London calling for former Fermanagh player Boyle
Editorial Department • Published 2 Feb 2012 13:00
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Ciaran Boyle in action for Fermanagh back in 2008. The Brookeborough man is now involved with the London squad.
"London's calling", a hit for 80's punk rockers The Clash, has great resonance for one former Fermanagh player, Ciaran Boyle. The Brookeborough man moved to Cambridge to work last February and it was whilst playing in a charity match in London, for Mark McGovern that he caught the eye of the London management team and was asked to join the panel. Whilst the Fermanagh native has played a couple of games in the recent FBD league, their equivalent to the McKenna Cup, he won't be lining out against his former Fermanagh team mates this weekend, due to a hamstring injury he picked up during London's game against Galway.
"I've been ruled out of the first few league games because of this reoccurring hamstring problem. It would have been good to be involved in the big one against Fermanagh," says the 30 year-old.
Ciaran last donned the Fermanagh jersey in 2008, he was a sub when Fermanagh made it to the Ulster final that year but wasn't included in the plan the following season.
To get the opportunity to play at the highest level once more is something Ciaran hadn't expected:
"I was taking a team called Cambridge Parnell's for training, it was more to keep myself in shape than anything else. Then I played in the Mark McGovern charity match up in London and got asked to go out for London. It wasn't something I had planned at all. I turned 30 last year and to be honest I didn't see myself playing for London. But the years are getting short so you have to take these opportunities when they come along."
With the opportunity comes a lot of commitment and hard work admits Ciaran. A round trip from Cambridge to training is 130 miles and this he does three nights a week:
"We train on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and do individual training sessions on Monday and Friday. It's a bit of a trek and it's hard getting the balance right. But I have now transferred to Tir Chonaill Gaels as well, so either way I'll be doing it."
He goes on to say: "It's the best set-up I've been involved in since I played under Malachy O'Rourke, with Leo McBride as the trainer. London have really moved on, they've had to in order to compete. The work and training we've been doing since Christmas has been very tough. On Tuesday's it's all running, on Wednesday it's circuits and on Thursday it's ball work."
Ciaran is no stranger to clocking up the miles, his work as a sales rep for the machinery company Blue Group requires him to do a lot of driving in the East Anglia region.
When Ciaran made the move across the water he says "the first thing I done when I moved to Cambridge was to find a GAA club. The circle of friends, from all over Ireland that I've made has been great."
During the recent FBD league London suffered four successive defeats to Sligo IT, Sligo county side, Galway IT and Galway County.
Ciaran lined out at full-forward against Sligo IT, chipping in with a point and came off injured at half time in the Galway game. This weekend Ciaran will have to watch on from the sidelines as Fermanagh line out against London in Ruislip.
No doubt Peter Canavan will be reminding his team about the shock defeat to London in the qualifiers last June.
Fermanagh were unmercifully knocked out at the hands of London, on a score line of 0-15 to 0-09, sending shock waves through the county and beyond.
With the memories of that day etched in some of the current squad's minds and certainly to the forefront of those who weren't there that day, making amends for that defeat is something Fermanagh will be gunning to do, acknowledges Ciaran:
"The pressure will be on London to perform. It will be somewhat of a payback mission for Fermanagh. Like ourselves (Fermanagh) back in 2004, the unknown element will be eliminated by last year's victory. Fermanagh seem to have found the scoring touch though. They've racked up some high scores and I feel defensively London will be under pressure. Seamus (Quigley) has been making the headlines over here and Paul Ward seems to be getting a few scores too. Then with the likes of (Barry) Owens and (Ryan) McCluskey they have a lot of experience there and London will really be up against it. Fermanagh are coming into this game off the back of a few decent performances whilst London have had four defeats."
When asked where his allegiance will lie this Sunday he simply says: "I suppose you don't forget your roots." Whether he'll give his London team mates the inside track on the Ernemen he says "I'm sure I'll be asked but what I disclose after that will be between me and them! The management over here know enough about Fermanagh players, they're high profile and like any good management they'll have their research done, so I don't think they'll have too many questions."
For the moment Ciaran's focus is on getting fully fit and shrugging off his injury: "I'm not great at standing on the sidelines. My goal will be getting back for the third round league game against Carlow. Fermanagh will be one of the stronger sides in the division and they'll be looking at promotion. Any win London can get will be a bonus."
So can London cause another upset, this time in the league? "If they (London) are there or thereabout in the last 15 minutes I think they'd have the fitness levels to contest and maybe get something from the game," concludes Ciaran.
Either way, whatever the outcome, there will be at least one Fermanagh man (and hopefully more) leaving Ruislip content on Sunday evening.
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 02 Feb 12
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