End of the road for Satellite Taxis in the Cork Business League
Satellite Taxis celebrate winning the Sports Gear Direct Shield for the second year in a row following their dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Doolan's Cow in 2020. Picture: Finbarr Buckley
Despite clinging to their top-flight status last season following a rousing end to the campaign, Satellite Taxis decided to call it a day citing an aging squad and difficulties in recruitment.
Drawn in a difficult shield group alongside holders Marlboro Trust, The Joshua Tree and Abtran, consecutive defeats to Abtran and the Josh ended any hopes of progressing to the knockout stages.
The teething problems continued into the league campaign with defeats to Leisure World and Planet Blackpool in the opening two fixtures. Saturday, October 12 at Pfizer Park would mark a significant first for the fledging club when goals from Brefni McCarthy (2), Shane Twomey, Steve Harrington and Mark O’Brien led to the club’s first win over 20/20 Glazing.
A joint third-place finish with Co. Council was a satisfactory start to their first league campaign after defeats to QC Data in the Mooney Cup and Lakelands Celtic in the quarter-final of the Linehan Cup.
The following season a penalty shoot-out win over Tanner Celtic was all Taxis had to show for their involvement in a difficult shield group following defeats to EMC and Cork Eagles. Having dusted themselves down, a bright start to the league resulted in four wins and a draw to go two points behind leaders The Blackrock Inn by the end of October.
Despite dropping to fifth and five points behind new leaders Aesseal by the Christmas break, a 4-3 win over Team Serve in early January propelled the team on a fine run which ended in a fourth-place finish in a strong division.
After losing out to the Eagles in the Mooney Cup, there was a silver lining with a first divisional cup final appearance at Turner’s Cross on Sunday, May 31, 2015. Tanner Celtic came from behind twice to win 3-2 after Brefni McCarthy and Jonney Murphy became the first players to score for Satellite at headquarters.
The steady progress in the first two seasons came to fruition on Sunday, June 12, 2016, with the capture of the Linehan Cup for the first time after the 3-0 extra-time win over Tanner.
A brace from man-of-the-match Kevin O’Connor and another by Mark Trinder marked a major milestone which also included the league title by a two-point margin over the same opposition. Earlier in the season Satellite had lost out to UCC United and Doolan’s Cow in the last four of the Shield and Mooney Cup competitions.
A credible third-place finish in the top flight in 2016/17 at the first time of asking was a just reward for a battling campaign that almost ended on a high by pushing treble winners Doolan’s Cow all in the way in the Jackie O’Driscoll Premier Cup Final on Sunday, May 28.
Despite Shane Hennessy’s 13-second opener for Taxis, the Cow fought back to win the quadruple for the first time.
Without doubt, the consecutive shield final wins over the all-conquering Doolan’s Cow in 2018 and 2019 were the outstanding highlights of Satellite’s 11-year tenure in the league. The first win, 3-2, on Sunday. November 26, 2017, featured a brace from McCarthy and a winner from Micheal Doody.
A year later it was a 3-1 penalty shoot-out win and despite a Mooney Final loss to Quinlan’s Bar in the same season, Satellite had grown in stature to be a formidable team.
Not far behind the shield triumphs will always be the Mooney Cup penalty shoot-out win over ALPHA SuD at Turner’s Cross on Sunday, May 22, 2018. An eighth-minute Shane McGill header put the Northsiders ahead before John Harris.
In a gripping shoot-out it was left to Eoghan Buckley to convert the final penalty for a 3-2 win to the delight of manager Paul Calnan.
Ray Hallissey took over the reins from Calnan in 2021 and took the team to a shield final in Turner’s Cross.
His departure hastened a slump in form before the wheels came off the Satellite Taxis’s journey but the trip was well worth making!
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