When Athlone held Peter Reid"s men in St Mel"s Park

WITH the much-anticipated visit of Roy Keane"s Sunderland to Athlone just around the corner, the Westmeath Independent decided to take a look back at the last time the sides met. The date was July 25, 1995, and Athlone memorably held Sunderland to a 1-1 draw in St Mel"s Park, when then Irish youth international and current European Challenge Tour golfer Stephen Grant, from Birr, equalised in the 54th minute after Martin Smith had earlier put the Wearsiders ahead. Such was the impact of Stephen Grant on the Sunderland management that day that the English club immediately snapped him up! It had been Grant"s first game for the Athlone senior team - and what a debut it transpired to be. Grant, who has pursued a career in professional golf of late, failed to make the breakthrough at Sunderland but went on to play for Stockport County before returning to Ireland for spells with various different clubs including Shamrock Rovers and Galway Utd. In 1995, Athlone, under the management of Michael O"Connor and including names such as Michael Collins, Brian and Conor Frawley, Rod de Khors and Val Keenan, were preparing for a second successive season in the League of Ireland Premier Division, while Sunderland were some distance from the current Roy Keane/Niall Quinn-inspired revolution at the Stadium of Light, and were operating in the old Endsleigh League Division One (the current Championship) at the time. Of the more notable names in the Sunderland side that day were Paul Bracewell, "keeper Alec Chamberlain and Welsh international defender Andy Melville, while former Everton great Peter Reid had just recently taken over as manager of the club. Reid would later that season guide Sunderland to the Division One title and promotion back to the English Premier League. In goal for Athlone Town that day was Anthony Keenan, popularly known throughout his career as "Jelly". Anthony spoke to the 'Westmeath Independent' about his memories of the Sunderland game in 1995 - and also looked ahead to the next meeting of the sides on Thursday, August 7 (kick-off: 7.30pm). 'I would have been a very experienced player at the time and it was a great ocacsion to be involved in,' Keenan said this week. 'We had a lot of young lads in the side, the likes of Michael Collins, Stephen Grant and Warren Parkes were just breaking through to the first-team, and there were probably a few nerves about that day, but we did very well and deserved a draw from the game. At that time, our season ran through the winter, so it was pre-season for us as well as them. Nowadays, with summer soccer, Athlone are playing these type of fixtures during mid-season while Sunderland will obviously be in pre-season, so Athlone will have a good chance of giving Sunderland a decent game next month.' Anthony, who also played for Cobh Ramblers and Longford Town during his career, had some words of encouragment for Athlone"s relatively young squad. 'I think the Athlone lads should just go out and enjoy the occasion against Sunderland. It"s a great opportunity to play well and also to put yourself in shop window. Just look at what that friendly in 1995 did for Stephen Grant; he ended up signing for Sunderland after an impressive display. 'You never know who is watching you play and the game against Sunderland gives the Athlone boys a great chance to impress against good opposition. It will be a very good occaasion for the players and supporters. It"s a nice break from league action too. Athlone have improved a lot in recent weeks and that"s good to see. Hopefully that will continue for the remainder of the First Division season. I hope they do well against Sunderland and wish them all the best,' Keenan said. The teams which played on that memorable day in St Mel"s Park in 1995 were as follows: Athlone Town: Anthony Keenan, John Murphy, Chris Malone, Frank Darby, Jamie Jardine, Conor Frawley, Rod de Khors, Val Keenan, Stephen Grant, Brian Frawley and Michael Collins. Subs: Shane Curran for A Keenan (45 mins), Warren Parkes for V Keenan; Tommy Keane for B Frawley (68), John Morris-Burke for Collins (73), Tom Silke and Paul Brady for Jardine and de Khors (80). Sunderland: Alec Chamberlain, Dariusz Kubicki, Martin Scott, Andy Melville, Richard Ord, Paul Bracewell, Michael Gray, Brian Atkinson, Craig Russell, Martin Smith and Gordon Armstrong. Subs: Martin Gray and Phil Gray for Kubicki and Scott (45 mins). Referee: John Stacey (Athlone)