FOOTBALL REVERIES

LEINSTER  LEADER JANUARY 21 1978

FOOTBALL REVERIES

By Offcor

A reader asks if I could publish the team that represented Kildare in the 1935 All-Ireland and which was beaten by Cavan on the score 2-5 to 1-4.

            Over forty years have passed since this game was played which incidentally was the all whites last appearance in a Senior All-Ireland but despite the intervening years, the argument rages why “Cuddy” Chanders, the regular goalie, was dropped for the Cavan game.  There are many oldtimers who still maintain that the shock omission of Chanders had an unsettling effect on the side as a whole and the team never produced their real form in the All-Ireland.

            According to the official programme, the Kildare team and the subs listed were: J. Maguire, W. Mangan, P. Watters, F. Dowling, P. Matthews, Cpt.,  C. Higgins, P. Martin, T. Mulhall, P. Byrne, M. Geraghty,  J. Dowling, T. Keogh. Subs: J. Dalton, J. Fox, B. Dunne, J. Crofton, P. Chanders.

            Matt Goff, Bill Mangan, Jack Higgns, Paddy Martin and Tom Keogh remained from the great side that had won all before them in Leinster, 1926 to 1931.  And indeed the last named, the late Tom Keogh of Kildare town, held the record of having won more Leinster Senior medals than any other Kildare player.  He won the five in a row.  Then in 1935, and the following year he transferred to Laois with whom he won Leinster Medals in 1936 and 1937.

            Another interesting fact that I have unearthed from old writings is that the famous “Joyce” Conlon of the 1905 and 1919 All-Ireland winning teams helped in the preparation of the 1935 side at Dalkey House, Celebridge.

            “Joyce”, in a prematch interview with Irish Press columnist “Green Flag”, provided the information that of the seventeen who did duty in that historic 1905 occasion at Thurles, sixteen were still alive and well thirty years later.  The team captain, Jack Murray, had been killed in the U.S.A.

            And here is another very interesting piece of information, and something that might settle a lot of arguments.  I fully quote from Green Flag’s column:

            “The old Kildare man told me, too, how the lilywhite first came to be adopted as the county colours.  Clane were, in the early years of the century, champions of the short grass country and while their colours were black and green, Rafferty, who captained the team, usually wore a white singlet.

            “The bronzehaired Clane footballer was an outstanding figure on the field and when the question of adopting county colours arose, Roseberry, a newly established club, advocated a white sweater and white it has been since.   

            So much for the stories of flour bags being turned into jerseys, etc.  Surely at last the oft-asked question has been answered by that Roseberry star of former days, the late Joyce” Conlon.  Surely too, the Newbridge man created his own little bit of history when he helped Kildare to their first Senior win in 1905 over Kerry and was still a member of the Kildare side when they made it number two fourteen years later when the all whites beat Galway.

            Concluding my brief flashback to that 1935 All-Ireland Final, I reproduce the pen pictures of two of the players, “Cuddy” Chambers and Christy Higgins, Naas, two still very active supporters of the all whites.  Again taken from the Irish Press and Green Flag is his preview of the semi-final when Kildare beat the Connaught Champions, Mayo.  

            “P. Chambers, Athy, will keep goal for the lilywhites on Sunday.  Reckoned one of the best players to ever man the gap for the county.  Agile and brainy, his anticipation has won him golden opinions from all who say him play.  Makes his first appearance in an All-Ireland Final”.

            “C. Higgins, Naas will partner the Kildare skipper, Paul Matthews at centrefield.  Is a nephew of Jack’s and one of the most moved around players on the team.  First played as forward, then tried as back and when Kildare were hard-set to find a partner for Matthews, at Tullamore, “Kit” again proved himself the utility man by appearing in a new role.  Was a decided success, as his weight and speed were ideally suited to the hard knocks of centerfield play.”

 

Re-Typed by Mary Murphy