Inside Track: Curiosity Corner

Find the names behind the initials FL

1: It tells what’s on and where

2: He took to flying when his cricket career was over

3: Managers under pressure find themselves in this

4: A Swede who played with “The Invincibles” and later Celtic

5: Get there first and you win the race

6: He scored more goals in the Premier League than any other midfielder.....

7:......and this Man City forward wasn’t too bad in front of goals either

8: It’s a golf course in North County Dublin

9: Substitutes are said to have these when they go into a game

10: There was no-one younger of Louth’s All-Ireland 1957 team

LOUTH MANAGERS

Gavin Devlin is the latest to join the list of Louth senior team managers. The job was created in 1973 with the appointment of Jimmy Mulroy. Prior to that, and for one short spell afterwards, teams were in the care of selectors, one of them acting as trainer.

Mulroy was succeeded by his Newtown Blues colleague, Jacko Smith. Stephen White, heading a selection committee, followed. After that, the list reads:

Frank Lynch, Jimmy Mulroy, Frank Fagan, Mickey Whelan, Frank Lynch, Declan Smyth, Paul Kenny, Paddy Clarke, Paddy Carr, Val Andrews, Eamonn McEneaney, Peter Fitzpatrick, Aidan O’Rourke, Colin Kelly, Wayne Kierans, Mickey Harte, and Ger Brennan.

Whelan (Dublin-born) was the first non-native to hold the post, and was followed later by Smyth (Galway), Carr (Donegal), Andrews (Dublin), McEneaney (Monaghan), O’Rourke (Armagh), Harte (Tyrone), Brennan (Dublin) and Devlin (Tyrone).

WHO AM I?

There’s a clue to my surname in contraptions young people raced in on the roads years ago. As for my Christian name, it’s probably better known as a surname. I was a footballer, the scorer of a goal many regard as the best ever seen in the FA Cup.

My team were down to 10 at the time, so a piece of individual brilliance was needed. I provided it. We, a team more united than it’s been in recent years, won the game. When I wasn’t playing club football, I was dragging myself along for Internationals.

GUNNERS FIRING YET AGAIN

Inside Track’s favourite hurling team are on the go again. Having sauntered through the Waterford Championship, winning the title for the 12th time in succession, Ballygunner avenged a surprise defeat in last year’s Munster Championship final by beating Sarsfields from Cork 4-18 to 2-17 on Sunday of last week.

Representing a club founded by Dundalk schoolteacher, James McGinn, and wearing the combined colours of McGinn’s native town and county, the Gunners are through to their eighth provincial final in a row, playing Eoin Doohan’s Clare champions, Éire Óg.

They’ve won out in Munster on five occasions, and in 2020 added the All-Ireland.

FIND THE JOCKEY

I fade terror ink

THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG HERE

Ireland were chasing a first rugby Grand Slam in 61 years when they took on England in the final game of the 2009 Six Nations Cup. The game was drawing to a close, with Ireland one point down.

Something special was required, and no-one knew that better than Ronan O’Gara to provide it. The Munster player got himself into the pocket, and was picked out. It was now or never. O’Gara had to act fast, and he did, right-footing a drop kick, to give Ireland a 17-15 win.

ANSWERS

Initials FL: 1 Fixture List, 2 Freddie Laker, 3 Firing Line, 4 Freddie Ljungberg, 5 Finish Line, 6 Frank Lampard, 7 Franny Lee, 8 Forrest Little, 9 Fresh Legs, 10 Frank Lynch.

Who Am I? Ryan Giggs (Man United and Wales). Find The Jockey: Frankie Detorri. There’s something wrong here: Wales were Ireland’s opponents.