Special Guests
COLERAINE FC is pleased to announce that three special guests will be at The Showgrounds tomorrow afternoon…
Alan Campbell Snr, Brendan Mullan and Davy Jackson will return to the Ballycastle Road for the game against Glentoran.
The two gentlemen are guests of Honorary Vice President, Frankie Moffatt, who gave a glowing reference for his colleagues.
ALAN CAMPBELL SNR
When we think of legends that have played for Coleraine, Alan Campbell Snr is right at the top of the list. Most would consider him the best left back to have ever played for the club and was part of that famous back three of Hunter, McCurdy, Campbell which I consider the best to have ever played in the Irish League.
Alan came to Coleraine from Distillery in 1961 and went onto play 453 games for the club winning every honour possible including captaining the team to our only Irish League success. Alan was capped at every level for NI except for full international and represented the Irish League on numerous occasions.
Alan left Coleraine to become player manager of Glenavon where he quickly build a team capable of challenging for major honours. He then moved to Ballymena United where he build what many consider to be their best side ever, winning a number of trophies including the Irish Cup.
Alan was a fantastic player and a great competitor. He was also very clever and a great leader and talker both on and off the pitch.
BRENDAN MULLAN
Brendan was an extremely talented player and a prolific goalscorer. ‘Barney’, as he was better known, was very powerfully built with great skill. No one knocked him off the ball and his record of 74 goals in 158 games confirms his outstanding finishing ability.
He was transferred to Fulham in England and has the distinction of scoring for them in the FA Cup in a game that was his debut.
On retiring, Brendan returned to the club as First Team Coach and has been a very successful and popular servant of this club.
DAVY JACKSON
Davy signed for Coleraine at the beginning of 1969 from his hometown club Portadown and became the backbone of the team for the next 10 years.
‘Jacko’ was a very commanding presence in the middle of the defence, very dominant in the air and strong in the tackle. He would often refer to himself as “a ball playing centre half” and who am I to argue and his surges upfield with the ball at his feet were a joy to behold.
Davy won every medal there was during the most successful period in the club’s history – including two All Ireland Blaxnit Cups, the Irish League when he partnered Alan Campbell at the centre of the defence in that great team and three Irish Cups in 1972, 1975 and 1977.
A medal haul that is the envy of all and testament to this qualities on the pitch. He is also great company off the pitch so please join me in welcoming him plus his two teammates Alan and Brendan back to the Showgrounds.
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