The end of the season at club level in a county generally sees just a few loose ends being tied up but that is not the case in Monaghan in 2008 as the end of the season has produced some historic moments in the annals of the association in the county. The competitions year in Monaghan has been an extensive one this year with the games starting back towards the end of February and only being completed this weekend but it was last weekend where history was made with two clubs taking a major breakthrough. Carrickmacross broke their senior football league duck when they took the Owen Ward Cup for the first time since that trophy was first competed for back in 1930 and in doing so they have become only the 11th club to win the trophy in that time. Drumhowan too created their own piece of history by taking the Ulster junior football club championship title for the first time thereby becoming the second club from Monaghan to take the Paul Kerr Memorial Cup back to the county since the competition became and official one back in 2004. The strength of junior football in the county though can be gauged from the fact that in those five years four Monaghan clubs have contested the final. Cremartin contested the first final in 2004 when they were beaten by a point by Stewartstown in Casement Park, Monaghan Harps became the first winners of the trophy from the county with they defeated Clonmore by eight points in Enniskillen with Aughnamullen the third team to reach the final only to be defeated by two points in last year's final in Clones. From the very early stages of last Sunday's game in Enniskillen it became blatantly obvious that Drumhowan were simply in a different class to the opposition and they imposed themselves to great effect in every position from goalkeeper to corner forward. Drumhowan had made no bones about the fact that they had set their sights on winning the Ulster junior club championship this year and on Sunday last they fulfil their ambition with something to spare and now move on to the All Ireland stage where they will initially test themselves against the Munster Junior club champions with that game scheduled for late January or early February. The victory caps a great season for the Geraldines who have moved back up to intermediate ranks in the county after just one year in junior grade and their march to glory underlines yet again the character and the spirit and the determination that epitomises every aspect of that club and their involvement in the GAA. They have developed excellent facilities at McKeown Park and recently extended the community centre and the attendant facilities at their mid-Monaghan venue which has played host to some big games in the Monaghan championships and the latter stages of the leagues this year. Drumhowan by their own admission will now take a short break from the rigours of training after a long and arduous season and having celebrated their history making achievement in Enniskillen on Sunday last they will regroup after Christmas and refocus on their latest ambition, to bring an All Ireland club championship title to the county. Tweet

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