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In The Irish News on June 23 1997: Declan Bonner set to call it a day after Clones defeat

Donegal's Declan Bonner
Donegal's Declan Bonner Donegal's Declan Bonner

TWO managers. Both Donegal men.

Even colour co-ordinated for the day with their matching grey sweatshirts and smart blue slacks.

But there, as their paths crossed on the Clones sideline, the similarity ended as Cavan ran out 2-16 to 2-10 winners in this Ulster SFC semi-final.

Donegal manager PJ McGowan, now at the end of his three-year stint, said it wasn’t a time for hasty pronouncements.

As Cavan fans celebrated raucously last night in GAA strongholds like Mullahoran and Belturbet, Cavan boss and former Donegal great Martin McHugh drank in the Abbey Hotel in Donegal Town with men who he loved as team-mates – men who he had delivered last orders to at St Tiernach’s Park yesterday.

The knock that Declan Bonner picked up on his right side yesterday convinced the Rosses man that it was time to call it a day.

The blow on the kidney reminded the red-haired forward too much of the serious injury which so nearly ended his sporting career 12 months ago.

“As far as I am concerned anyway, it is probably the end. Especially looking at that injury.”

Bonner winced as the Donegal physio applied some numbing spray.

But there were no tears in the Donegal dressing room despite the end of a footballing adventure which for some began 15 years ago when the county won the All-Ireland U21 championship.

After all the signs had been there for some time of a team in decline

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BBC commentator Jock Brown seems certain to become the new general manager of Celtic.

The club will hold a press conference this morning, where they will unveil Brown as the man who will take control of the running of the club.

Brown, a Cambridge graduate, is a lawyer in addition to his role at the BBC in Scotland and has been representing many of the top football managers in their contract negotiations.

And with that background the 51-yearold Brown, whose brother is the Scottish international manager Craig Brown, has been seen as the ideal man for the job.

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IRELAND'S amateur boxers flew out from Dublin yesterday morning in search of European places at the Liverpool multi-nations tournament.

Ulster boxers Jim Rooney and Brian Magee are included in Ireland’s six man team.

Rooney, a 19 year-old Irish light-flyweight champ from the Star ABC and Holy Trinity’s middleweight title-holder Magee (22) are both hoping to carve out Ireland’s breakthrough in the European qualifying tournaments.

The all-important draw takes place this morning.

Winning through to the Liverpool semi-finals would be enough to secure an Irish berth at next May’s European championship event.

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THE what-might-have-been stories are nothing new to the hurlers of Dublin at this stage but once again it was difficult not to feel sympathy for them as a ruthless late brace of goals savaged their Championship hopes at Croke Park.

For over three quarters of this their Leinster SHC semi-final match, Michael O’Grady’s brave charges harried, hassled and knocked right out of kilter the aristos of Kilkenny, showing every bit of the promise which has brought them promotion to division 1 already this season.

But as happens so often in the hard business that is championship competition, fate declined to climb upon the downtrodden underdogs finally succumbing to their rivals 2-20 to 2-13.

However, huge credit must go to manager O’Grady for the manner in which he has turned this team around from mid-level make-weights to serious championship contenders.

He has been helped of course by the importation of Jamesie Brennan and Eamon Morrissey, who yesterday faced their native county, but the manner in which the Dublin backs shackled their opposite numbers for so long bodes encouragingly for the home produced talent too.