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In July 2003 representatives from Clonmel Evergreen and St Olivers Boys met to consider the possibility of both clubs amalgamating. The meeting was held in a community house in Elm Park and present on behalf of Evergreen were Michael McArdle, Gussy Sweetman and Noel Meaney while John Power, Karl Condon and Richie Kiely represented St Olivers Boys. Also there as facilitators, for want of a better word, were Marion Smiles and Eileen Anderson from RAPID (Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment and Development). One of the action plans of the Rapid programme is to support organisations expand their sports and recreational facilities and both Marion and Eileen saw the formation of a new club based in the west side of Clonmel as contributing to this. Both girls made themselves available if the amalgamation talks ran into difficulty but both clubs were committed to the new venture and August 2003 saw Clonmel Celtic participate in the Tipperary Southern & District League for the first time. Both St Olivers Boys and Clonmel Evergreen were well established junior teams in Clonmel. In 1998 St Olivers and St Martins merged to form St Olivers Boys. For the past few years the team had been trying to acquire their own playing facilities but to no avail. A very decent junior team did result from the merger and this team grew in strength and began to compete well with the more established clubs in Tipperary like St Michaels and Clonmel Town. Indeed the team did come close to a title in 2002 finishing runners up. Clonmel Evergreen for their part were a strong unit during the nineties and also came close to winning the league but again Town and Michaels seemed to be always there to deny them silverware. However they did purchase their own playing pitch from Clonmel Og on the Clonmel Bypass near the Fethard Rd Roundabout. Unfortunately on the pitch the junior team hit bad times, which saw them relegated from the Premier League for the first time. They did have a very promising youth team. So a well-established junior team, a youth team with a lot of potential and a fine soccer pitch were all factors, which made the amalgamation an attractive option. Clonmel Celtic’s first year in competition was a memorable one with the youths winning the Munster Youths Cup and the club being awarded government grants of up to €200,000 to help develop their own facilities. For the historians among us lets delve into the past and have a look at the history of the teams that now make up Clonmel Celtic FC. The story of St Olivers Boys seems to be one long story of amalgamations which can be traced all the way back to 1977. In that year Clonmel Rangers combined with Elm Park United to form Elm Park Rangers. The club used the Elm Park community pitch and drew a large volume of players form far and wide. They also built up a large support base in their own immediate area. Founder members of Elm Park Rangers were Danny and Richie Gibbons and Michael Lynch who felt that the northern part of Clonmel was devoid of a soccer team and they also realised the potential in the largely populated residential area. Their ambitions were realised in the first year when they beat old rival Clonmel Hibs in a Shield Final with captain John Smith scoring the winning goal. They won promotion to the 1st Division many times but failed to make the mark. They appeared in several cup and shield finals, but lady luck did not always smile on them. They seemed to be labelled with the tag 'Always the bridesmaids never the bride'. However, their fortune changed in the 1989/90 shield final when they won the 2nd Division Shield final with a victory over Knocklong. A beauty of a free kick won the day for Elm Park Rangers and it was a proud Ned Cullinane who received the 2nd Division Shield from league chairman Gay Lowry. They had a constant reservoir of young players coming through their schoolboy and youth ranks and in the early nineties they changed their name to St Olivers. The nineties were a decade of huge success for the schoolboy and youth teams and the club soon developed a reputation for their under age talent. Unfortunately, although the junior side tasted promotion a few times, they were never serious challengers for the Premier League. The club never seemed able to hold onto to their youths and this had a detrimental effect on the junior team. In 1998 St Olivers joined with St Martins to form St Olivers Boys and more and more youths seemed to stay with the club, which saw St Olivers Boys become a very respected outfit in the Tipperary League.
Most goals conceded in a game: 9 v St Michaels 2008 |