DIARMAID Marsden was last night unveiled as The Irish News Ulster Fans’ Player of the Year for 1999.
The award represents a considerable achievement for the Armagh forward who began the season dogged by injury but fought back to hit top form in the Ulster Football Championship scoring 2-6 in four games.
The 24-year-old Clann na Gael player was presented with his trophy by Kerry legend and current Kildare manager Mick O’Dwyer at last night’s gala dinner in Cookstown.
The award, only in its second year, has again been won by a full-forward with Donegal’s Tony Boyle the recipient last year.
Having missed the latter stages of Armagh’s good run in the National League because of a recurring groin injury, Marsden was unable to start the first round clash in Ballybofey.
With his side in deep trouble against Donegal, Marsden came on to score two points and in the replay again came off the bench to score a late winning goal.
By the time Derry beckoned in the semi-final, Marsden was at last able to start a match for his county and his exciting brand of football combined with his ability to create and take scores did much to help Armagh to their first Ulster senior football title in 17 years.
ALLSTAR CAST...The Irish News 1999 Ulster Fans’ GAA Allstar line-up pictured at the Glenavon House Hotel in Cookstown last night...
Back row (l to r): Kieran McGeeney, Enda McNulty, Brian Burns, Anthony Tohill, Mickey Linden, Andrew McCann, Shane Mulholland, Sean Martin Lockhart;
Front row (l to r): Justin McNulty, Brendan Tierney, Brian Dooher, Diarmaid Marsden (Player of the Year), Kieran Hughes and Paddy McKeever. Absent from picture Oisin McConville
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All-Ireland MFC Down make one change for replay
DOWN have been forced to make one change for tomorrow’s All-Ireland minor semi-final replay with Dublin in Navan. PJ McAlinden comes in for Gary Morgan, the player he replaced in the second half last Sunday.
The back injury which Morgan suffered at Croke Park forces him out of the starting 15.
Gerry Dougherty’s side will be keen to make the All-Ireland final this time after spurning a number of scoring opportunities in the opening game last Sunday.
Down hit seven wides in the second half and they were then pegged back by Dublin who scored a late equaliser to force the replay.
Doherty’s Dublin counterpart Cyril Kevlihan has named an unchanged side for the replay.
Down: J Sloan, J Clarke, B Grant, M Doran, B Kearney, L Doyle, D McGrady, L Sloan, B Coulter, G Digney, M Walsh, R Murtagh, PJ McAlinden, J Fegan, R Sexton.
Dublin: S Cluxton, A Holly, N Cleere, N O’Driscoll, A Brogan, P Casey, A Cleere, C Murphy, K Devine, S McCann, L Og OhEineachain, C O’Dricoll, S Mills, B McAvoy, G Joyce.
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ULSTER’S U16 water polo side finished top of the pile in a 12-team tournament in the Czech Republic last week. They rounded off their success with a 4-2 win over the host nation’s champions USTI.
The competition was played after a week-long intensive training and coaching programme in an outdoor heated 50-metre pool at Pilzen under the direction of Campbell College director of swimming Robin Gordon.
He was assisted by coaches Conor Campfield (Cathal Brugha) and Tommy Kirk (Donegall).
