1. First of all Geoff, congratulations to you and Hexsie on winning the Kirk Cup... now that the dust has settled, did everything go to plan?

I see the Kirk Cup win as reward for a lot of work put in over the last say 5 years. I had heard a lot of talk about these 'wee boys' who were all coming through. It's great credit to all who coached the likes of Coly, Timmy, Besty, Amesey, Stuarty and to a lesser extent Hughsie and Blackie through the junior hockey ranks. At training now there's about 20 guys most weeks and there are also some great wee players who will also eventually break into the Firsts squad. The gap that used to exist between school hockey and 1st xi hockey has now been bridged.

Everything did go to plan on the day. On that morning I again watched a dvd of our home match against Garvey when they beat us 4-2. The scoreline did not reflect what actually happened on the pitch and any doubts I had about beating them were expelled. We were better than them on Boxing Day. The preparation was purely motivational as our tactics were already in place and we had the right team there. Our warm-up was really good and our best player in the warm-up was Amesy who didn't even get on the pitch during the game. We talked about how many days a person actually lives for and out of that, how many days have you experienced success in hockey - very few. But here was a day when we all had a chance to make a significant part of the history of Cookstown Hockey Club. People have said that Garvey didn't play well on that day - I'd like to think that was because WE didn't let them play well.


2. What was the most pleasing part about Boxing Day?

Definitely our supporters... great to see the whole pavilion side of the pitch was all Cookstown. I knew we were among friends who wanted us to win and play well. At the end of the game the recep-tion we got was tremendous. We couldn't wait to get back to our clubhouse to celebrate with everyone and the atmosphere in the place was brilliant. There were 6th xi players celebrating among 1st xi play-ers - the way it should be. Don't under-estimate the power of our club - we are a great club and the envy of a lot of other so called 'great clubs'.


3. You played in a Cookstown team during our most successful period... do you feel that todays team are getting back to that kind of team you played in?

When I played we reached 2 Senior Cup Finals and yes the team went through a purple patch with Europe etc. so as regards performance today's team still has a lot of work to do. However, the poten-tial of today's team, and what still has to come into it, player for player I think we are stronger. Years ago we had very few players we could have called up from the 2ndxi but that has really changed now and we have a really strong bench.


4. What were your targets/objectives for this season?

To finish at least 3rd in the league and therefore reach the play-offs. To secure a semi-final spot in the Kirk Cup. Much improved performance in the Irish Senior Cup - we have been disappointing for the last 4 years. To achieve a much more consistent level of performance .


5. Are you personally enjoying your role as CLUB COACH?

Yes, I'm really enjoying it at the moment. I know I'm a club coach but I obviously spend more time with the Firsts squad. Having said that it's great to see so many players at training and no-one is ever turned away. Quickdraw has thrown himself into training whole-heartedly and fair play to him. I concentrate on player rotation and look at who we are playing next. I get reports from the seconds on who is playing well and most of these guys are attending training as well. At the end of the day I just want to win as many hockey matches as I can.


6. We are now entering into an important part of the season and the next few games are vital. How do you see them going?

You're right. The next few games will decide if our season is over by end of Feb or will we still be playing important games right up to end of March. We have got to beat Banbridge at home and then Civil Service away - both in the league. Then con-centrate on Glenanne in the Senior Cup. I believe we have the squad and the capabilities to win all these games.


7. Irish Senior Cup. Two good wins 8-0 and 9-0, all going well here?

The Glenanne game is mega - we don't need to mention motivation or going to training - everyone wants to play in this. The squad will look after themselves between now and then and stay fit and ready. I think that if we win this game we can go on and win the cup. I know Hex and I will have to make some tough decisions but we have up to 18 good players who will not let Cookstown down.


8. What do you think of the Club off the pitch?

I love the clubhouse, it's a great place to be after a win. Just a pity we didn't have the place earlier. I realise there are the unsung heroes who look after the place and a lot of members just take this for granted which is wrong. More players should get involved and everyone needs to support the place, even just call in for a couple of drinks before you go on elsewhere. There have been some tremendous nights in that place and long may this continue. I am on the bar rota and also am involved with making sure the WAVE group are ok every Tuesday when they use the clubhouse.


9. Are the supporters hard to please?

The vast majority of our supporters are spot on in their analysis of our performances and I have some interesting chats after games. I know everyone is behind the team and wants them to do well. At the end of the day I'm a supporter of the team as well and I say what I think - it may not please everyone - but that's how I am. As a supporter I shared every other supporters delight at winning the Kirk and as a supporter, I celebrated with other supporters as well that night.


10. A typical Saturday?

Wake up thinking about hockey and who we are playing.
Meet the team, give team talk and get everyone focused.
Win the warm-up.
Win the game.
Down to the clubhouse and home a happy man.



11. Fav food... Italian
12. Fav film... Man about a dog... great craic
13. Fav drink... Red wine, and the wine in the clubhouse is grand.


14. Last hockey match on planet Earth...

I would be playing. It would be against Banbridge on natural grass in the Irish Senior Cup Final and we win 4 - 0 with me scoring one.


15. Not too many people know that you were a full international...

Yes, I have 1 cap. If you want an excuse then I wasn't dedicated enough to play for Ireland. First of all I was a Cook-stown player than after that an Ulster player and I trained for these teams. At that time there were about 10 Ulster players in the Ireland team so if I had made the squad Ulster could easily represented Ireland. Not good enough for Ireland but good enough for the GB u 23 squad - funny that.


16. You mentioned to me 'playing the Cookstown way'...

Yes. Play with flair and skill. Don't be negative. Be able to express yourself within a framework, but also defend properly when needed with everyone aware of their defensive duties. Be able to retain the ball when under pressure. Have the ability to hold the ball and play yourself out of trouble but always have an attacking option. Press officers have been very kind to us so far this season. They know they will be entertained. All our players have an abundance of skill and flair and I'm really excited about the future when more young players will break into the squad - some of these guys are good.


17. Finally...

I am really happy coaching at the moment but if a better coach ever comes along I will happily step down and probably coach lower down the club. I love the job, but it's not easy. My only agenda is to win as many hockey matches as I can. I feel that I'm a good ambassador for the club and we are starting to get the respect we deserve from other teams. Cookstown are starting to become a force to fear and if we can achieve a level of consistency then success will follow. We also have the best supporters in the land - no other club could bring that number of people to a cup final. I am proud to be associated with the Club. We have some characters in this club and I wouldn't want it any other way. At times the craic's mighty.