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Article
courtesy of 
THE
Whites are on the look out for more players.
Other
Irish League clubs can rest easy though, for this time it
is the Lisburn Distillery Social Club committee and not manager
Paul Kirk who are searching for players.
It's
a season of landmarks for the Whites who will celebrate their
125th anniversary in November.
A
game against Glasgow Rangers during the course of this season
to mark this anniversary is currently being arranged by chairman
Jim McGrory.
Manager
Paul Kirk will celebrate ten years at the helm next February,
but before both of those dates comes the 25th anniversary
of the official opening of New Grosvenor on September 2, 1980.
It
was way back in 1971 that the Whites were forced to leave
Grosvenor Park.
Part
of the old ground was needed for the then to be constructed
'Westlink' but when the social club and then the grandstand
were destroyed by fire inside a month in the late summer of
that year, there was no way back to Grosvenor Park for the
famous club.
Crusaders
stepped into the breach to help and the Whites played at Seaview
before moving on to Brantwood's ground in 1975.
The
club, despite the enormous difficulties in those dark days,
did survive thanks to the endeavours, generosity and sheer
grit of the board, various committees, Whites supporters and
many, many friends and supporters within the wider Irish League
community and beyond.
At
times things looked re ally bleak for the club but despite
many rebuttals in terms of sites for their new home, the former
pony trotting stadium at Ballyskeagh was acquired for some
£40,000 in 1977.
Planning
difficulties were eventually overcome but the club had to
finance the development of the ground itself by securing a
mortgage of £150,000 from DENI - an onerous debt by
today's standards never mind back then.
The
ground was officially opened on the Tuesday, September 2,
1980 with a game against the club that had done so much to
help them, Crusaders.
A
couple of thousand supporters saw the game, Crusaders winning
2-0 thanks to strikes from Sammy Whiteside and Sean Byrne.
But
the result did nothing to dampen the immense delight of late
chairman Harry Caldwell, late secretary Bil-ly Press and the
rest of the club board that included their future chairman
Morton McKnight.
The
Whites had a home and as they say the rest is history.
To
mark the occasion the Lisburn Distillery Social Club committee
is hosting an evening buffet with live entertainment on Friday,
September 2 (7.30pm) at the club.
The
committee are cur-rently trying to track down the following
players - Gerry Moore, Neil Cummings, Jim McClurkin, Davy
McAlinden, Davy McClurg (who was transferred from the Whites
to Middlesbrough for £25,000), Jim Cowden, Craig McCandless,
Alan Smith, Eamon Hawkins and Peter Kerr.
The
players, or anyone who can help contact them, are asked to
contact committee member Ged Irwin on 0773 050 5190.
The
event is also open to anyone else who wishes to attend, admission
being by ticket and these are available at a cost of £8
from Ged Irwin or any other member of the club's social committee.
*Footnote
- this event has now been re-arranged for Saturday 01st October
2005*
Lisburn
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