Ballynanty Rovers' Aidan Hurley joins the '600 club' in Limerick junior soccer

BALLYNANTY Rovers’ Aidan Hurley lined out for his club against Coonagh Utd on Sunday and marked a unique occasion, chalking up his 600th appearance in his 22nd season in Junior soccer.

It’s a unbelievable feat for the highly regarded midfielder and even more so as the majority of the games were at the top level of the sport.

Aidan made his debut as a 16-year-old with Aisling Annacotty in 2001, going on to make 258 appearances with his schoolboy club.

A transfer to Janesboro began a run of 298 games (including ten Oscar Traynor appearances) and Sunday’s appearance was his 44th for Ballynanty Rvs.

Described as a 'player’s player' by his peers, Aidan has been a credit to the game with his professional attitude and commitment. He has been lucky enough to avoid serious injury which has helped his longevity.

Citing his Dad, Brian as the earliest influence on his career he also acknowledges Aisling’s Tom Foley who gave him his first start as a 16-year-old.

In a 22-year career to date, Aidan is well placed to gauge how the game has evolved and does not buy into the adage that “it was much better back then”.

Acknowledging the strength of various Fairview, Pike and Janesboro sides over the period, Aidan maintains he has not felt a drop in standards in Limerick, maintaining it’s the strongest league in the country and has been for many years.

In a trophy laden career to date, a number of games come to mind when pressed to pick his most memorable. Aisling’s 4-3 win over Galway Hibs in the FAI in 2006 and a 2-1 win for Aisling over Mungret on the first game on the new Astro turf.

With Janesboro, their 3-1 win over Aisling to give them the League in 2015, a 1-0 win in the FAI last eight v Newmarket along with the Lawson Final when Boro pipped Balla with two late Shane Clarke goals in 2018

An Oscar Traynor win versus Kilkenny in 2019 is another obvious highlight.

When pushed to remember some of the best players he has seen at close quarters, Kevin McCarthy, Keith Harnett, Shane Clarke and John Tierney are an impressive choice by any standard.

With 600 games now under your belt you would think it was time to wind down but Aidan is still competing at a high level and while acknowledging that father time might have other ideas, at the moment he will focus continuing on as long as he can, which is good news for Ballynanty Rvs.