NAFL Border Regiment Cup final: Crumlin Star v Drumaness Mills (Tuesday, Seaview, 2.30pm)
AFTER the COVID pandemic, Crumlin Star are back doing what they were born to do: pursuing sporting excellence and reaching cup finals again.
Like many junior and intermediate clubs, it took a while for everyone to acclimatise after the pandemic but the ‘Star find themselves back in the NAFL Border Cup final on Tuesday under the wily leadership of Paul ‘Chew’ Trainor.
Co Down outfit Drumaness stand in ‘Star’s way of their third Border Cup triumph under Trainor.
“A few years before the pandemic we went through a season unbeaten, we’ve done doubles, we won the Intermediate Cup, but it was hard to sustain,” said Trainor, who had a spell at Derry City during his playing days.
“But over the last five or six weeks I’ve seen the Crumlin Star of old. After the pandemic, things were difficult as some of the kids got into a certain way where sport was no longer top of their agenda. But hopefully we’re back to where we want to be.”
Since taking charge of his local club in 2016, Trainor has guided ‘Star to three NAFL Premier League titles, two Border Cups, a Clarence Cup, an Intermediate Cup and managed the Amateur League’s representative team to two Rosebowls.
“This Border Cup means an awful lot to me because we haven’t competed in major finals over the last couple of years.”
The affable 58-year-old manager has been joined in the dug-out this season by his old sparring partner and Cliftonville colleague Eddie Patterson, both of whom coached together at Solitude back in the early part of the last decade.
Trainor was previously assisted by his son – Paul jr – and former defender Paul Berne, who together raised standards and led the club to an unprecedented amount of success.
“Now I’ve got my side-kick back with me this season – Eddie Patterson,” said Trainor.
“We know each other 35 years and we fight the bit out, but we’re starting to turn the corner. It’s a wee bit different with me being the manager and him being the coach, but we’re enjoying ourselves. So there’s Eddie, [player/coach] Joe McNeill and me.”
“It’s been really enjoyable I have to say. This is probably the most pleasure I’ve had out of football because the team is from my own district – it’s been better than winning Irish Cups, or playing in Europe or being with Eddie [Patterson] at Cliftonville or Glentoran.”
Trainor, who played for Derry City and Drogheda United as well as a brief stint at Cliftonville in his mid-30s, describes himself as a “hungry old fool” and wants the Ardoyne club to win more cups and leagues.
“You can never have enough medals and cups,” he smiled. “It’s all about winning.
“Crumlin Star’s success is not down to me over. I steer the ship, but the players do the work. If I hadn’t the quality of player at this level, then we wouldn’t get anywhere. You need quality players. But they’ve bought into what we’re trying to do, things are a bit more professional too.”
Trainor insists nobody is fooled by Drumaness’s lowly position in the Amateur League’s Premier Section ahead of their Border final clash, while they themselves sit in fifth position but with games in hand that could still see them mount a title challenge in 2023.
