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Back Row (l-r)
Alan Young, Jim Young, Raymond Crooks, David Brown and Dennis McElhatton |
Front Row (l-r)
Ali Young, Simon Young, Neil Young, Johnny Young, Gary Crooks, Michael Brown and Stephen McElhatton |
| "We're a family club", that’s what you will hear from many people when describing their club, but Cookstown side Killymoon Rangers are in no doubt that this tag applies to them. The Ladbrokes Championship 2 side were formed in 1971 and many local players have pulled on the Killymoon shirt with the older readers from Cookstown remembering the names such as Young, McPartland, Brown and Crooks from the Killymoon sides in the '70's and '80's. Now these names are again prominent at the club with their sons proudly following in their father’s footsteps by representing their local side. |
| Chairman Malcolm McConkey takes up the story. "Over the past couple of seasons we have noticed that a lot of former players and managers have been coming out to support Killymoon again, as their sons have started to play for the club. Recently we signed James McPartland from Portadown and his father Jim was one of the top players from Cookstown in the '70s and '80s,. That got us thinking how many current players had fathers who represented the club either as a player or manager. As we went through the squad we found that we could field an entire team, including a sub with the sons of ex-club members and we also had a connection to the very first Killymoon side through Aaron McPartland, who is the son of Killymoon’s first manager Wilfie McPartland. The fact that so many current players have past connections to the club shows that we are definitely a family club and it is great to see so many ex-club members now watching our games and with the number of sons born to players over the past number of years it is hoped the trend will continue for years to come. |
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| Robert Allen & Dessie Allen |
| The McPartland name may boast 2 current players, but it is the Young family name that dominates Killymoon today, with Alan 'Ba' Young’s 3 sons, Ali, Simon and Neill all playing for the club as well as Johnny who is the son of Jim 'Hoover Young. Former Cookstown United, Dungannon Swifts and Moyola Park player Dennis McElhatton also represented Killymoon and 2 of his sons, Stephen and Patrick, are 2 important members of the team, with Stephen the current club captain and also keeping the McElhatton to the fore is their cousin Gareth who is a goalkeeper at the club. Gary Crooks has followed his father Raymond into the family business as well as a defender for Killymoon, but keeper Michael Brown has decided to prevent Killymoon from conceding goals in comparison to his father David 'Bomber' Brown who was more renowned for scoring them, but he also pulled on the gloves from time to time. Other sons who have looked to emulate their fathers include Robert Allen and Keith McCaw whose fathers are Dessie Allen and Tony McCaw respectively. |
| Malcolm finished by saying that "Despite the strong family links at our club, players don’t need any past connections to become part of Killymoon Rangers footballing family". |
Missing from the photos – Jim and James McPartland, Wilfie and Aaron McPartland, Tony and Keith McCaw and Patrick McElhatton |
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