Derek Prepare dinner believes he owes former Coleraine boss Colin O’Neill a debt of gratitude.
It was the ex-Northern Eire worldwide who took of venture by bringing Derek, Stuart McLean and the late Alan Ewing to the Ballycastle Street Showgrounds in July 1992.
Having spent a profitable spell as a participant with Motherwell, O’Neill knew a factor or two about Scottish soccer and he made Derek certainly one of his first signings.
Sadly, O’Neill’s spell at Coleraine proved to be transient and he left the membership after solely three months. In distinction, Derek grew to become a family title and continues to be held in excessive esteem on the north coast.
“The transfer got here out of the blue, it wasn’t on my to do record to hitch an Irish League membership,” laughs Derek.
“As quickly as Alan and I travelled over and we performed that first recreation, we have been bitten.
“Coming from the west of Scotland, we have been handled very nicely, regardless that it was within the warmth of the Troubles.
“Colin didn’t know Alan and I, however he had loads of contacts in Scotland. We had a trial recreation, I scored twice and Alan scored two additionally. Colin signed us there after which; it was so simple as that.
“Stuart came to visit after us, however Colin did know him, so he knew what he was getting. After that, Stuart, Alan and I grew to become good mates, we loved travelling collectively.
“Once we first arrived, we used to go over on the ferry and drive as much as Coleraine.
“Then we modified to flying over. We'd go over on a Saturday morning after which stayed in a single day. We had many good nights up in Portrush; we had a good time.
“However Colin lasted merely a few months, though his exit had nothing to do with soccer. It was a personal matter, so he left.
“Felix Healy took over — what a participant he was; he was an incredible supervisor and a cracking man. I communicate with him, I collect he's nonetheless doing a little bit of entertaining, singing in pubs and golf equipment.”
The Bannsiders put collectively a powerful run within the League Cup, with Derek scoring in each spherical earlier than the Closing which disappointingly resulted in a 2-0 defeat by Linfield.
“That was the closest I received to profitable a medal with Coleraine,” recollects Derek. “We could not have gained something in my spell on the membership, however it was nonetheless good occasions.
“We had some cracking gamers — the likes of Tony Gorman, large Paul Gaston and David O’Hare, the goalkeeper. We had plenty of Scottish guys within the first couple of years — Bobby Russell arrived, the ex-Rangers midfielder.”
The lure of his residence membership Derry Metropolis was an excessive amount of for Healy to withstand. Once they supplied him the submit of supervisor, he didn’t assume twice.
He was changed by the irrepressible Kenny Shiels, who instantly launched into an in depth rebuilding train, which finally led to Derek being frozen out.
And simply when he was making ready to place pen to paper for Ards, Glentoran boss Tommy Cassidy got here in with a last-minute supply to take him to The Oval.
“All of it started to interrupt up at Coleraine, so I moved to Glentoran, whereas Alan and Stuart joined Linfield,” he provides.
“I grew to become just a little bit disillusioned.
“I wasn’t on the switch record, however I wasn’t getting the sport time I wished so I wished away. There have been a couple of golf equipment and I used to be nearly to maneuver to Ards when Glentoran got here in for me.
“It was an enormous transfer. Clearly, Glentoran have been certainly one of Belfast’s large golf equipment; there was plenty of expectation there, with their large fan base.
“Once more, there have been plenty of good gamers on the membership — Trevor Smith, John Devine, Liam Coyle, Pete Batey and Chris Walker. In my second 12 months, large Glen Little arrived from England, that was the 12 months we gained the Irish Cup, beating Glenavon within the Closing.
“He scored a surprise aim to win it; he ran from the midway line earlier than hitting residence a screamer.”
However it wasn’t all high-fives and back-slaps as a result of with the League being restructured over a two-year interval, the Glens nearly averted relegation by the pores and skin of their enamel.
“The factors tally over the 2 seasons was thought-about, however our outcomes weren't good,” remembers Derek.
“We needed to beat Crusaders at Seaview within the remaining recreation of the marketing campaign to remain up.
“We nearly managed it; I scored our first aim and I feel it was a Trevor Smith penalty that saved us. However in an ironic twist, our win meant that we despatched Coleraine down into the First Division. I wasn’t so fashionable then with the Coleraine followers after that.”
One in all Derek’s highlights was that includes for Glentoran within the European Cup Winners’ Cup towards Sparta Prague.
“That was in all probability my finest reminiscence,” he goes on. “I performed within the first recreation on the Oval and we ran them shut, dropping 2-1, however Mr Cassidy dropped me for the return leg. We have been thrashed 8-0 over there, so perhaps I used to be higher on the bench.”
On his Glens departure, Derek returned to Scotland for a short while, earlier than lastly making his transfer to Ards.
“I joined a non-League membership however inside three months I used to be again in Northern Eire, Tommy Cassidy introduced me again to Ards,” he explains.
“There was a little bit of a managerial merry-go-round with Roy Coyle shifting from Ards to Glentoran and Tommy getting in the other way. I used to be there for just one season.
“My life modified after I received a name to come back right down to London to work. I’m a building director for a property developer.
“There may be plenty of constructing work occurring and I’m now seven and a half years in England. I’m based mostly in Greenwich, I simply journey across the M25, I’ve received constructing websites in all places.
“Each second weekend, I head again up the highway to see my grandchildren. I nonetheless have a home in Ardrossan, however I simply lease my home in England.”
It took Derek a while to come back to phrases with the premature sudden demise of his nice mate Alan Ewing final 12 months.
He says: “It was horrible. With me being based mostly in London, my daughter telephoned me to ask if I learn the newspaper. There was a narrative that Alan had gone lacking. Once I received that decision, I knew it wouldn’t be good.
“Just a few days later, it emerged that Alan had handed away. What a pleasant man he was; he was a gentleman and a legend.
“The whole lot needed to be proper with Alan. If you happen to weren’t enjoying the sport correctly, he would let you know. He all the time had that drive in him.
“Once I attended his funeral, it was the primary time I’d met Stuart (McLean) since we left Northern Eire. It was good and we now communicate — out of tragedy, one thing good comes.
“When Alan moved to Linfield and I moved to Glentoran, we educated collectively all week in Scotland, so it was a little bit of enjoyable after we confronted one another on a couple of events.
“I've plenty of good recollections. Alan and I went again even additional than our days at Coleraine as a result of we spent 4 years at Stranraer earlier than we moved to Northern Eire.
“Then, after our ventures within the Irish League, we each went again to Scotland and ended up enjoying for Alan’s hometown membership Beith in Ayrshire for one more three years, so I spent plenty of time with him. He was a really, excellent good friend.”
Though his work commitments depart him with little free time, Derek nonetheless retains his sturdy hyperlinks with the Glentoran Legends and is concerned with the charity work they do.
“I’ve introduced the Glentoran Legends over to Scotland a couple of occasions for charity video games,” he provides. “They're sensible. They’ve been over round 4 occasions they usually have helped raised shut on £50,000.
“They arrive over within the morning, play the sport, have a proper good day after which return on the ferry at night time. Large Philip Stevenson is a good lad, he organises every little thing. The final time they have been over was final October to face Winton Rovers Legends. It was nice to see the likes of Raymond Morrison, Tommy Leeman and Mark Glendinning once more.”