Age is but a number.
Seeing a footballer in his mid-50s take to the field is an unusual sight. Unless it was some sort of veterans game that only allows players over a certain age, you may expect them to be the most senior player on the pitch by a good margin.
Remarkably, that wasn’t the case for intermediate senior game between Naomh Ultan and Cardonagh, which 56-year-old Martin Shovlin took part in.
Shovlin had huge success at intercounty level in the 90s. He was one of the stars of the Donegal side which claimed All-Ireland senior football success in 1992. That’s right, a quarter of a century ago. Yet still, Shovlin was only the oldest player during his club’s 1-11 to 0-11 win by six years.
intermediate Senior Championship (FT) Naomh Ultan 1-11 Carndonagh 0-11 #GAA Naomh Ultan win first Championship meeting.
— Naomh Ultan GAA (@NaomhUltanGAA) May 7, 2017
As Donegal News reporter Ryan Ferry tweeted after the game, 50-year-old Sean Furey also played for the winning club.
Sholvin and Furey have a combined age of 106 and still togged out for the club in a winning game. Net time you’re feeling a little on the lazy side and have begun thinking up an excuse to get out of a match, let that thought bounce around your head for a while.
Martin Shovlin (56) and Sean Furey (50) played in Naomh Ultan's win over Carndonagh in the Intermediate Championship today. Some going.
— Ryan Ferry (@RFerry92) May 7, 2017
