Comber Recreation F.C.

Comber Recreation Football Club (or more commonly Comber Rec.) is a Northern Irish football club based in Comber, playing in the Premier Division of the Northern Amateur Football League. The club was founded in 1950 as Comber Youth Club. Their home ground is located at parkway in Comber. The team is managed by John Bailie. In addition to their first XI, Comber also fields two reserve teams and four youth teams. The 2nd XI currently play in tne NAFL Division 3A while the 3rd XI are in the Premier Division of the Down Area League. In 2005, Comber's youth teams started playing in the East Antrim Youth League.

History

In 1950, the club formed as Comber Youth Club although they only played friendly matches for their first two seasons. The club then successfully applied to join the Churches League, affiliating themselves with the local Presbyterian church and renaming the club as 1st Comber Presbyterian. They remained there for only a couple of seasons before joining the Northern Amateur Football League in the mid-1950s. Club facilities were fairly sparse to begin with. The club had to share the grounds at Parkway with Comber Young Men and the changing facilities had little lighting, no water and was heated by a coal-fired stove.

The fortunes of the club were to quickly improve. The 1956/57 season saw them win their trophy when they won the Border Cup. The following season they retained the Border Cup and also won the Clarence Cup. The club has had other cup successes but their most important to date was their victory over Brantwood in the final of the Steel and Sons Cup. They almost claimed the title for a second time when they made it to the final in 1996 but lost to Chimney Corner.

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Club honours

Intermediate honours

• Steel and Sons Cup:1
  • 1991/92
• Border Regiment Cup:2
  • 1956/57, 1957/58
• Clarence Cup: 3
  • 1957/58, 1961/62, 1998/99

External links

• Comber Rec Official Club website
• nifootball.co.uk - (For fixtures, results and tables of all Northern Ireland amateur football leagues)