In advance of an expected knighthood in the upcoming King’s Honours List, forever-Crusader Johno Moran has relinquished his coveted 4th Division Manager role after 43 years and handed his gear bag (20 jerseys, 1 sock, 2 matchballs, 3 left-handed gloves, 3 odd shinpads and 7 cans of Deep Heat) over to Mr. Mark Kennedy, goalkeeper extraordinaire, dead ball specialist and well-known raconteur within local sporting circles.
The ceremonial handover, which formally took place last evening in the Crusaders’ Ceremonial Palace in Phil Grimes’ Pub, has been some months in the making. Club scouts trawled the length and breadth of the county since September in search of a worthy successor to a man who has earned “legend” status at Whitfield Park.
Master of Ceremonies, Chairperson McGrath, spoke fondly of Moran’s conquests over the years in a four hour soliloquy which had his audience enthralled throughout. Such pressure would weigh heavily on any one man, but Kennedy is not one for such influence. Indeed, he further strenghtened his selection as he revealed afterwards that the coaching ticket for 2026 also includes Austin Hanrahan, Interior Designer to Enoch and the Burkes by trade, and box-to-box halfway line punisher by reputation.
The ceremony was briefly interrupted as Kennedy sought confirmation of the venue for pre-season training (week commencing 6th January).
As Johno removed his helmet one last time and took his place at the round committee table, McGrath called a halt to the night’s proceedings as he proclaimed “Arise Sir Kennedy, go forth and conquer!”. 🔵🔴⚔️
Crusaders AFC 
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