The Amateur League Invincibles: Club celebrate winning all 22 matches while scoring 102 goals - and they don't plan to stop here

Having won 19 consecutive league matches last season before their winning run was halted on route to lifting the Division 2C crown, Taughmonagh YM have backed it up with another incredible campaign and this time ran out victors in all 22 2B games to seal back-to-back promotions in style, collecting a maximum 66 points while scoring 102 goals in the process.

The Belfast club was only founded 10 years ago, starting out in the local Old Boys league before working their way into the Amateur League pyramid and are now just one division away from a maiden Irish Cup appearance.

Taughmonagh’s team is largely made up of players that live in the estate – which founding member and secretary Jim McCurdy estimates has “around 500 houses – if that” – and next season, for the third consecutive year, they’ll play at the highest level in the club’s history.

Taughmonagh YM celebrate winning the Division 2B title without dropping a single point. PIC: Taughmonagh YM FC

"It's an unbelievable achievement,” said McCurdy. “Something like this is few and far between. I've tried to do a bit of digging and I can't find another team that has done it.”

Taughmonagh will celebrate their 10-year journey at a ceremony later this month with silverware aplenty as the first team’s league title is accompanied by the second team’s after they won Division 2E.

The club also have a burgeoning youth academy with many youngsters making weekly trips around the grounds to support the senior side and McCurdy insists they won’t be resting on their laurels.

"We want to keep pushing up the leagues,” he added. “We're going into 2A this year and will have one eye on 1C for the following year. We'd put our team up against anybody.

"As the saying goes, if you stand still you get left behind - we don't want to be languishing in 2A for years to come. We want to go again next year to win 2A and if not win it, get promoted.”

This success gives McCurdy in particular a sense of pride with the club he started alongside friends a decade ago now on the cusp of progressing into the Intermediate ranks and they’re continuing to chase history after a season to remember.

"Ten years ago we started in the Old Boys second division, so to become an Intermediate club and for such a small area to be playing in the Irish Cup, Intermediate Cup, Steel & Sons Cup - it would be unbelievable,” he said. “We had meetings with the boys and told them they don't understand just how far they've come...for an estate the size of us that would be unheard of.

"One of the opposition defenders turned around to our striker and said 'sure we all know you get paid' and he replied 'I pay £10 per week to play!". When teams have success people always talk about paying players, but that's one thing our club will never do because if you start that there you're done. I'm a founder member of the club and it's all voluntary...the only thing you get out of it is satisfaction."