County Cup

It was a Friday night and the town was Mallow. The two buses and the fleet of cars that arrived in the Town Park had travelled along the fertile valleys of the Bride and Blackwater rivers from the Waterford town of Tallow. On the journey the town of Fermoy brought back memories of those days eleven years earlier when the men and women of Cork Road Football Club had travelled to Tallow in search of glory and had succeeded. They would always remember the victories but would be unaware of the contribution they made to the development of soccer in the Brideside town.

The valley through which the party travelled mirrored the progress of Tallow's first soccer club. In particular it mirrored the progress of the club through the competition whose 1983 grand final they were about to compete in. The land will only yield a healthy crop if it is well tended. From its foundation in 1972 Bride View United would tend the land that is football and apply itself to the task of excellence.

In the County Cup this application paid dividends in 1975 when the club reached the final against Crosshaven. That game played in Clonakilty was the result of hard work by manager Pat Noonan and a dedicated team including Youghal man Jan Plante. The 3-1 defeat ensured a sad journey back through the county of Cork but there was no need to dwell on the outcome. To reach the final after only three years in existence was nothing to be ashamed of.

Now seven years later in this north Cork town of Mallow there would be a connection with 1975. The County Cup final of that year was refereed by Mallow man, John Spillane.

A June evening is the ideal time for a game as important as the County Cup Final. The heat of the day would have departed, cooling the atmosphere to allow athletes perform better. It was not the same on the sidelines. Fervent Bride View United supporters mingling with the partisan Mallow crowds brought the temperature above that of the famous Spa waters which bubble from the limestone rocks around Mallow.

There was no need for heating when Killeady fell to the Tallow side in the first round. Kanturk felt the heat in the second round before Bride View United had time to cool off with a bye in the third round. In the fourth round Coachford took their final shower of the competition while Lake View Athletic Club could only claim one goal out of the four scored in the quarter final.

Now the heat was on for Buttevant, the newly crowned Third Division champions. Mickey Curley warmed up the Tallow crowd with an early goal but the temperature dropped when Buttevant scored twice before half time. In the second half temperatures were rising again as Bride View United  equalised and the heat of the Mallow Spa was almost equalised as Mickey Curley scored the winner.

Now in the home of the Spa with its bubbling waters the bubbly Tallow crowd waited for manager Ray Fraser's team to take the field.

At times during the competition there were dark cold days and none felt colder than the day Leonard Fraser broke his leg or the day Stephen Curley emigrated to England. It was cold also in the dugout for Ray Fraser who was forced on to the sideline through injury. But, things were about to warm up in this County Cup final.

Half way through the first half Bride View United went ahead when Philly Curley scored after brother Mickey's shot was blocked. Mallow equalised before the interval but the visitors clinched it in the second half when a corner was headed on by Pat O'Sullivan to the returned emigrant Stephen Curley who headed home the winner. The Cork County Cup was on its way across the county boundary to the Waterford town of Tallow.

Both team and supporters were jubilant as they crossed the Bride at Tallow Bridge to the welcome sight of bonfires at the middle gates. The flames which rose from the victory symbols laughed at those who predicted doom for the fledging club in 1972.

Saint Catherine's Hall was a warm place to be as the celebrations went on until dawn. The scenes were repeated the following Friday night in the Bracken Bar in West Street when a video of the game was shown. Bride View United had made their mark by winning the double - County Cup and Second Division league - and Tallow was proud of them.

The team that did Bride View United proud in that historic season was :
Kevin Tobin, Sean Pratt, John Sice, Pascal Prescod, Timmy Sheehan (Captain), Pat O'Sullivan, Tommy Pratt, Connie Curley, Stephen Curley, Mickey Curley, Philly Curley.

Reserves : - Gerard Hogan and Pat Sheehan.

Bride View United would be back to defend their County Cup crown the following season only to be defeated in the semi-final. The quarter final mark was reached in 1985. The Cork A.U.L. and the County Cup were left behind in 1986 as Bride View United lent a hand to the development of the Red House League. But the memories would linger on, Pat Noonan, Jan Plante, Ray Fraser, Mickey Curley, Kevin Tobin, Pascal Prescod and Tommy Pratt, to name just a few, had made history and would always be remembered in Tallow.

Mickey Curley

Without doubt the admiration of all Tallow and indeed all Waterford goes to Mickey Curley. He was not yet thirteen years of age when Bride View United was formed in 1972, yet he made history. As captain of the under -fourteen side which defeated Lismore in the Festival Tournament of that year Mickey collected the first soccer trophies for a Tallow soccer club.

Six years later Mickey would again make history as he donned the green jersey of the Republic of Ireland Youths to play Wales at Richmond Park, Dublin, on Saturday, 22nd April 1978. In doing so Mickey Curley was the first and to date the only Tallow man to represent his country in any sport at any level. Mickey Curley was born in West Street to Mary and the late Patrick Curley. The family had a tremendous interest in sport, Mickey being described as someone who could do well no matter what game he played. From the under age teams Mickey progressed to the junior side in 1974 and by the following season he was scoring nine goals in 16 games. The following year he was helping Bride View United to promotion to Division 2.

His exploits were soon noticed by the selectors of the Cork Athletic Union League representative side. After some terrific performances for Bride View United Mickey was asked to travel to Cork every Wednesday to train with the AUL Squad.

All the hard work soon paid off, and he was chosen to play for Cork against Waterford and District League at "The Farm'', Cork, on the 4th March 1978. And what an impression he made scoring six of Cork's eight goals with just one reply from Waterford.

Five weeks later Mickey Curley was again in action for Cork. This time it was against Limerick and though Cork went down 3-2, Mickey opened the scoring with a fine goal after the Limerick goal-keeper got his hand to the first attempt. Limerick went on to win the competition.

His services to the Cork Athletic Union were rewarded when officials of the League protested to the FAI over his exclusion from the national side to visit St. Malo in France. Their protests were noticed and the moment came when Mickey was called up to play for Ireland against Wales in a friendly youth international in Dublin on Saturday, 22nd April 1978. Promotion to the senior ranks of the League of Ireland followed with a year at Waterford before returning to Bride View United for a year, and then it was back to the League of Ireland with Cork United. Fermoy, Cappoquin and Dungarvan were the next ports of call before he took up the manager's position at Bride View United from 1989 to 1992.

All in all a terrific record, but Mickey's skills were not all in soccer. He played for Tallow G.A.A. Club and was on the Waterford panel in minor hurling. Mickey Curley holds the honours that history has bestowed on him, and no one deserves them more