Dundela F.C.

Dundela

Full name	Dundela Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Duns
Founded	1895
Ground	Wilgar Park, Belfast
Capacity	1,200
Manager	Stephen Gourley
League	NIFL Championship
2023–24	NIFL Championship, 5th of 12
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Dundela Football Club, nicknamed "The Duns" is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club from Belfast, currently playing in the NIFL Championship, and plays its home matches at Wilgar Park. The club's colours are green and white. The home kit has green shirts, green shorts and green socks, whilst the away kit is all red.

History

Dundela Football Club was formed in 1895 from employees of a local dairy owned by the Agnew family and members of a local harriers' club. ^[1] Wilgar Park has been the home to the club since 1900. The park lies in the heartland of east Belfast, in a suburb named Strandtown. Its capacity is approximately 1,200. The venue is nicknamed "The Hen Run".

The club's greatest achievement to date came in April 1955, when it defeated Glenavon by three goals to nil at Windsor Park, Belfast in the final of the Irish Cup. ^[2] It was the first time a club from the Irish Alliance won the competition. ^[3]

The club's darkest hour occurred on 25 August 1995, when team captain, Michael Goddard died during a game at Stangmore Park, home of Dungannon Swifts, after being struck on the chest with the ball. ^[4]

Dundela's local rivals are Harland & Wolff Welders. ^[5]

2017/18-present

Dundela FC emerged victorious in the 2017/18 NIFL Premier Intermediate League, securing a notable accomplishment in the club's history.

In the subsequent 2018/19 NIFL Championship campaign, Dundela FC secured a commendable 4th-place finish. The Belfast-based football club continued to exhibit competitive prowess as it navigated the challenges of the Championship.

In the curtailed 2019/20 season The Duns finished sixth. The following season was cancelled due to the global pandemic. NIFL Championship football returned after the pandemic in the 2021/22 campaign in which Dundela finished 8th.

In the 2022/23 campaign, Dundela exhibited improvement, climbing up the table to achieve 4th place.

In April 2023, Dundela winger Aodhan Gillen died in a car accident, at the age of 22. ^[6]

In 2023, the club appointed former player Stephen Gourley as manager, following the departure of Paul Harbinson. ^[7]

The following season, the club would perform incredibly well, leading the NIFL Championship for much of the season, however were unable to be promoted due to issues with the pitch dimensions at Wilgar Park, an issue which will not be rectified in the near future. Such an issue emphasized the great need for stadia improvement within Northern Ireland. ^[8]

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   NIR Lewis Deane 2 DF   NIR Jake White 3 DF   IRL Ian Fletcher 4 DF   NIR Jay Magee(Captain) 5 DF   NIR Sam Dinu 6 DF   NIR Charlie Dornan 7 FW   NIR David McMaster 8 MF   NIR Andy Hall 9 FW   NIR Aaron Prendergast(On loan from Glenavon) 10 FW   NIR Michael McLellan 11 FW   NIR Jack Smith

No. Pos. Nation Player 12 DF   NIR Michael Kerr 14 DF   NIR Jay Harvey 15 DF   NIR Jaydyn Withers 16 FW   NIR Ewan Kelly 18 GK   NIR Aaron Hogg 19 FW   NIR Mark Patton 20 MF   NIR TJ Murray 21 MF   NIR Oisin Barr 23 MF   NIR Adam Watterson 24 DF   NIR Caleb Crawford(On loan from Ballymena United) 25 DF   SCO Jack Duncan(On loan from Portadown)

Honours

Senior honours

• Irish Cup: 1
  • 1954–55

Intermediate honours

• Irish League B Division (tier 2): 9 (1 shared)
  • 1967–68, 1976–77 (shared), 1981–82, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1993–94
• Second Division/NIFL Premier Intermediate League (tier 3): 3
  • 1999–00, 2000–01, 2017–18
• Irish Intermediate League: 5
  • 1921–22, 1944–45, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1950–51
• Irish Intermediate Cup: 10
  • 1946–47, 1954–55, 1965–66, 1974–75, 1983–84, 1988–89, 1992–93, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01
• George Wilson Cup: 4
  • 1964–65, 1967–68, 1971–72, 1974–75
• Steel & Sons Cup: 10
  • 1945–46, 1963–64, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1999–00, 2007–08, 2013–14
• B Division Knock-out Cup: 4
  • 1987–88, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1994–95
• McElroy Cup: 1
  • 1945–46 (shared)

Notable former players

• David Lyner
• Eric McMordie
• Billy Caskey
• Matty Burrows
• Laurence Fyfe
• Jackie Vernon
• Johnny Geary

References

1. "Dundela Football Club - A Brief History". www.dundelafc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
2. "Dundela's famous Irish Cup final upset 60 years ago". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
3. "Dundela made history at Windsor Park". Northern Whig. p. 8.
4. https://www.pressreader.com/uk/belfast-telegraph/20120320/283618167081384 . Retrieved 26 March 2019– via PressReader.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
5. "Championship Regular Season Dundela vs Harland and Wolff Welders | Football365". livescore.football365.com. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
6. "Dundela FC devastated at death of talented and well liked player Aodhan Gillen". Belfast Telegraph. 6 April 2023. p. 1.
7. "Dundela announce new manager aimed at bringing stability". Belfast Live. 7 May 2023.
8. "Irish League Championship: Dundela being shut out of the top flight has left Championship title race feeling off". Belfast Telegraph Sport. 23 April 2024.

54°35′58″N5°52′42″W / 54.599486°N 5.878361°W / 54.599486; -5.878361