Benny had the perfect riposte after being substituted

A request has come in asking for the Louth team that beat Monaghan in the league back in 1974. The game was mentioned on these pages last week due to the similarity in its score with the one from last Saturday week’s match in Ardee.

Louth chalked up 6-17 against Fermanagh and conceded 11 points. Fifty years ago, there was a bigger dividing margin, 31 points, 6-17 to 0-4.

The chap who’s looking for the team was in the Louth colours, but doesn’t want his name mentioned. Which is a surprise as there are many who’d be only too happy to let the world know they’d been on a team that gave a neighbouring county such a drubbing.

If you know any of the following, ask if it was he who fingered the computer keyboard:
Gerry Morgan (Cooley Kickhams); Gerry Sheridan (Glyde Rangers), Terry Lennon (St Bride’s), Michael Clarke (St Mary’s); Danny Nugent (Newtown Blues), Leslie Toal (Clan na Gael), Danny Culligan (St Joseph’s); Peadar McParland (Cooley Kickhams), Eugene Sheelan (St Patrick’s); Alo McGrath (Cooley Kickhams), Shane Mulroy (O’Rahilly’s), Benny Gaughran (Civil Service); Richie Barry (Glyde Rangers), Richie Brennan (Glyde Rangers), Bartle Faulkner (Lannleire).
Joe McLoughlin (O’Rahilly’s) and Damien Reid (Mattock Rangers) came in as reserves.

Benny Gaughran was leading marksman with 1-6, with the other scores coming from Brennan 2-0, Mulroy 1-3, Faulkner 0-5, Reid 1-1, Barry 1-0, Sheelan and McParland 0-1 each. Gaughran had been substituted in the previous round match with Leitrim and, fair to say, wasn’t best pleased.

He was restored for the Monaghan match, and had a stormer. When he hit the net, he turned to the sideline and gestured.
No, it wasn’t the fingers – he was too much of a gentleman for that sort of carry-on. Rather, a clenched fist. If he didn’t say it, he probably meant it – take that, you lot will not haul me off again.

I know all of this to be the unfettered truth because I was on the line that day myself, keeping company with Jimmy Mulroy and Liam Leech, the three of us in our second year in charge of the team. Good as this result was, it didn’t turn out to be a particularly rewarding campaign.

The Monaghan rout came after defeats by Donegal and Meath, and a win over Leitrim. Then came draws with Laois and Armagh. The final match was in Randalstown. The result? Antrim 4-8, Louth 0-5. That gave us a perfect insight into how Monaghan must have felt the previous November.