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       #Post#: 2547--------------------------------------------------
       Mervyn Bell - Dundela stalwart
       By: EalingGreen Date: December 1, 2020, 12:16 pm
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       Cracking article on an unsung hero:
       'Aren't stands usually named after people who are dead?' - Duns
       honour long-serving boss Bell
  HTML https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/800/cpsprodpb/1EEC/production/_115561970_dunsbellstand.jpg
       In these times, when the service record of a football club
       manager can more often be measured in months rather than years
       or decades, it is revealing to look back to the eras when the
       chairman of the board was patient.
       Guy Roux dedicated 44 years to bringing French club Auxerre up
       from amateur status to eventual qualification for the Champions
       League in 1996.
       For over half a century, Willie Maley (43 years) and Bill Struth
       (34 years) oversaw the division of the spoils in the five miles
       that lay between Celtic Park and Ibrox.
       While Irish football's place on this exclusive list came as a
       result of Ronnie McFall's 30 years at Portadown, the
       statisticians appear to have overlooked Mervyn Bell's 40-year
       association with east Belfast Championship club Dundela.
       Wilgar Park, with its 2,500 capacity ground and tucked tightly
       between Dundela Crescent, Dundela Avenue and Wilgar Avenue, has
       been undergoing redevelopment work. Across from the social club
       two newly constructed stands have recently been completed.
       Last week, in acknowledgement of Bell's considerable role in the
       club's 125 year presence at Strandtown, one of them has had his
       name attached to it.
       More here:
  HTML https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55002513
       Also here:
  HTML http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/4761229.stm
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