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| Full name | Mervue United Association Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1960 | ||
| Ground | Fahy's Field Terryland Park | ||
| League | Galway & District League League of Ireland First Division A Championship League of Ireland U21 Division Connacht Senior League | ||
| Website | www | ||
Mervue United A.F.C. is anIrish association football club based in Mervue,Galway. Their senior men's team currently plays in theGalway & District League. The club has previously fielded teams in theConnacht Senior League, theLeague of Ireland U21 Division, theA Championship and theLeague of Ireland First Division.
Mervue United was formed in 1960 by a group of residents in the McDonagh Avenue area of Mervue,Galway.[1] In 1964–65 the club won its first trophy, the Murphy Cup, a competition for under–13 boys teams. By the early 1970s Mervue United were playing in theGalway & District League and in 1972–73 they won promotion to the league's Premier division. They subsequently began to regularly win the league's two league cups, the Joe Ryan Cup and the Lillis Cup. In 1976–77 they also won a Galway & District League andMichael Byrne Cup double. By 1980 the Mervue United B team had also gained promotion to the Premier Division. HoweverGalway Football Association rules insisted that two teams from the same club could not play in the same division. As a result,Mervue Celtic was founded as a separate club and, like United, they also found success in the Joe Ryan Cup and the Lillis Cup competitions. In 1981–82 they also won the Galway areaFAI Junior Cup competition.[2][3]
Between 1981 and 2000 Mervue United played in theConnacht Senior League. In 1981–82, together withSligo Rovers Reserves, Castlerea Celtic,Salthill Devon, Ballina Rovers,Tuam Celtic andUCG, Mervue United became founder members of the CSL. In its first season Mervue United finished as runners-up behind Sligo Rovers. They also won a league cup double, winning both theConnacht Senior League Cup and theConnacht Senior League Challenge Cup. Mervue United won the league for the first time in 1982–83 and subsequently went on to become one of the league's most successful teams, winning the title eight times. In 1982–83 and 1983–84 they completed two successive trebles winning the league title, the Challenge Cup and theConnacht Senior Cup. In 1992–93 they went one better and won a quartet of trophies, winning the league title, the Connacht Senior League Shield, Connacht Senior Cup and the Challenge Cup. Between 1996 and 1997 and 1999–2000 Mervue United were also Connacht Senior League champions four times in a row. In 1999–2000 Mervue United completed another treble by also winning the League Cup and the Challenge Cup.[2][4][5] In 1984–85 Mervue United first came to national prominence when they became the first CSL club to take part in theFAI Cup, losing 2–1 in the first round to the holders,UCD. In the 1986–87 FAI Cup they defeatedLongford Town 1–0 in the first round but got knocked out byRockmount in the next round. In 1997–98 Mervue United made a third appearance in the FAI Cup but were knocked out in the first round after a replay by Sligo Rovers. As Connacht Senior League champions, United were also invited to play in theLeague of Ireland Cup.[4][5][6][7]
In2008, together with local rivals,Salthill Devon, Mervue United were founder members of theA Championship. As the highest placed non-reserve team in the league's inaugural season, Mervue United qualified for a relegation/promotion play-off. They subsequently defeatedKildare County 5–3 on aggregate and were promoted to theLeague of Ireland First Division.[8] Between2009 and2013 Mervue United played in the League of Ireland First Division, initially atTerryland Park before returning to Fahey's Field in 2011.[9] In their final season they finished third before losing a relegation/promotion play-off againstLongford Town.
In 2012 anFAI commissioned report recommended thatGalway city andCounty Galway should be represented in theLeague of Ireland by a single club or team based atEamonn Deacy Park. The O'Connor Report also recommended that theGalway Football Association, theGalway United Supporters Trust,Salthill Devon and Mervue United should work together to form such a club.[10] Following the conclusion of the2013 season, both Mervue United and Salthill Devon withdrew from theLeague of Ireland First Division to make way for a reformedGalway United. The new board of Galway United featured two Mervue United representatives, Donnie Farragher and Declan McDonnell.[11][12][13] The O'Connor Report had also recommended reforming theConnacht Senior League, allowing Mervue United and Salthill Devon to play at a provincial level.[14]However, in June 2013 theConnacht Tribune reported that the plans for a reformed CSL were shelved due to a lack of sufficient interest from the clubs.[15] The senior teams of Mervue United and Salthill Devon subsequently joined theGalway & District League.[16]
Mervue United originally operated out of the Redemptorist Grounds before moving to Monivea Road were they shared facilities with Mervue Athletic Club. After joining theConnacht Senior League, the club secured a lease on a clubhouse and a pitch in Fahy's Field. This has remained the club's principal home ground ever since.[3][17]
After promotion to theLeague of Ireland First Division, Mervue United temporarily played atTerryland Park during the2009 and2010 seasons as Fahy's Field did not meetLeague of Ireland standards. However, the move away from their Mervue fan base affected attendances to the degree that they were the lowest in league records. By early2011, additions such as fencing and turnstiles had been made to Fahy's Field which brought the ground up to code and allowed Mervue United to return home to play their League of Ireland games.[9][11][18]
Patrick Hoban: 21 (2009–12)[19]Rory Gaffney: 15 (2009–11)[19]Source:[2]
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