Avoca took to the road to take on Knockananna yesterday afternoon in Division 3 of the Wicklow Football Leagues. Numbers were tighter than a camels arse in a sandstorm for the men from the mines due to the game clashing with a stag do for local man and Referee to the stars, Chris Canavan.

Sadly there were also two bereavements in the Avoca area with players attending and coupled with the stag do it left Avoca short of 8 regulars for the trip to Knockananna. It is at times like these that real club people step up and put their shoulders to the wheel and that is exactly what Andy Doyle Senior did for his club Avoca.

Rather than see his team give a walkover, Andy dusted off the boot, lubricated the new hip and ruffled up his hair so the young ones wouldn’t be looking for autographs or a date and headed for the enchanted highways of Knockananna where many’s the virginity and unsuspecting tourist have been lost forever at the hands of the folk who dwell on the edge of the Carlow border.

At the tender age of 59 and a half, Andy donned the number 14 shirt of the Black & Amber Stripes of Avoca to spearhead their attack but he wasn’t the only Andy Doyle who would be leading the line for Avoca as his son Andy Doyle Junior was in the trenches alongside him at Centre forward.

The game sadly went against the Avoca men but it wasn’t for lack of trying on the part of the Doyles as Andy Snr & Jnr combined for 7 of Avoca’s 9 points and that’s an achievement only a select few father & son combos can surely boast!

Well done to Andy and Avoca for getting a team out despite being short so many and we wish Avoca all the best for 2019