Sydney Venner is thrilled to be recognised by the AUL for a Distinguished Service to Cork Soccer award

Tue, 19 Nov, 2024 - 08:50

Plunkett Carter

This inductee to the list of those honoured for distinguished service to Cork Soccer by the AUL is Sydney Venner, who produced a man of the match performance when the Cork AUL won the Oscar Traynor Inter-League Trophy for the first time in 1966.

Venner is a name made famous by his dad Billy, a League of Ireland winger, who played with Limerick and Cork United and scored one of Evergreen’s goals in the all-Cork FAI Cup final of 1953.

During Sydney's debut year in junior soccer with Crosshaven he was regular on the right wing, with his dad Billy on the opposite wing.

Father and son combined with great effect to help defeat Fermoy in the 1963 County Shield final.

Distinguished Service Award winner Sydney Venner (middle) with daughters Susanne Venner Murphy and Lynda Venner Hally at the Cork Athletic Union Football League Soccer Honours at The Kiln, Heineken Ireland. Pic: Larry Cummins

After starring for the AUL in 1966, the Irish junior international selectors called on Syd and Noel Stokes (St Mary’s) for a match against an English representative side.

He signed for Cork Celtic in 1967 and made his debut against Hibs in a shield local derby game in October and went on to play 29 consecutive games that season.

Little bit of trivia from an uneventful season that followed, was that he provided the assist, an inch perfect centre, for Carl Davenport to score on his debut against Hibs in the League.

Sydney didn’t resume playing again until January in his second season at the Cross and soon returned to the seaside club and their notorious sloping pitch, commonly known as the Bog, for the 1969-70 season.

It was said that to shine on the slope you had to have one leg shorter than the other!

Sydney was now reunited with his brother Billy (Jnr) and as the old proverb goes: “A bird can’t fly on one wing,” now Crosshaven were flying with the two back reunited.

They won the league championship and President's Cup that season.

Two years later, they won the Premier League, the Saxone and AOH Cups.

It was the Golden Jubilee of the AOH, a trophy they won in front of 5,000 fans at Turner’s Cross on its inauguration in 1952 when Billy Venner (Snr) starred for the winners.

Sydney and Crosshaven having achieved so much in the AUL stepped up to the Munster Senior League where he collected an Elvery Cup winners medal.

1973-74 was an amazing year as they finished the league unbeaten, playing 16, winning 13, drawing three, and ending up with 29 points, yet they only finished second, one point behind winners Tramore.

Sydney then dropped down to junior soccer and the senior side captained by brother Billy, again went unbeaten in the championship but this time they reversed places with Tramore.

Sydney still retained much of the old sparkle and helped the second string to a brace of County Cup wins.

Cork Celtic (FAI Cup finalists 1968/69) : L to R (Back) : Donal Leahy, Con Calnan, John Carroll, Eamonn Heffernan, Michael Mackey, Billy McCullough (player-manager). L to R (Front): Tommy Taylor, Liam Dennehy, Pat O'Mahony (capt.), Frank McCarthy, Sydney Venner, Paddy Shortt, (pic: Courtesy Plunket Carter)

Ten years after his first appearance with the AUL Oscar Traynor squad he was back on the wing for the AUL selection in the national semi-final against the Dublin AUL in 1975.

He went on and on and on, playing as long as he could.

Sydney was the kind of player you’d want on your side, and the type of star, who deserves to be honoured for Distinguished Service to Cork Soccer.