Donegal Celtic

Football club infobox
clubname = Donegal Celtic

| fullname = Donegal Celtic Football & Sports Club
nickname = "DC", "The Wee Hoops","Celtic"
founded = 1970
ground = Donegal Celtic Park
Belfast
capacity = 3,000
chairman = Raymond Bonner
manager = Paddy Kelly
league = IFA Championship
pattern_la1=_white_hoops|pattern_b1=_whitehoops|pattern_ra1=_white_hoops
leftarm1=008000|body1=008000|rightarm1=008000|shorts1=FFFFFF|socks1=FFFFFF
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=_rightstripeonwhite|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=008000|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=FFFFFF

Donegal Celtic is a football club playing in the IFA Championship in Northern Ireland. The club, founded in 1970, hails from Belfast and plays its home matches at Donegal Celtic Park. Club colours are green and white in Celtic-style hoops. The current manager is Paddy Kelly.

History

Donegal Celtic (or "DC") was formed in 1970 by local men from the Lenadoon estate in west Belfast. The club's early days were spent organising and playing friendlies and entering local tournaments. In its infancy it lacked the appropriate facilities and equipment but still managed to grow considerably despite mounting political and social turmoil in Northern Ireland. The club managed to secure a plot of land between Lenadoon and Colin Glen Forest Park and registered its chosen name with the Irish Football League. Often confused with the county or the (differently-spelled) Donegall Road on which Belfast Celtic once played, the club actually takes its name from streets in its locality, which are named after towns in County Donegal.

In 1990, the club drew Linfield, a club with a Protestant support in contrast to Donegal Celtic's Catholic fans, in the Irish Cup and travelled along with over five thousand supporters to Windsor Park. The club had not expected such a large following and neither had the authorities and the match was delayed for fifteen minutes while those outside were ushered into the Kop end for what would be the club's biggest game to date.

What promised to be an incredible sporting spectacle soon descended into sectarian mayhem when fans rioted and the police fired plastic baton rounds into the Donegal Celtic end. One member of the Linfield support invaded the pitch and aimed a kick at Brendan Tully, a descendant of Charlie Tully who experienced a similar attack prompting the withdrawal of Belfast Celtic from Irish football in 1948.

In 1998 the football at Donegal Celtic Park became a political one when the club was drawn against the RUC team in the Steel & Sons Cup semi-final. The cup is considered the most prestigious in Irish junior football, attracting large crowds for its Christmas Day final and the club felt that this year would be its best chance to capture what had eluded them for decades. The members initially voted to go ahead with the game. They were forced, however, to reverse their decision after intense pressure from Sinn Féin politicians. The club stated it had been "thrown into the eye of the storm" [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/northern_ireland/latest_news/213558.stm Club faced 'unfair' pressure] BBC News, 13 November 1998] , with football being the only true loser.

DC continued to apply for Irish League entry only to be denied time and time again. Left with no option the club sought legal action claiming that they were being discriminated against on religious grounds. Their case, along with that of Lurgan Celtic, was backed by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/1935301.stm Celtic teams await league approval] BBC News, 17 April 2002] and was due to go before a county court on the 15th April 2002, but was adjourned until June. The hearing would never come as the Irish Football Association admitted both clubs into the Irish League Second Division at its AGM in May for the start of the 2002-03 season. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/2062670.stm Celtic duo withdraw actions] BBC News, 24 June 2002] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/2016233.stm Celtic duo admitted to League] BBC News, 30 May 2002]

This meant that the League was expanded from thirteen to sixteen teams with Crewe United being admitted alongside the two Celtics and the two bottom clubs PSNI (formerly the RUC) and Chimney Corner remaining in the league. In December of that year the club managed finally to capture the elusive Steel & Sons Cup, denied to them five years previously, as they defeated underdogs Killyleagh YC 3-0 at Seaview in the Christmas Day spectacle. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/3349059.stm Celtic lift Steel Cup] BBC News, 26 December 2003] The next season the club managed to progress to the First Division after finishing in sixth place.

The team was beginning to find its feet under the stewardship of Paddy Kelly and captain Joe Donnelly as they managed to secure a respectable eighth place and consolidate their status as a First Division club.

In season 2004-05 the club were ready for an assault on the league and despite maintaining second place for considerable periods, a combination of incredible form by Armagh City and a late push by recently relegated senior club Glenavon forced DC into third place. Although losing the possibility of promotion may have left some disappointed coming that close was seen as a massive achievement and set the tone for the following season.

With the news that relegated Premier League club Omagh Town had been forced to fold due to financial difficulties [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/4617373.stm Omagh fold after financial crisis] BBC News, 7 June 2005] only three teams were left with a reasonable chance at promotion, those were relegated Crusaders, Bangor and Donegal Celtic. Bangor's challenge quickly deteriorated and DC's cup commitments allowed Crusaders to open up a gap in the league that they could never realistically close. Crusaders played through the season losing only one game, including knocking DC out of two separate cup competitions on their way to a First Division treble, with DC finishing second, and thus a chance for promotion to the Premier League in a two-legged play-off against the second-bottom Premier League club, Institute.

DC's home leg had to be played at Cliftonville's Solitude stadium because Donegal Celtic Park was deemed not to meet the minimum standards for senior football (this was despite the absence of an explicit rule dealing with ground criteria for play-off matches). DC took a commanding lead with a 3-1 victory [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/4974084.stm Donegal Celtic 3-1 Institute] BBC News, 5 May 2006] in the first leg, however Institute’s away goal ensured the contest was far from over and most of the hard work would have to be done in Drumahoe the following Wednesday. DC played the return game out while Institute ran out of steam searching for the first of the two goals needed to save themselves from relegation against a ten man team. The game finished 0-0 [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/4757433.stm Institute 0-0 Donegal Celtic] BBC News, 10 May 2006] and the final whistle led to an impromptu pitch invasion and a massive huddle as fans and players celebrated together.

The team also managed to capture the Intermediate Cup defeating Coagh United 2-0 in the final, it was the only cup in junior football the team had not yet won.

In its first season in senior football, DC managed to avoid relegation, finishing thirteenth out of sixteen. In 2007-08, the club finished eleventh, but was relegated to the IFA Championship as a result of the club's failure to gain a place in a new senior league - the IFA Premiership.

Men's senior squad 2008-09

Honours

Intermediate honours

*IFA Reserve League: 1
**2007/08
*Irish Intermediate Cup: 1
**2005/06
*Steel & Sons Cup: 1
**2003/04
*Northern Ireland Intermediate League: 8
**1989/90, 1990/91, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1994/95, 1998/99, 1999/00; 2001/02
*Northern Ireland Intermediate League Challenge Cup: 6
**1988/89, 1989/90, 1992/93, 1994/95, 1998/99, 2001/02
*Northern Ireland Intermediate League Cup: 7
**1988/89, 1989/90, 1991/92, 1997/98, 1998/99, 1999/00, 2001/02

ee also

* Irish League Forums Supporters Group

External links

* [http://www.dc-fc.com Official Club website]
* [http://www.donegalceltic.net DonegalCeltic.net - Recently updated Unofficial News, Info, Fixtures & Results]
* [http://www.donegalcelticladies.com/ DC Ladies]
* [http://www.irishfootballclubproject.co.nr Irish Football Club Project]
* [http://www.irishpremierleague.com/premierleague.htm Carnegie Premier League 2007-08 Final Table]

References