0:00:13 > 0:00:16Good morning. Morning, Mr Fullerton. Your car has arrived. Oh, lovely.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Thank you, have a great day. Thank you. Thank you.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Good morning. Morning, Mr Fullerton.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Thank you very much. You're very welcome.
0:00:33 > 0:00:34Tell you what, there will be no chance
0:00:34 > 0:00:35of getting a tip out of that one.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46And where is your presence required today,
0:00:46 > 0:00:50Mr Fullerton MBE BBC BUFC, sir?
0:00:50 > 0:00:52To work. And do watch the speed bumps.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54My hips are killing me these days.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56I know, you never stop moaning about it.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Here, you know why the hips are like that?
0:00:58 > 0:01:00It's all that exercise you got.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Hey, just cut the chat - get me to the BBC.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05My public awaits.
0:01:05 > 0:01:06All right, Your Majesty!
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Oh, by the way, Jackie, there's only one rule in this car -
0:01:09 > 0:01:10no singing.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Thank you. I wish I could say it's been a pleasure.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30No tip?
0:01:30 > 0:01:32No.
0:01:32 > 0:01:33What did I tell you?
0:01:44 > 0:01:48'Here's Davis. It's a good ball, the flag stays down.'
0:01:48 > 0:01:50'They weren't laughing then. 'Weren't laughing.'
0:01:50 > 0:01:52'You've been a great servant to Northern Ireland,
0:01:52 > 0:01:54'a great servant to the sport
0:01:54 > 0:01:56'and a great servant to the BBC.'
0:01:56 > 0:01:59HE LAUGHS The memories.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07You've a lovely complexion, Jackie. What's your secret?
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Joanne, my dear, I couldn't possibly tell you my secrets.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12We're ready for your close-up. Are you ready?
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Of course - I'm always ready. Let's go.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Right - to the studio. Which way?
0:02:17 > 0:02:19My way, of course.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21HE LAUGHS
0:02:21 > 0:02:24So you're just in here and up to the mic.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25Lovely. Thank you.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Who is that young man?
0:02:38 > 0:02:43Oh, it's me - all those 40 years ago.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46I look at the pullovers, the suits, the haircuts -
0:02:46 > 0:02:49did I really think those were stylish?
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Anyway, what a journey it's been -
0:02:51 > 0:02:54from League-winning footballer to television presenter.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58And what a job - top events, big names, the travel,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01and lots of laughs in the company
0:03:01 > 0:03:04of some wonderful people...and not just the ladies.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08Oh, yes - I'm very proud of my four decades in this business.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Where do the years go?
0:03:12 > 0:03:17Anyhow, let us not delay - it's time for nostalgia.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21I start my look back where else but Windsor Park -
0:03:21 > 0:03:24there's nowhere else quite like it on international night
0:03:24 > 0:03:28when the Green And White Army are really bouncing in the stands.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31These days, the capacity is about 14,000,
0:03:31 > 0:03:35but in 1981, there were 40,000 people crammed in here
0:03:35 > 0:03:38to see if Northern Ireland could beat Israel
0:03:38 > 0:03:41and qualify for Espana '82.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44And they did, thanks to a big striker.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54There was big expectation -
0:03:54 > 0:03:57we were going to qualify for the finals
0:03:57 > 0:03:59because it was only Israel.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01And yet, there was so much riding on it.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04But Bingham, Billy Bingham -
0:04:04 > 0:04:07who would have deserved a knighthood, honestly,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09for all he did for Northern Ireland -
0:04:09 > 0:04:12he had a good side at that time.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13Yaacov Cohen, the offender...
0:04:13 > 0:04:15The Israelis were defending very well.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17We eventually made the breakthrough
0:04:17 > 0:04:20and I remember the late Noel Brotherston
0:04:20 > 0:04:23and Jimmy Nicholl, right-back, outside,
0:04:23 > 0:04:24were involved in a free kick.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26The ball came over
0:04:26 > 0:04:28and I think Billy Hamilton headed it down,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Gerry Armstrong swept it in.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Armstrong! Yes!
0:04:34 > 0:04:36And the celebrations and the roar -
0:04:36 > 0:04:40the old stadium shook to the rafters.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43And it was one of those romantic moments in sport -
0:04:43 > 0:04:47here we were, we were on our way to Spain.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51They've all stayed behind.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56The lovely thing was Bingham joined in and the players,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59they just walked round, and the stadium...
0:04:59 > 0:05:02I mean, it was a surreal atmosphere.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04And I think it's not only what I remember,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06but I think everybody who was there
0:05:06 > 0:05:08and everybody who watched it on television
0:05:08 > 0:05:10will remember that night.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13We were back at the top table.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26Mmm - to think they told me this was a tough business...
0:05:26 > 0:05:27And I believed them.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32Anyhow, in 1982, Billy Bingham and his men were off to sunny Spain.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35We began with draws against Yugoslavia and Honduras,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38which meant we had to beat the host country Spain
0:05:38 > 0:05:40to make it through to the second phase.
0:05:40 > 0:05:41Few gave us a chance,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45but little Irlanda del Norte had other ideas.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48TAPE SCRATCHES What? Never mind that, Jackie!
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Move it - Angie's coming to record the weather.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Oh, the cheek of some people.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Roll the tape anyway - strut your stuff, big Gerry!
0:06:09 > 0:06:12I was...what, my late 30s?
0:06:12 > 0:06:171982.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19because I had played in the Irish League.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21When people were resting or something,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23in the training matches, Billy would say,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27"Jackie, just drop in here and play in the midfield", or something.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30So it was great. I felt like one of the players.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33That wee man never gave me a cap, you know.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36When I was sitting down,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39you could only see two-thirds of the other goalmouth
0:06:39 > 0:06:44and just after half-time, Gerry scored this goal.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46And I remember I stood up and I thought,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48"My goodness, have we scored?"
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Still Billy Hamilton. He's got past Tendillo.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Arconada...Armstrong...!
0:06:56 > 0:06:58The Valencia stadium was silenced.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05We held on, and I took off on the final whistle
0:07:05 > 0:07:06and I arrived in the centre circle
0:07:06 > 0:07:12just as Billy Bingham was meeting Gerry Armstrong,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15and they hugged and I joined in.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20And the three of us, we all had a lump in our throat,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23because it was magical, the most magical moment.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26And Northern Ireland are the surprise team
0:07:26 > 0:07:29of the first round... There were so many fans out there.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32I thought all of Northern Ireland had flown out that night.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35There seemed to be thousands at the team hotel
0:07:35 > 0:07:39and they can only celebrate as we like to celebrate.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Now to a man who was a legend in the truest sense.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Joey Dunlop, OBE, MBE.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50I was privileged to call Joey a friend
0:07:50 > 0:07:53as I had the ultimate respect for him.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Now, Joey had a God-given talent,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58but he also had that great desire, that great determination,
0:07:58 > 0:08:02to be a winner, which he proved back in 1989
0:08:02 > 0:08:04when, after a bad crash at Brands Hatch,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07he was left with career-threatening injuries.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Many thought he was finished.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12But oh, no - the Wee Man, as I knew him,
0:08:12 > 0:08:17he bounced back for a famous win at the Ulster Grand Prix in 1990
0:08:17 > 0:08:19and he was to have the last laugh
0:08:19 > 0:08:21at those who had dared to write him off.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Joey Dunlop was known as the People's Champion,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39and he was really the people's champion.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43When Joey had the crash,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46I remember he came back, after the crash,
0:08:46 > 0:08:48to Ballymoney Hospital
0:08:48 > 0:08:51and I went down to the hospital to do an interview with him.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54He was in a wheelchair just after the surgery.
0:08:54 > 0:08:55He'd been badly injured.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58The surgeon said to me, "Jackie, there's your man now",
0:08:58 > 0:09:01and I turned round and I thought, "Where's Joey?"
0:09:01 > 0:09:04And there was this little frail figure,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and Joey had lost about two, two-and-a-half stone.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10I said, "You're determined to get back."
0:09:10 > 0:09:12"I mean, a crash like that, a lot of people would say,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14"'Maybe that will finish the Wee Man.'"
0:09:14 > 0:09:16He gave me a great answer, he always did.
0:09:17 > 0:09:23"If I thought for one minute that crash had been my fault,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25"that I was losing my judgment,
0:09:25 > 0:09:27"I wouldn't put my leg across another bike."
0:09:29 > 0:09:32When he came back from that very bad accident
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and recovered from his injuries...
0:09:35 > 0:09:37They go back into the saddle
0:09:37 > 0:09:39probably before they're ready, before they're really fit.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Joey was going around
0:09:41 > 0:09:44and he was finishing maybe outside the top ten,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46outside the top six, certainly.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49And I remember I did a documentary with him, and he said,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52"I got the impression that people were laughing at me."
0:09:55 > 0:09:59"And then", he said, "I came back and I won at the Ulster Grand Prix."
0:09:59 > 0:10:03And I was so proud of him, because that summed up
0:10:03 > 0:10:08that passion that he had and that determination to win.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13And I said, "You remembered them laughing, Joey, after that win?"
0:10:13 > 0:10:16They weren't laughing then. Weren't laughing.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18And that lovely Ballymoney accent.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21He was pleased, cos he was a competitor.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Those people have something that the rest of us don't have -
0:10:24 > 0:10:28that is why they're up there and they've been great successes.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Well, here I am now, at Ravenhill.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36And I have to say, it looks a lot better
0:10:36 > 0:10:38than it did back in 1999.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Back then, Stade Francais arrived here,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43all guns blazing for a European Cup semifinal.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44They were a good side
0:10:44 > 0:10:48and Ulster had to prove they could play a little bit of rugby as well.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49Just into the second half,
0:10:49 > 0:10:54they did just that - a little bit of genius from David Humphreys.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57The move started here, in our own half, about the 22.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Ten seconds later, David was touching down for the try,
0:11:01 > 0:11:06and that stand behind me was bouncing - literally.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Ulster had a very good team at that time.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Stade Francais were a threat.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Early in the second half, it's 11-10 to Ulster.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26It's nip and tuck.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31And the whole stadium was bouncing - again, it was packed to the rafters.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33And we're just wishing and hoping
0:11:33 > 0:11:35we can get to this European Cup final -
0:11:35 > 0:11:36that would be something.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40And then comes that magical moment when you stand back in awe
0:11:40 > 0:11:43and think, "My goodness, did he really do that?"
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Poised to disrupt. Machett, poised to deliver.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Humphreys, poised to attack. That's nicely done.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Well taken by Coulter - lovely transfer.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55Here goes Humphreys...
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Has Ulster's skipper got the pace?
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Has he got the pace? He has got the pace!
0:11:59 > 0:12:04Such was the movement of the crowd, the camera went like this here,
0:12:04 > 0:12:06so you got this wiggly shot.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08That is sensational!
0:12:08 > 0:12:12And such was the excitement and the celebrations that day,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14I think David Humphreys said afterwards,
0:12:14 > 0:12:19"The noise was unbelievable - think if we went on to win this,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21"what it would be like."
0:12:21 > 0:12:24And so it came to pass.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Cheers, thank you very much. Thank you.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35What a lovely way to break up the day.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38And you know, just like this hot tub,
0:12:38 > 0:12:42Croke Park was a bubbling cauldron of noise in September 1994,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44when Down played Dublin -
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Down, trying to win their fifth All-Ireland title,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50and under talismanic coach Pete McGrath,
0:12:50 > 0:12:52their second in three years,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56and they did win it, to submit the names of Down and McGrath
0:12:56 > 0:12:58in GAA folklore.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02So, Pete and the boys, cheers.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07I've got to get out of here - who wants to be all wrinkled?
0:13:18 > 0:13:21You know, in this business, you really do have to keep in shape.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Down, I remember specifically because of the manager,
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Pete McGrath.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Not only was he the nicest of men,
0:13:39 > 0:13:43but he has that passion for the game.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47He lived and breathed Down Gaelic Football
0:13:47 > 0:13:50and he'd got his hands on the Holy Grail once again.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Down had won the All-Ireland three times,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56I think it was, in the '60s,
0:13:56 > 0:13:59then he won it with Down in '91,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02and that was the start of the Ulster domination,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04and in '94, he's back again.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07But they're playing Dublin in their own back yard - Croke Park.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14I remember...Mickey Linden and James McCarten
0:14:14 > 0:14:19and they linked up for James McCarten to score a goal.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21And there are always moments like that in games,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24where you think, "That's the turning point."
0:14:24 > 0:14:28McCarten's goal, first of all, which lifted them,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31and Redman missing in the second half -
0:14:31 > 0:14:34you think, "This is Down's day again."
0:14:34 > 0:14:42To beat Dublin in Croke Park in Dublin was extra sweet,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45and DJ Kane, I can still see him getting the trophy.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58You know, over 40 years,
0:14:58 > 0:15:02I haven't had too much time to relax and reflect, but this...
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Oh, it's wonderful!
0:15:05 > 0:15:08And there were certainly wonderful hands which were on display
0:15:08 > 0:15:12when Barry McGuigan won his world title way back in 1985
0:15:12 > 0:15:15at Loftus Road in London -
0:15:15 > 0:15:17one of British boxing's great moments.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19And after such a bruising encounter,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22I'm sure Barry could have used a rub-down like this
0:15:22 > 0:15:25before his bus trip down Royal Avenue,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27when he returned a hero -
0:15:27 > 0:15:30and I was lucky enough to be part of that journey.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43I had watched him come from the amateur ranks
0:15:43 > 0:15:46right through his professional career,
0:15:46 > 0:15:47and he had all the ammunition
0:15:47 > 0:15:51and all the attributes to be a world champion,
0:15:51 > 0:15:53and he had made it.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01I remember being at the airport with a posse,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04a multitude of other people, the press and the media,
0:16:04 > 0:16:05and Barry arrived.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16We then set off from the airport - I remember following him.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20He drove in a sports car, he and his wife, Sandra.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25We get to the Belfast Telegraph, and again,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27we set off in this lorry, this time.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31The welcome that he got home...
0:16:31 > 0:16:37Because Barry McGuigan was a very special person in that he appealed
0:16:37 > 0:16:41to both sides of our community, and not many people do that.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45But he had that gift.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47The people just loved and idolised Barry McGuigan,
0:16:47 > 0:16:51so they turned out in their thousands to greet him.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54It was almost like New York, ticker tape...
0:16:54 > 0:16:56It was maybe toilet rolls, this time!
0:16:56 > 0:16:59But it was Belfast celebrating again,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02again with The Troubles still as a backdrop.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07That was the...the great appeal
0:17:07 > 0:17:10and the great drawing power Barry McGuigan had.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12And he deserved all of it.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14CROWD CHANTS AND CHEERS
0:17:14 > 0:17:19BENNY HILL THEME PLAYS
0:17:24 > 0:17:25Are we on the air?
0:17:25 > 0:17:28HE LAUGHS
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Oh...oh...
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Oh!
0:17:33 > 0:17:34I'm not quite sure what's happening.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39On the road, with Bertie Fisher...
0:17:42 > 0:17:44How is greyround...greyround?
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Greyround hacing?
0:17:46 > 0:17:47But what they've found is that...
0:17:49 > 0:17:51People say it's play-acting... Oh!
0:17:59 > 0:18:03Yes, I am in sunny Portrush, home of Graeme McDowell,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05and it's his success in recent times
0:18:05 > 0:18:08which has brought thousands of golfing tourists
0:18:08 > 0:18:10from all over the globe to this part of the world.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Let me take you back to 2002, when Graeme -
0:18:14 > 0:18:18then 23, and playing in only his fourth professional tournament -
0:18:18 > 0:18:21won the Volvo Scandinavian Masters.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23And that was just the start -
0:18:23 > 0:18:27since then, three of our golfers have made a "Major" impact.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39CROWD CHEERS
0:18:39 > 0:18:41What a shot!
0:18:41 > 0:18:44What I remember about it are two things -
0:18:44 > 0:18:49to my memory, he nearly messed it up on the last hole.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52He hit a ball into the sand trap, the bunker.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57Then he hit up onto the green and got his putt, he won the tournament.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59A great moment for a young man.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03And then I went down on the Tuesday night,
0:19:03 > 0:19:04I think, when he came back
0:19:04 > 0:19:11to Rathmore Club in Portrush and did a live Newsline piece for the BBC.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14And we were coming down afterwards.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19I said, "You were four years in America at university,
0:19:19 > 0:19:20"playing golf most of the time.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23"What did that teach you?"
0:19:23 > 0:19:27And he said, "Jackie, it taught me how to win."
0:19:31 > 0:19:35He's a very nice boy and I have a lot of time for him.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38I'm delighted he won his Major as well.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41And I think that kick-started the whole thing,
0:19:41 > 0:19:48and Rory McIlroy - wonderful talent, he appears as well and wins a Major.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50He'll win many Majors,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54because he has got a God-given talent.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56And I was so pleased for Darren Clarke -
0:19:56 > 0:20:00his great exploits, performances at the Ryder Cup,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02his near-misses,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05the Open Championship and so on.
0:20:05 > 0:20:11And I was so pleased that he won the Open Championship
0:20:11 > 0:20:14in the autumn of his career, if you like,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16because this guy had paid his dues.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22They are all very different and the nice thing is they're all mates.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26There is a nice shot in the sports office of the three of them.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29They are great ambassadors for this country
0:20:29 > 0:20:31and particularly golf in this country.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34They are all winning Majors. It's great.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Not only for them, but for all of us. Wonderful.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41This small nation of ours has produced more than its fair share
0:20:41 > 0:20:45of sporting icons who have set the world alight.
0:20:45 > 0:20:50Be it football, rugby, snooker, our shining lights had charisma,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53class, panache, that had the crowds on their feet.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56So this is my golden collection of men
0:20:56 > 0:20:59who captured the world's imagination.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07We are always the underdog.
0:21:07 > 0:21:14For a little province, we have batted way above our capabilities
0:21:14 > 0:21:18and that is why we enjoy our personalities and the people
0:21:18 > 0:21:22who brought greatness and great headlines, and great achievements.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26Hoddle. On the left foot.
0:21:26 > 0:21:27Jennings.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32The definitive moment for me for Pat Jennings would be
0:21:32 > 0:21:40his wonderful goalkeeping in the 0-0 draw with England in 1985
0:21:40 > 0:21:46at Wembley when we got a draw and that qualified us for Mexico.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50And he made about three world-class saves that night.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Pat is revered in the game not only because
0:21:53 > 0:21:59of his wonderful ability but he is also a gem of a person.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01What a wonderful goalkeeper.
0:22:01 > 0:22:06I mean, Spurs, Arsenal - speak to their fans. Pat Jennings.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Don't worry about Pat.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Northern Ireland fans - he's a giant For Northern Ireland.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13And so he should be - 119 caps.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24He was the first showbiz footballer.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Is it any wonder it all went wrong for him?
0:22:26 > 0:22:29He didn't know how to handle it. Who would have at that time?
0:22:29 > 0:22:34But, below it all, George Best was a lovely Ulsterman.
0:22:36 > 0:22:391968, Manchester United.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43He's 22. He ended up as European Player Of The Year.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47United beat Benfica at Wembley in the European Cup final.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50George gets one of the goals and Sir Matt Busby, the late
0:22:51 > 0:22:56Sir Matt Busby, had finally got the European trophy that he craved.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58George Best at international level -
0:22:58 > 0:23:031967, Windsor Park, Home Championships.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Northern Ireland 1, Scotland 0.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Dave Clements got the goal.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11Not many people remember that because, basically,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15George Best 1, Scotland 0.
0:23:15 > 0:23:21George Best gave the finest individual performance that
0:23:21 > 0:23:24many people have seen at Windsor Park.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31We were just so lucky that it was one of us.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34And wherever you go in the world,
0:23:34 > 0:23:36they know George Best and his greatness.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41And it's Gibson. Mike Gibson onto it. The kick too far ahead, or is it?
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Mike Gibson has scored.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47Mike Gibson stands up there with the very best.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52He can drop a shoulder, he can shimmy, he can change feet,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55sidestep. He has all that.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59A great burst by Gibson. Mike Gibson, a classic try.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03When I think of some of the tries he got for Ireland...
0:24:03 > 0:24:06He finds Mike Gibson. He's over the 25.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08It's a great try for Gibson.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17Wonderful player. Particularly for the Lions. And a nice man to boot.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19You ask anybody who knows anything about rugby
0:24:19 > 0:24:23and I think he would be in a world 15.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28And as the hour reaches midnight,
0:24:28 > 0:24:32this final frame has now been in progress some 45 minutes.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35The Dennis Taylor final, 1985.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39I was in a hotel in Enniskillen filming a series,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42The Lakeland Games - it was like Superstars - for UTV at that time,
0:24:42 > 0:24:45and I remember all the crew and all the people
0:24:45 > 0:24:49and all the people staying in the hotel, they didn't leave it.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54It comes to the last frame.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Black ball. Fight.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Unbelievably, Davis missed it
0:24:59 > 0:25:01and it was in there for Dennis.
0:25:01 > 0:25:02And he got down
0:25:02 > 0:25:04and we thought, "Surely, this time."
0:25:04 > 0:25:07And he did. And I remember people in the hotel jumping up
0:25:07 > 0:25:09and that was great.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12It was great for a young man like Dennis
0:25:12 > 0:25:15cos he was a nice guy and still is a nice guy.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20And sometimes nice guys do win. Dennis won that night.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26I think Dennis would always have found it very difficult, because he
0:25:26 > 0:25:31would always have been in the shadow of The Hurricane, Alex Higgins.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35Because Alex Higgins, to my mind, to the mind of many people,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37made snooker,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41because of his speed round the table, his natural brilliance.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43And they can talk about all their great players
0:25:43 > 0:25:48and all of the present day and all of this. Alex Higgins is still one,
0:25:48 > 0:25:53if not THE greatest natural player I have ever seen at a snooker table.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57And Alex had this swashbuckling attitude to life.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00He got himself into a few scrapes. We remember those.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Again, he was a nice fella. I was lucky to befriend him.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05And I've seen him being rude with people.
0:26:05 > 0:26:06I've seen him being nice with people.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08But there were two sides to Alex.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12I think when he won his 1982 title,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15people saw a side of Alex they hadn't seen.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17He didn't look the vulnerable type.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20He didn't behave like the vulnerable type.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22He's doing like this...
0:26:22 > 0:26:26We wondered, what's he doing? And he sort of was emotional.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30And then his wife appeared with his little daughter.
0:26:30 > 0:26:35That was lovely. And he hugged the daughter. And he was in tears.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38I think people warmed even more to Alex Higgins
0:26:38 > 0:26:42when he showed that little bit of humanity and being the family man.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45He was a Jekyll and Hyde sort of guy.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48He will be, certainly, certainly,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52remembered in this province as The Hurricane.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57You know, this programme wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention
0:26:57 > 0:27:01local football. As we know, the game is all about silverware.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04It's fair to say that any player anywhere would want to win
0:27:04 > 0:27:06a league championship,
0:27:06 > 0:27:10but over here, the Irish Cup Final is a very special day,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13where you can get drama, you can get late goals,
0:27:13 > 0:27:15and moments to remember.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19And as a commentator, I have had the best seat in the house.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23# I don't wanna talk
0:27:23 > 0:27:26# About things we've gone through... #
0:27:26 > 0:27:28This was 1984.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32I read the programme at that time, before the game,
0:27:32 > 0:27:34and I think it was Ivan Little had done
0:27:34 > 0:27:36a feature in the programme about the Ballymena boy
0:27:36 > 0:27:40commentating his hometown club and would he be biased?
0:27:40 > 0:27:44And my answer was no, I won't be.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48I had a job to do, and when you commentate, you're so focused.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52And it was only at the final whistle when I said, so, the final
0:27:52 > 0:27:56score here is United are the cup winners by four goals to one.
0:27:56 > 0:28:01And five seconds later you think, yeah! My wee team won it.
0:28:01 > 0:28:06So, you're able to separate the two, but I was so pleased for all
0:28:06 > 0:28:09concerned at Ballymena, obviously, where I have a close association.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14I remember that '88 Cup Final
0:28:14 > 0:28:18because it was a very good Glentoran side at the time.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20And I remember Jim Cleary who got the goal
0:28:20 > 0:28:24and Billy Caskey was one of my favourite players.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28It wasn't a great Cup Final, it was 0-0 until the 89th minute
0:28:28 > 0:28:32and I thought, we're going to have extra time, whatever, whatever.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36And Caskey, a corner came in, Caskey headed it.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39A young lad, Glenavon full-back had to handle on the goal line,
0:28:39 > 0:28:41penalty kick.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Jim Cleary!
0:28:44 > 0:28:46He scores in the final!
0:28:46 > 0:28:52And Glentoran are going to win this Irish Cup Final!
0:28:52 > 0:28:55To me, that was the excitement of an Irish Cup Final.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59The drama right at the end. And it made it easier for me
0:28:59 > 0:29:03as a commentator as well to hopefully portray that.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05A local football showpiece of the season is back.
0:29:05 > 0:29:10I remember Glentoran-Portadown 2000. It was 1-0.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14I remember it because it was such a good goal.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16And I enjoyed commentating it.
0:29:16 > 0:29:21It's one of those moments where you set something up and it works out.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24Tim McCann went down the right wing.
0:29:24 > 0:29:29I looked in the middle, and Gilzean had come on as a substitute.
0:29:29 > 0:29:35And I said, McCann, down the right. Gilzean is in the middle.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38And the cross came in. I was able to say, Gilzean is in the middle.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42Gilzean! 1-0. He may have won the cup.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46So you have set it up, and then it comes off and you think,
0:29:46 > 0:29:49people will think, that guy knows what he's talking about!
0:29:49 > 0:29:51HE LAUGHS
0:29:51 > 0:29:53When you don't really!
0:29:53 > 0:29:57And so we come to our final moment and it's a glorious moment
0:29:57 > 0:30:01which rocked this old stadium to its foundations.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Let me take you back to September 2005,
0:30:04 > 0:30:08much anticipated World Cup qualifier against England.
0:30:08 > 0:30:1473 minutes gone, it's 0-0. David Healy gets the ball about here.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16The keeper, the English keeper,
0:30:16 > 0:30:19Paul Robinson is here. It's a one-on-one.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22And the rest, as they say, is history.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36When I look back to David Healy's goal against England,
0:30:36 > 0:30:40a year earlier I'd had triple heart bypass.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44And I wasn't sure if I'd ever be back broadcasting again.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48I got back, got my life on track and people have asked me,
0:30:48 > 0:30:51were you ready? Had you lines ready if Healy,
0:30:51 > 0:30:54particularly, scored against England?
0:30:54 > 0:30:58And the answer is no, I didn't.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01I can still remember the commentary.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03Steve Davis got the ball at the halfway line.
0:31:03 > 0:31:08And I said, Davis, the flag stays down. Healy onside.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11Healy! And I went, oh!
0:31:11 > 0:31:13As it went past the keeper.
0:31:13 > 0:31:19Healy! Oh! What a moment for Northern Ireland!
0:31:19 > 0:31:21What a moment for Windsor Park!
0:31:22 > 0:31:24What a moment. We were leading 1-0.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Could this really be happening?
0:31:27 > 0:31:30I mean, it's one of those moments, not only is it a great moment,
0:31:30 > 0:31:32but you think, are we dreaming?
0:31:32 > 0:31:35You know, this is England. We're not supposed to beat England.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38What are HIS thoughts?
0:31:38 > 0:31:42It's all over. It's unbelievable! What a victory!
0:31:42 > 0:31:48I mean, we had beaten England. Beckham, all of that. What a moment.
0:31:48 > 0:31:49What a night.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53I remember as a football person, first and foremost,
0:31:53 > 0:31:56the commentary, yes, I got the words right, I think
0:31:56 > 0:32:00I portrayed the right excitement at the time, and the aftermath,
0:32:00 > 0:32:04the celebrations, and that's all you can hope for as a commentator.
0:32:04 > 0:32:09This is quite remarkable. Windsor Park is rocking.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12That night and that goal and that
0:32:12 > 0:32:16win has to be right up there at the top of my memories.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21Northern Ireland 1, England 0. Nice ring to it.
0:32:26 > 0:32:32What a life I've had. How do I slip easily into retirement?
0:32:32 > 0:32:33I am not retired yet.
0:32:33 > 0:32:38But how do I do that and replace this part of my life
0:32:38 > 0:32:42and the excitement and the joy that sport has given me?
0:32:44 > 0:32:46It's impossible. But I've got to try.
0:32:58 > 0:33:03# And now the end is near
0:33:03 > 0:33:08# And so I face the final curtain
0:33:10 > 0:33:15# My friend, I'll say it clear
0:33:15 > 0:33:21# I'll state my case of which I'm certain
0:33:22 > 0:33:28# I've lived a life that's full
0:33:28 > 0:33:33# I've travelled each and every highway
0:33:35 > 0:33:39# And more, more than this
0:33:41 > 0:33:45# I did it my way
0:33:45 > 0:33:51# For what is a man? What has he got?
0:33:52 > 0:33:57# If not himself, then he has naught
0:33:58 > 0:34:04# To say the things he truly feels
0:34:04 > 0:34:11# And not the words of one who kneels
0:34:11 > 0:34:18# The record shows I took the blows
0:34:18 > 0:34:27# And did it my way. #
0:34:34 > 0:34:37Oh, not you again!
0:34:39 > 0:34:42Yes, I drew the short straw again.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47OK. Home, Jeeves, and don't spare the horses!
0:34:47 > 0:34:52Why would I do that when I'm driving you? Hey, button it!
0:34:52 > 0:34:54God, you're in awful bad form. What happened to you in there?
0:34:54 > 0:34:57Did they make you watch Ballymena United?
0:34:57 > 0:34:59Or did you have to do a day's work for a change?!
0:34:59 > 0:35:01Yeah, and you would know what that is, right enough!
0:35:01 > 0:35:04No, I had a wee trip down memory lane today,
0:35:04 > 0:35:07and very pleasant it was. Awww.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09Mind you, most of your TV memories are in black and white,
0:35:09 > 0:35:12aren't they, Jackie? Ach, I'm only joking.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15I hope it was very colourful. Just like you are.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18And I mean your tan, by the way. Aye, yes,
0:35:18 > 0:35:20they were golden, my friend.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22Just golden.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd