Capsule unearths 'uncanny' Lilywhites' prediction

Call it premonition, or perhaps sheer faith, but one of the more unusual and perhaps suprising items to emerge from the Belturbet Festival of the Erne 'Time Capsule’, buried 25-years-ago and dug up earlier this month, was a scribbled note predicting 'Dundalk AFC for European Cup 2017’.

But a quarter of a century later and Dundalk FC are set to take on Polish champions Legia Warsaw at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin this evening in the first leg of the play-offs to qualify for the group stages.

Manager Stephen Kenny believes Dundalk will give hope to every small club in Europe if they can continue their Champions League fairy tale.

Around 30,000 are expected in the Aviva Stadium for the clash.

The quarter of a century old prediction, which one bookie suggested could have been a “several million to one” punt had it been a signed wager at the time, was the contribution of a Louth-native, now living in Belturbet, and life-long Lilywhites fan, Peter Francis Morgan.

Dundalk are one match away from the upper echelons of European club football after they dramatically beat BATE Borisov 3-0 (3-1 agg) to progress into the knock-out stages, and within touching distance of a place in the lucrative group stages of the Champions League.
The sheet of paper included in a raft of documents recovered from the sealed time capsule was titled 'Festival of the Erne 1991 Time Capsule, with the undersigned present at the Festival of the Erne’.
At the base of the document, still eligible after all these years, was Mr Morgan’s forecast, written: 'Peter Francis Morgan. Dundalk AFC for European Cup 2017. Rory O’Moores for Senior Championship. Louth for the All-Ireland’.
“I’m pleasantly surprised, I have to admit,” says Mr Morgan, unfazed by the failure of his other two prophesies.
The former schoolteacher originally from Dunleer, who moved to the Erneside town when he married wife Eileen in 1964, told The Anglo-Celt he used to regularly travel to watch Dundalk play.
“My father was a founding member of Dundalk Football Club. His name was JC Morgan, he was an auctioneer in Dunleer. He and a friend of his, Dr Jim Donegan were the Dunleer representatives on the committee that founded the club in 1926. So that’s how the connection comes about,” he proudly explained.
Thinking back 25-years, Mr Morgan recalls classy players like Tommy McConville, Dermot Keely and Paddy Dunning: “They were pure class, great players of their time.”
Mr Morgan’s hopes of the childhood club progressing further still, led by boss Stephen Kenny, are now pinned on a new breed of starlets. Their next European fixture sees Dundalk pitted against Polish champions, Legia Warsaw, the first leg of which will be played August 17 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
“I was amazed when I heard they won against the Belarusians. They’re a very good team, they are top class and we’d lost to them before. I was absolutely amazed. It’s exciting, and I wish them the best of luck in the next round,” Mr Morgan concluded.
The Lilywhites club general manager Martin Connolly was amused when told of Mr Morgan’s prediction. “We mightn’t win it, but we could still be in it,” he laughed.
“I’d love to say I hope he’s right, that’d be the first thing. That’s uncanny, amazing, and it just goes to show the support that is out there for Dundalk Football Club down through the years, lads like Peter and his father before that is what this club is all about.”