PSNI warm up with a win

Historic stuff at Belfield yesterday. Now, before you get carried away let's put some perspective behind this match to mark the entry of the Police Service of Northern Ireland into nationwide third-level competition, as PSNI defeated UCD, 1-16 to 1-12.

It rained incessantly and the standard of football was well below par. Word has it a raft of PSNI players were off walking the beat, while the students hardly rolled out the big guns.

Still, the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell and his entourage helped double the attendance consisting of a few reporters and photographers from the national and student papers along with plenty of gardaí. UCD director of sport Brian Mullins also held court pitchside for the hour.

On arrival we asked the youngest garda was that the PSNI team warming up? "It is," he replied. "But there are only 15 of them? "Sure, that's all you need," he added.

We moved on up the line to where the Minister was being harangued by a crowd of students. After informing him of their dismay regarding the Government's immigration policy against asylum seekers, an aide informed them they had said their piece and to move on, which they promptly did. Student protesters were once made of sterner stuff.

"Credit to UCD for holding this game to mark the entry into the Sigerson Cup of the PSNI," said Minister McDowell. "You know, 10-15 years ago this would have been unthinkable but unlike our friends who you've just seen there (nodding to the departing protesters) the rest of us don't live in a time warp anymore.

"We are moving on. The people have spoken emphatically with the Good Friday Agreement, which involved two police forces on this island co-operating together.

"Today is important from a number of points of view. First of all we have this match which symbolises the entry of PSNI into GAA club activity and competition. And secondly, today is an important day because we have PSNI superintendent (Gerry) Murray beginning his duties in Garda headquarters. The first of the exchange of personnel programme under the Good Friday Agreement.

"So, a good day for Ireland even though it is raining; it is actually a fiendish nationalist plot to put the Northerners off their game," he laughed.

Unfortunately, that didn't quite work out as the more experienced Ulster men edged matters, a penalty save helped, despite four points from Pádraig Kelly, son of GAA president Seán Kelly.

"This whole thing is about (the) Patten (report)," said Superintendent Murray who was denied the chance to play for his club, Ardoyne, for so many years because of Rule 21. "This is part of a training regime before we enter the third division of the Sigerson Cup and I would just like to thank an uachtarán Seán Kelly who has gone the extra mile for the PSNI."