This Friday night at Finn Park, the guests of honour at the Finn Harps v Wexford game will be the members of the Finn Harps junior side that won the FAI Junior Cup in 1968.
On 30 June 1968 – over 50 years ago the team beat Telephones United by four goals to nil in Leckview Park in Letterkenny.
Those players due to attend Finn Park include:
John Young, who was Harps first captain in senior football and a goalkeeper from Derry;
Richie Kelly, who was the team captain, and is the only player to have scored in junior, intermediate and senior football for Finn Harps;
Charlie Ferry, who later played for Harps in senior football and scored in every round of the 1974 FAI Cup when Harps won the senior trophy;
Tony McCallion, who hailed from Derry and was reputed to have a “fierce shot”.
Liam McLaughlin, who also hailed from Derry and was a winger in the side.
Charlie Quinn, a Ballybofey man who played centre-half;
Fergus McNulty, also from Ballybofey who played full-back;
James Barclay, from Convoy who later played for Harps in senior football and won amateur caps for Ireland;
Patsy McGowan a goalkeeper from Ballybofey. Patsy was also the manager of the team and an injury to him saw John Young come in as his replacement.
Those who are are unable to attend are Allan Wellburn a Yorkshire man, who was working in Convoy Woollen mills at the time, he later returned and still lives in Yorkshire and Andy Hegarty a centre-forward from Derry who is not well at present.
Sadly there are four deceased members of the squad, all of whom hailed from Derry, are Eddie McAdams a full back, Billy Jackson a half back, Des McLaughlin, a centre-half and Stanley Hamilton who was a classy midfield player.
The team, later this year, will at the Finn Harps presentation night, be inducted to the club Hall of Fame.
How they won the Cup
Donegal Area – Gortahork won 2-0; Downings won 2-1; Buncrana Hearts lost 1-0 (won on appeal as Hearts had played a senior player);
18 February 1968 Bank United 1 Finn Harps 1 (Andy Hegarty)
25 February 1968 Finn Harps 7 Bank United 1 (James Barclay (2), Des McLaughlin, Andy Hegarty (2), Allan Wellburn, Tony McCallion)
24 March 1968 Shannon 3 Finn Harps 3 (Eddie McAdams (2), Allan Wellburn)
31 Marchl 1968 Finn Harps 2 Shannon 1 (Liam McLaughlin, Andy Hegarty)
21 April 1968 Finn Harps 2 Valeview (Wicklow) 0 (Billy Jackson pen, Andy Hegarty) (appealed by Valeview as John Young wasn’t named on the referees card but came on as a substitute).
28 April 1968 Finn Harps 1 Valeview (Wicklow) 0 (Andy Hegarty)
19 May 1968 Finn Harps 2 Talbot United (Dublin) 2 (Liam McLaughlin, Richie Kelly)
02 June 1968 Talbot United 0 Finn Harps 1 (Andy Hegarty)
9 June 1968 Telephones United (Dublin) 1 Finn Harps 1 (Jimmy Barclay)
16 June 1968 Finn Harps 2 Telephones United 2 (Charlie Ferry, Richie Kelly)
30 June 1968 Finn Harps 4 Telephones United 0 (Liam McLaughlin, Billy Jackson, Andy Hegarty and Allan Wellburn).
