When Newington lift the Premier Intermediate League trophy this weekend, captain Richard Gowdy will be sipping cocktails and a few ‘cervezas’ in Ibiza.
The club captain will be on his stag when the North Belfast club receives the trophy after their final game of the season against Banbridge Town.
Newington were confirmed champions on Saturday after their 6-1 demolition of Armagh City, while Bangor lost 4-2 to Limavady United.
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Gowdy admits he is still coming to terms with the seismic achievement, with two days of “chaotic” celebrations highlighting just what it means to Paul Hamilton’s side.
“The celebrations were unbelievable. I am lying on the sofa here now,” Gowdy joked.
“It was absolute carnage, but they are special moments. We got the fans with us and it was mayhem.
“We have had two days of it, and there might be a third depending how well I feel.”
He added: “We will probably get the trophy next Saturday, but I will be on my stag in Ibiza.
“Our vice captain Kevin Bradley goes on a different stag do on Thursday so he won’t be about either.
“I would love to have been able to lift it, but at the end of the day I don’t really care that much. It is about winning the league for me.
“I don’t think I will ever have a feeling like that on Saturday when we were confirmed as champions.”
Newington have been relentless since the split, with their emphatic victories over title rivals Bangor and Armagh proving their hunger for the fight.
Gowdy insists there were no nerves within the camp - just an insatiable appetite to get over the line.
“From the split we have just grasped our opportunity. The best way to win the title is beating the other main contenders 5-0 and 6-1,” Gowdy (above) said.
“There were no nerves, just excitement. We haven’t been in that position before so you have to enjoy it.
“I told the lads we had no reason to be nervous. We just had to win another game of football.
“There was an added incentive in that Armagh are the only team we hadn’t beaten all season. So in the back of my head was that stat.”
He added: “To be honest, it really hasn’t sunk in yet. Just how big an achievement it is.
“Look at the resources we have compared to other clubs. We rent our pitch off Cliftonville, we train at Girdwood Community Centre and we have so many volunteers.
“It is an absolutely phenomenal achievement. I don’t think anyone gave us a mission winning the league, and I think it is the greatest achievement in the football club’s history.”
Not many people would have tipped Newington to go all the way this season, but Gowdy insists there was an inner belief that the club could make its mark in 2021/22.
And he says a pre-season trip to Strabane offered him a glimpse of the mentality of the squad.
He said: “We always believed we could win it. We went away to Strabane for a pre-season game, sort of an away day. We beat Strabane and were on the bus on the way home.
“We were having a few drinks and singing ‘we are going to win the league’. We were jokingly singing it, but the players, Hamo (Paul Hamilton) and Conor (Crossan) brought in made the difference.
“I don’t think I have been in a squad as strong as this. It is a brilliant squad.
“I joined the club five or six years ago and this moment has been building for years.
“When I joined we were fighting relegation. The club had been doing that since getting promoted to the Premier Intermediate. Until this year.
“What the management has put together is incredible and led to this achievement.
“League tables don’t lie. We have won more games than anyone else, and lost the least. It has been a privilege to captain this group of lads. I find it hard to put into words.”
Looking ahead to next season in the Championship, Gowdy said: “Next season will be a free hit for us.
I can guarantee you every team in the Championship will view us as an easy six points.
“But I am confident we will be alright. We will surprise an awful lot of people.”
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