CIARAN COLL paid an emotional tribute to his tragic friend, Jordan Curran, on Monday night.
During the game against St Patrick’s Athletic at Finn Park, the Finn Harps left-back wore a pair of boots Curran had given him.
The 19-year-old Curran died tragically a fortnight ago and his passing brought a dark cloud over a village that was at a standstill on the day he was laid to rest.
Picture caption: Ciaran Coll in action for Finn Harps against St Patrick’s Athletic. Picture by Gary Foy, newsandsportfiles
Coll lives in Ard Baithin and grew up playing jumpers-for-goalposts games with Curran on the estate.
“So hard to take,” said Coll of the news of the passing of a young man who was part of the Finn Harps Under-17 team that won the Macron Galway Cup in 2013.
“I wanted to pay a wee tribute to him on Monday. We didn’t have the chance to have the minute’s silence with the St Pat’s game being postponed so it was nice to get one on Monday.
Ciaran Coll with Jordan Curran
“What I did, too, was wear a pair of boots that he gave me.
“It was one day we were playing at Finn Park and I needed a pair of studs. He’d the same size as me, he gave me that pair and I’ve had them since. I just came across them the other day and decided to wear them.
“He never gave me insoles with the boots so I put in my own. I wrote his initials on them before the game.”
The day before the St Patrick’s Athletic game was scheduled for, Coll attended Curran’s funeral. The mind was ‘melted’ and the postponement came as a blessing of sorts.
“I was glad of the wee break,” Coll said. “I had a bit of an ankle injury from the Longford game and wasn’t right anyway. We had the funeral on the Thursday and I just wasn’t in good form. I was so glad to get a text to say that game was off.”
Curran most recently played with Raphoe Town in the Donegal League and previously turned out for Kildrum Tigers.
Coll stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Kildrum colleagues on the day of the funeral for a guard of honour; the red and black jackets holding bowed heads and teary eyes on the steps of St Baithin’s Church.
As Coll lead Harps out on Monday night, he knew this game would be different.
“Jordan went to most of the games and stood at the far side of Finn Park – and he’d always have a wee smart comment to shout if I was taking a throw-in or something,” he said.
“God knows what it could be, but after the game I’d get a text: ‘Did you hear that one?’.
“It was nice to get a chance to do something to remember him…these boots will be on my feet to the day they fall apart.”
