Still a force
December 31, 2010With the addition of two more teams to the ACFL Division One and being drawn into a championship group full of contenders for the biggest prize in Cavan club football, Gowna faced a mammoth task, not only to claim some silverware in 2010, but just to hold their own with the big guns alone.
However, before the new season even commenced Ciaran Brady's charges were reverting back to 2009 to play their Division One semi-final against Cavan Gaels in March, which they narrowly lost out to the holders (2-9 to 1-8), who would end up retaining their title on a technicality.
Gowna would almost use the game as warm-up before a tough league opener away to Castlerahan which resulted in a four-point defeat to the Ballyjamesduff men. Two weeks later a 0-13 to 0-7 loss to Killygarry reflected a poor performance from the visitors in Crubany and when rivals Mullahoran came away three-point winners from Gowna GAA grounds at the end of April the Longford-border side were hovering at the bottom of Division One a month into the campaign.
It hadn't been the start Brady and co had hoped for and a 1-9 to 0-10 loss to Cuchullains in Mullagh continued the team's winless run into May, but panic was never on the agenda for the green and reds and a first victory for the season was recorded after Ramor were disposed of on a 2-12 to 1-10 score-line. A decent string of results took off from there, with wins over Crosserlough (0-10 to 0-8), Redhills (1-15 to 1-11), Lacken (1-18 to 1-10) and Denn (0-15 to 1-6).
Four successive wins, with the latter two coming in comprehensive fashion, hauled Gowna away from the drop zone in Division One as the likes of Mark McKeever and Niall Madden, along with the presence of returning All Star Dermot McCabe, helped the team to up it on the playing field and churn out the results.
Further defeats to Lavey (3-7 to 1-7) and high-flying Kingscourt (0-12 to 0-8) denied Gowna any chance of retaining a top four finish, but victory over Killeshandra ensured a mid-table finish and a rousing win before embarking on their senior championship campaign.
Thrown into a sticky group with Denn - beaten finalists of the previous two years, rivals Mullahoran and Belturbet, Gowna would have to be at their very best in order to secure passage through to the quarter-finals.
Denn were first up for Brady's team and things got off to a bad start, as early points from Darren Costello and Tomas Corr allied with a goal from Jerome Kieran sent the Crosskeys outfit in at the break with a five-point advantage.
At half-time Gowna regrouped and resumed in the second-half to play some of the best football they had all season long. Stationed at full-forward, Mark McKeever and ace free-taker David Hyland led the fight back for the lough shore men as they fired over seven unanswered points to storm into the lead come the closing stages. Denn pulled back a score and in the dying seconds won a free for Costello to point and level the sides on 1-7 each in the eve of the full-time whistle.
It meant that Gowna were forced to go into their second game against rivals Mullahoran with just one point, rather than two, having felt somewhat robbed by Damien O'Reilly's team in the previous round. They settled in quickly against the Dreadnoughts early on and moved into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead after the first quarter at Kingspan Breffni Park thanks to scores from David Hyland, Niall Madden and Mark McKeever, but that was about as good as it got for them. When Mullahoran derailed their opponent's advantage to take the lead for the first time they never looked back and limited Gowna to two scores in the second-half to claim a 0-15 to 0-7 triumph over their rivals and put one foot into the quarter-finals.
The defeat left Brady's side needing a win against Belturbet in Ballinagh if they were to advance to the last eight.
In an even first-half, the teams were level on four separate occasions and it was Belturbet sharpshooter Jason O'Reilly that opened his side's account with a free inside three minutes and it took Gowna eight minutes to post a reply through Niall Madden, having kicked some bad wides in that time.
Mark McKeever registered the first of seven points to come on 12 minutes when he stormed through and fisted over, but an excellent point from Brendan Fitzpatrick tied things up again and two more McKeever points (one a free) and scores from Gareth Fitzpatrick and Brendan Fitzpatrick (free) saw the teams go in at the break on 0-4 apiece.
Gowna completely raced out of the traps for the second-half and built up their biggest lead through three McKeever frees in succession to punish Belturbet's indiscipline at the back. A fisted point from O'Reilly revived the town side and in the 42nd minute they struck a brilliant goal when Brendan Fitzpatrick was threaded through and he rifled the ball to the top corner of the net past Ronan Bannon.
Two minutes later O'Reilly was presented with the chance to wrap it up for the Rories, but he was denied by a brilliant save from Bannon which would prove the ultimate turning point in the game. In the next attack a fine effort from the faultless McKeever dropped nicely between the posts to square things again, before his counterpart Fitzpatrick notched one down the other end to give Belturbet back the lead.
At this stage Gowna had played all their cards, with county minor Andrew Dewart and veteran Dermot McCabe both on as substitutes. Dewart played a major role in McKeever's seventh and final score, but he would have a bigger part to play before the long whistle.
Hunting for an equalising (or winning) score, Gowna forced a '45' which Ciaran Brady Jr drilled into the square and that fashioned a scramble and eventually a pull from Dewart, who drove the ball low past an array of bodies to the Belturbet net to send the Gowna faithful into a euphoric state. From David Greene's resultant kick-out, Gowna retrieved possession and fed Brady and he pointed from no distance to confirm the win and quarter-final place for the 2002 champions.
Gowna (SFC v Belturbet): Ronan Bannon; Joe McLoughlin, Colm Briody, Bernard Sorohan; Christy Madden, Willie Stevens, Emmet Madden; Mark McKeever (0-7, 4f), Niall Madden (0-1); Ciaran Brady Jr (0-1), Ciaran Fitzpatrick, Damien Halton; Shane Briody, David Hyland, Raymond Keogh. Subs: Shane Hartin, Andrew Dewart (1-0), Dermot McCabe.
Two wins away from a final place, Gowna primed themselves for a showdown with a Kingscourt Stars side which had registered 11 wins in the league and come through their group with flying colours.
The crowd in attendance were treated to a nervy spectacle at Kingspan Breffni Park, where the Stars started brightly and led 0-4 to 0-1 after the first quarter. While points from Ryan McCormack and Mark McKeown kept the lead through the second quarter it was only due to some poor shooting from Gowna that the town side led by 0-7 to 0-4 at half-time.
Gowna resumed the sharper side to narrow the gap and received a further boost when Kingscourt were reduced to 14 men early on in the half, before leveling matters at 0-8 each with 10 minutes remaining. They appeared to have the momentum now but another McKeown point put Kingscourt back in the lead before the Longford border side squared things again.
At this stage, both sides were emptying the bench and while Gowna were able to call on former county stars Gerald Pearson and Dermot McCabe, it was in fact Kingscourt's bench that made the difference and superb '50' from Gavin Sheenan and then a point from the excellent Barry Tully gave them a cushioned lead and while Gowna pegged one back through Mark McKeever, the Stars survived a late rally to make the last four and bring an end to the campaign for Brady's team.
Juvenile scene keeps on the up
At juvenile level Gowna continued to strive for silverware in 2010, competing at Under 8 all the way up to the minor grade.
In June, the club's Under 12 footballers took part in an 11-a-side league blitz at Kingspan Breffni Park and emerged victorious having won all five of their games. In the group stages, the young men from lough shore saw off top sides Cavan Gaels, Mullahoran and Kingscourt to book a semi-final clash with Shannon Gaels, who were also put to the sword by the green and reds.
In the final Gowna met Killygarry and both sides served up a riveting game, which saw the former drift into a five-point lead before the Crubany boys leveled at the death to force extra-time. Gowna regained their composure in the added periods though and struck the scores that coasted them into an unassailable lead which led them to the title.
The team that lined-out in the final that day against Killygarry was as follows:
John James McGahern, Rudhan McDonnell, Dillon Butler, Paul Brady, Conor Haton, Cian Reilly, Conor Brady, Shannon Pearson, Paul Langtery, Oisin Pearson, Cian Madden. Subs: Ryan Madden, Liam Hughes, Eli Mellor, Donal Hand.
A grade up and the Under 13s could express no shame in their championship semi-final defeat to Knockbride - a game which team mentor Laurence Brady was unhesitant to state they "were robbed" in as they were undone by a late penalty decision which helped Knockbride go on and reach the final, where they defeated Drumlane to take the title.
At Under 16 level the club were misfortunate not to triumph in either their league or championship campaigns, just missing out on a place in the decider to Lavey after a tough league campaign. In the championship they went one better and reached the final come mid-August, but again Lavey stood in their way of claiming the Cup and ran out five-point winners. Great credit must go to all the players and the management team of Ciaran Fitzpatrick, Joe Brady and Barry Martin for the brave effort put in throughout the year.
Gowna's minor journey this year unfortunately would end on a sour note. After just missing out on a semi-final place in the league by mere score-difference, their championship was ended at the hands of a strong display by Ballyhaise that saw them finish comfortable victors. In that game young up and coming star Conor Madden, who was involved in the county Under 16 set-up this year, suffered two broken bones in his ankle to keep him sidelined for some time to come.
The club would like to wish Conor a full and healthy recovery. Tweet
