adults on both sides were quiet and nervous; the same couldn’t be said for the younger attendees. The Blackrock formation was led by three or four lads with loud-hailers who conducted their choir with great sophistication. Opposite them were the raucous, rolling and rocking Rice College Blue Brigade. There were guys in skin-tight blue suits, other bare-chested fellas with letters painted on their frontage and others with all sorts of masks and face paint.

The chanting and hollering from both sides ebbed and flowed throughout the afternoon as first Blackrock looked good and then Rice seemed to have it won – twice. There had been a momentary lull at half-time, but the craic reached epic proportions when legendary Westport referee Pat Foley took centre stage. One of the linesmen had picked up an injury just before the interval and couldn’t continue, so an announcement over the PA system asked any registered match officials in the crowd to step forward. A gentleman from Blackrock offered his services and said he would be ‘scrupulously fair,’ but Foley’s years with the whistle meant he was over-qualified for the role and the man from ‘The Cottages’ was given the job for the rest of the game. He disappeared for a few minutes and then re-emerged suited and booted with the lineman’s flag in his hand. It was highly-appropriate that one of Westport’s finest would play a central role on a truly historic day for sport in the Clew Bay town.

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In the crowd, the nervous tension was taking a toll on many of the parents on both sides. “I wasn’t this nervous when I was going over to Castlebar to give birth to him,” one of the Westport mothers explained as the final whistle sounded and a penalty shoot-out was called for.

Suddenly, realisation dawned that sport’s Russian Roulette was about to begin and the range of emotions in the stand knew no bounds. A few looked towards the heavens and pleaded with all the Westport saints up there to put in a good word for the lads in the blue and white jerseys. One or two covered their eyes while others stared in silence, struggling to find enough oxygen to form words.

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Elation and devastation fluttered in the wind. Sporting history beckoned both sides forward and once again it was the Mayo boys who answered the call. They had never lost a game in the Rice College jerseys and were determined to retain that proud record as the final moments of their school sporting life came calling.

Then, after a roller-coaster shoot-out, glory was bestowed on the boys from Clew Bay and their names were etched in gold forever more. In Athlone, the celebrations knew no bounds. Back in the shadow of The Reek in kitchens, sitting rooms, offices and shops they gathered around screens and watched dreams come true. It was the greatest of days.

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