Mounting their bid
December 31, 2010their section when push comes to shove.
Like most clubs in the junior grade, Mountnugent's aims for the past season were simple - mount a good run in the league and win the junior championship. Sadly, from the club's perspective, it never happened but by the end of it all only themselves and Munterconnacht could boast having players competing in both the junior and senior football championships in 2010.
Both clubs joined forces so as their players could experience football at the highest in the county as Blackwater Gaels and knew what they were up against when they were drawn into a group which consisted of Cuchullains, 2008 intermediate champions Redhills and eventual winners Kingscourt Stars.
The immediate focus for the club at the start of the year though was the ever-competitive ACFL Division Three. Johnny Gurk and Norbert Hanley were the two-man management team for Mountnugent and would bid to steer the Meath border outfit towards a long-awaited promotion out of the bottom tier.
Things got off to a shaky start. A home defeat to Killygarry's second-string by a narrow 2-9 to 1-9 wasn't the way the team had hoped to commence their campaign and when they travelled to Munterconnacht only a goal would deny them the points again as both sides finished all-square on a 1-9 to 0-12 score-line.
Come May, Gurk's charges were firmly up and running when they made the long haul west to St Patrick's Park, where they handed Corlough an emphatic 1-17 to 2-4 defeat to signal their intentions of a stay at the upper end of the table. When intermediate side Laragh United visited the spectators were treated to a spectacle and in the end it was the home support that left more satisfied as Mountnugent came away with a 0-14 to 1-8 result in their favour.
A close shave at near-by Maghera MacFinns caused a few nervy moments for the guests, but in the end a David Givney goal saw Mountnugent come away with a 1-9 to 1-6 win and a third consecutive win to have them right in the shake-up for promotion come June.
However, with Givney tied up by county commitments and the absence of another poacher in Graham Patterson, who had emigrated at the start of the year, Mountnugent missed their goal-scoring touch when they met Stephen King's Ballymachugh in round eight. The struggling 'Hughs' seemed to be up against it having to travel to a side in form, but benefited from three well-timed goals and in the end took a 3-9 to 0-14 win, condemning Mountnugent to just their second loss of the season.
Suddenly a trip to Ballyconnell became crucial for Mountnugent if they were maintain their bid along with the likes of Shannon Gaels, Swanlinbar and Cornafean to stay in the top three. At First Ulsters Park, neither team held anything back but missed chances and the absence of several key players was again telling for Mountnugent as Ballyconnell First Ulster (aka Kildallan) were the victors by the small margin of two points (1-12 to 1-10).
A week later and Givney would play another stormer at the centre of the field for his county, only to be on the losing side when Fermanagh dumped Cavan out of the Ulster SFC on June 12 by a 1-13 0-13 score-line.
Givney would carry his form back onto the playing field for Mountnugent and his team-mates responded as Arva became the victims of a 3-9 to 0-11 loss, but Mountnugent would become victims themselves in the following two rounds as Swanlinbar (2-18 to 0-8) and Cornafean (1-14 to 0-9) pegged them down the table with solid wins which all but put their opponents out of touch for a promotion push.
"We finished with 13 points and were about two or three places off promotion after the last game," said team selector, Norbert Hanley.
"We had been short a few players. Ronan Caffrey and Graham Patterson were both away at the start of the year and John Sheridan only came back after the championship had started. David Givney was also missing with county commitments and got injured after the Fermanagh game, so they were big losses for a young team."
Focus immediately shifted towards the championship following the league's conclusion, as the performances would need to be upped if the team were going to progress from a group which consisted of Corlough, Arva and Ballyconnell First Ulsters. The latter were up first and in an entertaining clash at St Felim's Park in Drumalee it was the Ballyconnell side that drew first blood on a warm summer's evening in the group with a 3-10 to 1-9 victory.
The defeat left Mountnugent needing results in their next two games if they were to make the quarter-finals and only two goals from the excellent Chris McCaffrey at centre-forward kept their noses in front when they collided with a determined Corlough side in Belturbet, where the east-Cavan side were narrow 2-9 to 1-9 winners. Another hard-fought win over Arva (0-13 to 0-11) the next day out saw Mountnugent emerge through to the last eight.
Billed as favourites from the start of the year, Shercock were drawn out of the hat by Mountnugent in the quarter-finals and many saw it as the end of the latter's campaign, but there were at least 15 men out by the Meath border that didn't.
Set at Ramor Park, Virginia, Shercock made the anticipated lively start and raced 0-3 to nothing clear in the opening ten minutes before Ciaran Caffrey responded with three of his own to level matters and the sides were inseparable on 0-5 each come the break. In the early stages of the second-half Johnny Gurk's team were in sizzling form as Caffrey booted over the first score of the restart and was then sent through by David Givney to crash in the game's only goal.
Things got worse for Shercock as they were reduced to 14 men soon afterwards and a score from Aidan McCabe stretched Mountnugent's lead to five. Their opponents responded with two quick scores, but a fine Givney point and a brilliant save down the other end from brother Jonathan were further nails in the Shercock coffin and when Caffrey and Givney added to their tallies towards injury-time a major upset in Mountnugent's favour was confirmed.
Mountnugent (JFC quarter-final v Shercock): Jonathan Givney; Joey Adams, Killian Fitzsimmons, Kevin Plunkett; Ronan Kearney, Eoin Smith, Charles Adams; Thomas Brady, David Givney (0-3); Raymond Finnegan, Ciaran Caffrey (1-5) Tomas O'Shea; Aidan McCabe (0-1), Ronan Caffrey (0-1), Liam Hennessy. Subs: Barry Givney for Liam Hennessy, Aidan Garry for Aidan McCabe.
On a miserable night at Kingspan Breffni Park, it was Swanlinbar's goals that put a sword through Mountnugent's JFC campaign as a 3-6 to 0-9 defeat showed them the exit door for another year.
"The goals came against the run of play and they killed us," Norbert explained.
"We were disappointed with the defeat because I felt we had put it up to Swad, but we'd have to be satisfied with our year after reaching the semi-finals and having a few lads playing in the senior championship as well.
"As I said, we are a young team and have a few good lads coming through. Raymond Finnegan, Ciaran Caffrey, Darren Hennessey and Liam Hennessy all showed up well for us this year and hopefully with those and a few of the lads to comeback we will be there or thereabouts next year."
Blackwater Gaels taste minor glory
In May, Mountnugent/Munterconnacht amalgamation Blackwater Gaels claimed the Division Three Minor Football League title when they overcame Drumgoon's challenge in Kingscourt.
In an intriguing contest, it was Drumgoon that got off to the better start and went in at half-time leading by 1-4 to 0-2, after Conor Moynagh had hit the back of the net for 'the Goonies' on 18 minutes.
In the second-half, the Gaels upped their game and held their opponents scoreless between the 36th and 58th minute. Stephen Keogan bagged their first goal to narrow the deficit to one and three unanswered points from the deadly accurate Liam Hennessy at full-forward coasted them into the lead. Drumgoon pulled back two points in the dying stages to leave just a score in it, but when Sean Meehan crucially fielded the next kick-out and fed substitute Gary Rock inside the attacker buried the ball past Corey Smith in the Drumgoon goal to confirm that the Cup was to be lifted by captain Barry Givney. Great credit must go to the players and team mentors MJ Hennessey, Tommy Keoghan, Mattie Finnegan, Arthur O'Reilly and Luke Lynch for the effort put in all year long.
Blackwater Gaels (Minor Div 3 final v Drumgoon): Liam Smith; Frank Conaty, Kevin Plunkett, James Hetherton; Conor Somers, Tighe Morrissey, Tomas McCabe; Reamon Finnegan (0-1), Sean Meehan; Adam Patterson, Barry Givney, Stephen Keogan (1-0); Mark Rehill, Liam Hennessy (0-8, 4f), Andrew Conaty. Sub: Gary Rock (1-1). Tweet
