BRYCE MOON

When Coleraine took on the then recently renamed Newry City in the CIS Cup group stage in the 2004/2005 season, it was a victory in the home match which would prove crucial in securing what is to date, Coleraine’s last quarter final spot in the competition. That day, Bertie Fulton may have scored the winning goal, but as fans left The Showgrounds, for the vast majority there was only one player’s name on their lips. That name was Bryce Moon.

Bryce had just arrived in Coleraine as part of the Sports Student Exchange programme operated by the Causeway Institute, from which Coleraine’s Rugby and Ladies Hockey teams had already benefited in the recent past. His reputation certainly was impressive; reportedly he was a former 100 metre sprint champion and had captained the South African national side at three different age groups. At the time it was also stated that he had turned down a professional contract in South Africa and the chance of a scholarship in Boston USA, to come and study in Coleraine.

Any fears that he may have struggled to make an impact in the Irish League were swiftly allayed by his impressive debut against Newry and he swiftly became a cult hero around The Showgrounds, earning the nickname “Alfie” in reference to the Eastenders character Alfie Moon.

Within three weeks of his debut he would score his first goal for Coleraine, opening the scoring in a 1-1 league draw against Crusaders (for whom, somewhat appropriately, the goalkeeper was named Neil Armstrong) and produced one of the best celebrations ever seen at The Showgrounds, a spectacular forwards somersault. What is perhaps most surprising is that these impressive early performances came in the midst of personal heartbreak as only a few weeks after he arrived in the province, he received news of his grandmother’s death. After returning from her funeral in South Africa, he turned in another impressive performance at The Showgrounds against Ards, scoring another goal in the process.

Although as Winter advanced, he increasingly found himself on the bench, as Marty preferred the experience of Barry Curran, he was still capable of making a decisive, most noticeably on Boxing Day (+1) when he came on to help Coleraine turn around a 2-0 deficit and snatch a 2-2 draw at Ballymena, a performance only marred by an idiot minority in the Ballymena support hurling racist abuse in his direction.

Although, it was thought by many that he would be returning for a second season in 2005/06, he stayed in South Africa and resigned for his former club, Ajax Cape Town (who as the name suggests are a feeder club for Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam.) He hit the headlines recently with his new club when they reached the ABSA Cup final and denied league Champions Mamelodi Sundowns a domestic double by winning the cup for the first time in their history, with Bryce scoring one of the goals in their 2-0 victory.

With his home country hosting the next World Cup in 2010, Bryce will undoubtedly be determined to make his mark on the international stage and who knows; maybe he will get to join that impressive list of Bannsiders who have played on the greatest stage the world has to offer.