JIM Magorrian’s place in Bryansford’s hall of fame is long secured – but he would love nothing more than for the club’s current generation to write their own championship chapter in the years to come.
Magorrian was part of the last ‘Ford side to land the Frank O’Hare Cup back in 2003 when, under the stewardship of Benny Corrigan, they toppled all-conquering Mayobridge on an unforgettable afternoon at St Patrick’s Park.
Twenty-one years later, Magorrian has taken over the managerial reins – with club legend Corrigan, part of the great sides of the ‘70s, alongside him on the line.
After just missing out on promotion from Division Two, they got their championship up and running with victory over Saul, and hope to build on that victory against Ballyholland on Sunday evening.
Yet, while stalwarts like Marc Reid, Aaron McDonald, Conor Maginn, David McKibbin and Danny Savage remain central to his plans, the Bryansford boss – who took previous minor and U20s teams - knows he has to look beyond the current campaign if the club is to make proper progress.
“Last year with us getting relegated, I think everybody in the club sort of realised we needed to freshen things up a wee bit,” said Magorrian, who was previously involved with Glasdrumman and Ballymartin.
“I suppose with me having those ties with the younger folk, the guys under 22, 23 who probably didn’t get many opportunities in previous years, it was a good chance to work with them as well as obviously the more experienced boys who I played with.
“They still have a massive part to play in terms of helping those younger fellas along, but the reality is the older boys are not going to go on forever. Division Two was a good starting point for a lot of the younger fellas who hadn’t played much senior football.
“Our reserves had been a bit of a mess in the last lock of years… I feel a good reserve team will always feed the senior team. The reserves got to a league final and a championship final this year, using a lot of those younger fellas, so that was good to see.
“But when you’ve only won one championship in nearly 50 years, you don’t have the right to walk around as if you’re a championship team. We have to earn that right.”
The powerful Ryan O’Higgins was a key figure in last weekend’s victory over Saul but, along with experienced forward Savage, he is a doubt for Sunday’s clash with Shane Mulholland’s men.
Former Down ace Mulholland led Warrenpoint to the 2022 county final, and Magorrian is in no doubt that Bryansford will face a step up in quality and experience in Castlewellan on Sunday.
“It’s a wee bit disappointing that a club the size of Bryansford, in terms of numbers, would see one win in the championship as a success, where other clubs are focusing on trying to win the championship.
“But now we’re looking to push on and keep the season going as long as we can. We appreciate that we didn’t get out of Division Two, now we’re up against a Division One team, so it is going to be tricky.
“Ballyholland are a seasoned outfit, they’re pretty well organised, they’ve been to the semi-final a good few times, they have plenty of ex-county players and a nice balance of strength, physicality and a bit of pace with boys like Seamy Loughran and Jamie Doran.”
On the other side of the Down SFC draw, for those who lost their opening encounters, Loughinisland – defeated by reigning county kingpins Kilcoo in their first outing – will be fancied to get their championship up and running against Saul in Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.
Warrenpoint, meanwhile, must bounce back quickly after Monday’s disappointing defeat to a Clonduff side decimated by injury, suspension and absence. They take on Longstone, who fell to Bredagh at the first hurdle.
