The Early Days

Every human endeavour starts somewhere and it began in the case of Tandragee Rovers with two young men and the support of those who were willing to help them. Two such young men lived in Tandragee at the time, one Samuel (Tucker) Croft and the other Edward Kelly. They decided to put a football team in an organised league and approached the Duke of Manchester for a playing field. The Duke of Manchester at the time lived in Tandragee Castle and was a wealthy businessman. The Duke, along with various other businessmen from the town decided to back them and both Samuel and Edward were invited to the Castle to discuss the question of a playing field. As those who know Tandragee, level fields are few and far between and the right to use the old pitch on the Scarva Road was finally granted as long as it was required for a football team. Tandragee Rovers were established in August 1909 and the pitch secured from the Duke was duly named Manchester Park.

The newly formed team also decided to adopt the crest of the Duke of Manchester, on the left, as their club badge. The motto "Disponendo me, non mutando me" dates back to the time of Henry VIII, and is the most ancient of all the Montagu mottos. It is used in England by the Dukes of Manchester, and is said to have originated with Sir Edward Montagu, the executor of the will of Henry VIII. He was lord chief justice of England. He was removed from that position by Queen Mary, who also imprisoned him in the Tower of London. After his release, it is said that he added the motto to his Arms in Latin, a free translation of which is, "You may displace me but you cannot change me." The crest is still used as the Club's badge.

Samuel Croft and Edward Kelly attended the annual meeting of the Lurgan League held in August 1909 and entered their team, Tandragee Rovers. The following week the Rovers played Guillhall in their first ever league match and won 8-3. Below is the first known photograph of Tandragee Rovers taken in 1910/11. Samuel Croft is 3rd from left in the middle row and Edward Kelly is 3rd from right in the back row.

A New Era

As time went on a two world wars passed the Rovers were still going from strength to strength. In the late 40’s the Rovers played in the Irish Alliance League under the guidance of Fred McKinney. Fred McKinney gave up his time and money to further the club and brought in Bothwell Vennard, ex Ballymena United to help build the side. Mrs Myrtle McKinney was always present to organise transport and meals after the match. In a first for the Rovers, Mrs McKinney was appointed chairman, the only lady in the chair of a soccer club in Northern Ireland. This was a richly deserved honour as, along with husband Fred, none worked harder and nothing was too much trouble. Mrs McKinney was not just a figure head. She had a sound knowledge of the game and was a most capable administrator.

Annual running costs at this time were in the region of £1200, which in today’s terms would be some £14000. It was at this time that an attempt was made later to sign Peter McParland from Newry for £200 but this deal fell through due to a mix up of arrangements and he later went on to sign for Aston Villa for a fee believed to be £2000. He later went on to play for Northern Ireland on 17th June 1958 when he played against Czechoslovakia. During some seasons in the early 50’s there were as many as six professionals in the Rovers line up, all players were paid £3 per week and all players got expenses.

On Saturday 10th May, 1952 the Rovers, with a few guest players, had the privilege of hosting Irish League Champions Glenavon at Manchester Park. Admission was 1/6 and it was by all means a cracker with Glenavon just edging it 4-3. Around this time Mick Hoy returned to Tandragee after a very successful professional career with Glenavon, Dundalk and Republic of Ireland. His knowledge of the game and expertise were readily imparted to the Rovers and not only did he put a lot of energy into the training of the first team but had a great interest in the youth side.

In August 1954 a new pavilion was formerly opened by Mr WA Mullan D.L Portadown. The pavilion was built by voluntary labour under the guidance of Fred McKinney. In that season Rovers had one professional Billy Twimen, former Portadown player.

Success Through the Decades

Newry Town, Dundela, Ards Rangers, Linfield Rangers, Glentoran Olympic and Carrick Rangers were just some of the teams in the Irish Alliance League at the time, the league in which the Rovers were competing, to give you an indication of their opponents. The Rovers remained one of the strongest teams in the league and in 1962 defeated Glenavon Reserves at Shamrock Park to win the Mid Ulster Cup while the week before they had won the Mid Ulster league.

During the 1964/65 season, Rovers maintained their position at the top of Mid Ulster football. This was a particularly bad winter with matches cancelled and training disrupted. However Rovers got round this by training in the Temperance Hall every Thursday night. Finally in April Rovers run of 20 matches without defeat came to an end when Ulster Carpet Mills defeated them 4-2. During the 60’s some great battles were fought between old rivals Tandragee and Gilford with both teams having a great following. There was the famous cup final played at Manchester Park in 1964 with hundreds of supporters watching Rovers defeating Gilford 6-0. Again in March 1969 the two rivals met this time in Gilford. Rovers had a great following many of whom marched the road to Gilford having paraded Tandragee with flags and banners supporting their team. Rovers were one point ahead of Gilford in the Mid Ulster League race but the opposition had two games in hand. However the intervening matches were played first with results that put Gilford one point ahead leaving Rovers needing both points. The headline in the Portadown News, 21 march 1969 - 5 GOAL TRIUMPH FOR TANDRAGEE ROVERS ARE CHAMPIONS!

In the 70’s and Rovers were the only team dominating the first division. Local derby games were now very often with Richhill Rangers results being very evenly balanced. During the late 70’s and early 80’s some new names appeared on the team sheets but at the same time other names continued into the next generation. One of the highlights of this period was in 1982 when Rovers won the Beckett Cup defeating Bournview 4-3 at Mournview Park after a penalty shootout.

In 1985/86 season Rovers won the Mid Ulster Division 3 title and promotion to Division 2. The Rovers beat Banbridge YC in a playoff after both teams finished on 50 points. Gordon Gough went into Tandragee record books as the highest scorer in a season with a total of 45 goals. Sammy Lunn, who had made a great name for himself in the 70’s with Portadown contributed in no small way to the success of the season. By 31 May 1985 Rovers completed the double by adding the Beckett Cup to their League title. During the 1986/87 season just missed out on promotion to Division 1 after losing 2-1 to Lurgan Celtic. However they finished the season on a high by defeating Red Lion 2-1 of the Foster Cup at Shamrock Park. Rovers joined the Hyde Travel Mid Ulster Premier League for the 1987-88 season and finished off the season in the best possible way by becoming the first winners of the Bass Intermediate Rose Bowl.

But near the end of this decade came an unfortunate division within the team but, as in the early days of the club it was not the senior members or committee who settled the dispute but to quote the report in the Portadown Times, ‘without Colin Hobson, David Black and David Gillis Tandragee Rovers could well have folded’. Somewhat reminiscent of the action 80 years ago by two young men Croft and Kelly who got the team started. John Sinton took over as manager and with the help of one regular player Nigel McBurney and ‘old hands’ Lenny Proctor and Dessie Whiteside got a team out to face AFC Craigavon on the Saturday and although beaten 4-1 they were at least once again back in local football. In no time all the players rallied round and the Rovers returned to full strength, all prepared to face a new decade, the 90’s with both strong First and Second teams.

Mid-Ulster Treble

Tony Bell became manager of the Rovers during the 1997/98 season. With him he brought a number of young and exciting yet inexperienced players to the club from. As some of the older players that he had inherited left he was not afraid to blood some of these young players into his team. Now although for the first 3 years he achieved nothing except a Premier Cup Final appearance against Bessbrook United in the 1999/2000 season he had the Rovers playing some wonderful attacking football and those young inexperienced players he introduced had 3 years of senior Mid Ulster football under their belts and they were now a major part of his team. Tandragee Rovers brought one of their most successful years ever to a spectacular and momentous finale on Saturday 19th May 2001 when a landslide victory against Coagh Swifts completed a cup treble. The unbeatable Rovers had now the Premier Cup to place alongside the Bob Radcliffe and the Bass Bowl, in their silverware cabinet.

This extraordinary year began with the Rovers making soccer history on Boxing Day 2000 when they won the Bob Radcliffe Cup for the very first time in their history. Tony Bell’s side were long-odds underdogs in the final but they pulled out all the stops to win a thrilling game by the narrow margin of 2-1 against much fancied Lurgan Celtic Bhoys to become only the third Mid Ulster League team to lift the coveted piece of silverware during the competitions 22 year history. The Rovers then went on to beat Ballymacash Rangers 1-0 in the Bass Bowl Final. Read more... The photograph below shows the Rovers after clinching the superb treble at Lakeview Park, Loughgall when they lifted the Premier Cup.

Tandragee Rovers Football Club, both first and second teams, have won the following honours. As the club was formed in 1909 there are many honours in the early 1900's that are not known of.

Mid Ulster Football League Intermediate A

Runners Up - 2007/08

Runners Up - 2001/02

Mid Ulster Football League Division 1

Winners - 1968/69

Winners - 1964/65

Winners - 1963/64

Winners - 1962/63

Winners - 1961/62

Winners - 1925/26

Mid Ulster Football League Division 3

Winners - 1985/86

Mid Ulster Football League Reserve 2

Runners Up - 2004/05

Mid Ulster League

Winners - 1969

Winners - 1962

Mid Ulster Cup

Winners - 1962

Winners - 1925

Mid Ulster League Cup

Winners  - 1925

Bob Ratcliffe Cup

Winners - 2000/01

Premier Cup

Winners - 2000/01

Runners Up 2008/09

Runners Up 1999/00

Bass Bowl Cup

Winners - 2000/01

Runners Up 2002/03

Winners - 1987/88

Mid Ulster Football League O'Hara Cup

Winners - 2007

Mid Ulster Football League Reserve Cup

Winners - 2006

Albert Millar Memorial Cup

Winners - 2005

Winners - 1999

Winners - 1994

Foster Cup

Winners - 1986/87

Beckett Cup

Winners - 1985/86,

Winners - 1981/82

McKelvey Cup

Winners - 1952/53

Article from the News Letter, Wednesday 27th September 2006
Rovers off on a new journey - by William Jordan
With a new manager, updated facilities and a lofty position within the Mid Ulster League, Tandragee Rovers are definitely a club with big ideas. And the Co Armagh outfit would love nothing more than to mark its centenary in 2009 with a place in the Amateur League. Development from the ground up is certainly the theme at the club these days and it has just completed a £130,000 development at the Madden Road ground - in order to meet IFA standards. "Having completed the off field requirements over the past three years the next step is prepare the team, " says Vice Chairman John Redpath.
	"Our new manager Tony Bell will certainly go a long way to towards achieving what's required to step up to the next level." Bell has an impressive pedigree at this level, having won silverware at his previous spell with the club and more recently back-to-back titles with Richhill in the same division after a spell at Irish league side Armagh City. He was appointed in the summer as Head Coach and will also take charge of youth football at the club. "We have set up a youth team with the hope of sustaining the club's future at a higher level," he said. "Its really about preparing for the future and in particular the Amateur League." Tandragee Rovers big push began in the mid-90's. "We developed a top class pitch," added Redpath. "Then we sought Lottery funding in order to improve the facilities. The development was completed and the occasion was marked by a friendly against Intermediate side Coagh United. The club now boasts new changing rooms and facilities, a function room and IFA standard dugouts. "We aim to be fully prepared for the changes in league structures that the IFA will make in the next few years," added Redpath.
The complex also has full disabled access, a players walkway to the changing room, a kitchen and male, female and disabled toilets. Redpath is also keen to express the clubs sense of community. "The facilities are available for all charitable organisations to use and are disability friendly. We are also hoping to form an ex-players association and a ladies team.
The club has made an excellent start to the season and sits undefeated at the top of the Mid Ulster League after six games. The new committee's expectations were made clear when last season fourth place finish was labelled 'disappointing' by the Chairman. There is still a long way to go but with new facilities, an experienced manager and a growing squad, Tandragee's accelerated progress could find reward come the end of the season - and this ambitious side may well be knocking on the door of the Amateur league before long.
Articles from Ulster Gazette, Thursday 7th September 2006.
New Madden Road complex is officially opened - by Wes Batty
Tandragee Rovers officially opened their new state of the art facilities  on Madden Road at the weekend. The ribbon was cut to unveil the new clubhouse and Vice-Chairman John Redpath was delighted to see the new facilities opened. "The club aims to be fully prepared for the changes in the league structures that will take place over the next few years," he said. "And this includes meeting all the requirements set down by the Irish Football Association and getting a Tandragee team that is ready to step up to the next level."
	The new and improved Madden Road complex now boasts home and away changing rooms which can accommodate 15 players each and also includes toilets and disabled changing areas. As well as that there are shower rooms for each team as well as showers for the disabled. The new referee's room accommodates four officials with separate showers and toilets while there are new lavatories for ladies, gents and disabled persons. As well as that, a new kitchen has been installed while the function room can now accommodate up to 70 people and there is full access to the club for the disabled. A kit store room has been specially built and the new dugouts conform to strict IFA standards. Tandragee have also built a walkway from the changing rooms to the pitch. Not all was straight forward during construction as some 175 cubic metres of concrete had to be pumped into the foundations due to the location of the river bed on the Madden Road. The project was partly funded by a £70,000 grant from the Sports Council for Northern Ireland while Armagh City and District Council contributed £8,000 - the rest of the money had to be raised by Tandragee Rovers themselves. And they achieved this by securing local sponsorship and a small loan from the Ulster Bank.
From the initial application for funding until the work was completed has taken just over three years and all at the Mid Ulster Intermediate A club are delighted with the new facilities. Next on the list for the Rovers is the provision of a training area which will be floodlit for winter practice sessions as well as the launch of youth coaching on Saturday mornings.
MLA praises new facilities - by Wes Batty
Councillor Paul Berry MLA has praised Tandragee Rovers on the completion of their new facilities on the Madden Road. He added that Tandragee's "purpose and goal to promote sporting excellence has certainly proved to be a success" and that he was encouraged to hear that the club would be commencing youth coaching in the near future. "I wish to commend Tandragee Rovers on the completion of their new clubhouse and the excellent opening day they held on Saturday," said Councillor Berry.
"This impressive vision has not only done them proud but also the people of Tandragee and their close supporters over many years. It was encouraging to hear that the club is continuing to develop their club and are intending to commence youth football coaching in the near future. The clubhouse is finished to the highest standards and I congratulate all the officers and members for their clear vision but indeed all their time and dedication over the years to make this happen for the community in Tandragee. Their purpose and goal to promote sporting excellence has certainly proved to be a success thus and I have no doubt they will grow from strength to strength in the days ahead."

2000/2001 – A dream season for the Rovers

Tandragee Rovers manager, Tony Bell, set his team a target before the start of the 2000/2001 season of reaching one cup final and finishing in the top half of the Mid Ulster Intermediate League section A. Three trophies and 120 goals later it is safe to say that Bell and his boys surpassed all expectations as they achieved junior soccer history. Success in the Bob Ratcliffe Cup final against Lurgan Celtic Bhoys was a unique and memorable achievement in itself but it proved to be the launch pad for Rovers as they added the Bass Bowl and Intermediate Premier Cup to their trophy haul by defeating Ballymacash Rangers and Coagh Swifts respectively, to cap a dream campaign. The photograph below shows members of the first team squad with the Bob Ratcliffe Cup, Bass Bowl Trophy and Premier Cup

A disappointing start to the league left them out of contention early on for the title but Rovers made a mockery of the famous claim that a championship season is a marathon as opposed to the sprint of the cup, playing 16 successive matches between August 25 and January 13. Their first league match in almost five months was a defeat in injury time with 10 men against Annagh United that put the final nail in the coffin of Rovers title aspirations.

With focus now firmly on the cups, Rovers, thanks to skill, determination and no small measure of luck, earned a place in the history books. With 120 goals in 40 matches producing an average of three goals per game, the secret of Rovers’ success is there for all to see. Richie Johnson racked up 31 goals in 29 appearances, his strike partner, Philp Lockhart, found the net 19 times from 16 starts and the midfield weighed in with crucial contributions. Chris Sandford played 35 matches and netted on 15 occasions, team captain, Stevie Williamson, popped up with 9 goals and Shaun Keenan finished one behind on eight as Tandragee found the net from all areas of the field.

“I do not think another Mid Ulster League side will win the Bob Radcliffe Cup in the next decade,” said Rovers boss Tony Bell. “That was a truly wonderful moment and the highlight of our season. To beat Lurgan Celtic Bhoys was tremendous and it provided the players with a real boost in confidence which helped us through the other cup matches. The photograph below shows the victorious Rovers team after the 2-1 Bob Ratcliffe Cup victory over Lurgan Celtic Bhoys.

Historic cup win for Rovers - Tandragee Rovers 2 v Lurgan Celtic Bhoys 1

Tandragee Rovers won the Bob Radcliffe Cup trophy for the first time in their history on Tuesday 26 December, beating Lurgan Celtic Bhoys 2-1 at Lakeview Park. Rovers inflicted Celtics second defeat in as many years thanks to two goals in the opening 14 minutes, with the winner coming courtesy of an own goal. Celtic also had a goal disallowed but anyone believing the Mid Ulster League outfits success was as a result of luck as opposed to application would be sorely mistaken.

Rovers became only the third Mid Ulster League side to ever lift the prize in its 22 year history thanks to the tactics of manager Tony Bell and the work rate and desire of his players. Rovers got off to the perfect start when they opened the scoring at Lakeview Park after just three minutes. Bell and his assistant Trevor Williams, spent time on the training pitch developing their set pieces. This decision paid off when a deep throw in by Philip Pedlow, a useful weapon for Rovers in recent seasons, was flicked on by Shaun Keenan and Philip Lockhart popped up at the back post to knock home the first goal of the game.

Lockhart was included by Bell for his predatory instincts and this decision paid off handsomely, giving Rovers the upper hand and easing the pressure on the young side. However, within five minutes Celtic levelled the scores when a well worked move was finished off at the second attempt. To their credit, Rovers battled back into contention and placed their Lurgan opponents under pressure. They netted the second – and decisive – goal of the game on 14 minutes when Celtic made an unforced error and a lack of communication between defence and the goal keeper resulted in a misplaced pass-back rolling into the unguarded net.

The remainder of the half was evenly contested, with Celtic just shading it in terms of possession, and having a goal dismissed for offside before the break. In the second period, Rovers tightened up at the back and secured victory in the midfield, with central trio of Chris Sandford, Stevie Williamson and Shaun Keenan working tirelessly to close Celtic down. Neither side created any further chances of not as both defences were on top, but Celtic finished strongly without breaking down a determined Rovers backline. At the final whistle it was Rovers who finished on top thanks to a spirited display, giving Tandragee a first Ratcliffe Cup success.

“I got maximum effort and commitment out of every one of my players and in the end that was the difference,” said manager Tony Bell. “We had a bit of luck but the boys wanted it more than Celtic as they were always going to be favourites so we had to give it everything. In the first half their movement caused us problems but we settled down and in the second half I believe we were on top. We concentrated on our own game, maintaining the same tactics and system that has been so effective for us this season. Our captain, Stevie Williamson, was a clear choice for the man of the match award and he typified everything positive about our display. On behalf of the club I would like to thank everyone who turned out to support us, especially those from other Mid Ulster League clubs as it meant a lot to everyone and made this memorable day even sweeter.”

Team: David Crawford, Neil Hewitt, Neil Rowntree, Charlie McLoughlin, Philip Pedlow, Kyle Jennett, Chris Sandford, Stevie Williamson, Shaun Keenan, Richie Johnson, Philip Lockhart. Subs: Gary Whiteside, Clive Topley, Derek Wilson.

Bass Bowl - Tandragee Rovers 1 v Ballymacash Rangers 0

The photograph below shows the Rovers after adding trophy number two to their haul after winning the Bass Bowl Trophy, defeating Ballymacash Rangers 1-0 at Lakeview Park, Loughgall.

Premier Cup - Tandragee Rovers 5 v Coagh Swifts 1

The photograph below shows the Rovers after completing their magnificent treble after beating Coagh Swifts 5-1 to win the Premier Cup at Lakeview Park, Loughgall.