Tough times
November 27, 2011The Shamrocks last Cavan SFC success came back in 1995 and they even went on to reach the Ulster club SFC final in that same year.
Those glory days though are well and truly behind them now and they have found it difficult to knock down the door which stands between them and top tier football in this county once more.
To be fair, prior to this past season the club had qualified for three semi-finals in four seasons. Interestingly in three of those years once through the group stages the team that defeated the Shamrocks went on to win the competition. In 2006 it was Ballinagh, who would go on to tastes success Ulster, in '07 Redhills beat them in the last eight, while in '09 it was the turn of Lavey who would also go on to contest a provincial final, while last year Drumlane dashed the town side's hopes after a replay.
In each of those seasons, regardless of league form, the Shamrocks have got their house in order in time for the championship to become a competitive force that is very hard to beat. That, however, changed this year as the club had a relatively poor season going by the standards they have set themselves in recent years.
With a new manager at the helm in the form of Jimmy O'Reilly from Cuchullains, backed up by clubmen Finbar Clarke and Philip Dunne, the club had every reason to expect another good season in their 125th year of existence. It didn't materialise like that for them but Ulster Under 21 winning goalkeeper Alan O'Mara says the management are not at fault for their dismal season.
"Jimmy came in this year and was great with the players," said O'Mara. "Sometimes people think too much about who is in charge. At the end of the day when a game start it's up to the boys on the field to stand up and be counted and there was too many games this year that we didn't do that."
"None of the lads would say a bad thing about Jimmy and I'm sure we frustrated the life out of him. It was just one of them seasons."
A miserable league campaign, which yielded just three wins before the championship's start, saw the club begin their championship campaign deep in a relegation battle for Division Two league status. From that point things went from bad to worse as the side were beaten in all three group matches against Cootehill, Drung and Knockbride which forced them into a second relegation battle and one which they would not have anticipated.
That bitter disappointment and the manner of the defeats left relegation as a genuine possibility heading into a play-off with Laragh, while Killinkere and Drumlane played out on the other side of the draw. The format of the competition meant each side had two bites of the cherry to ensure the retention of intermediate status. It was a must win game but more on that later.
The Shamrocks season began with a home league tie against Swanlinbar who were fresh off the back of an Ulster winning junior championship campaign, as well as an All-Ireland final appearance in Croke Park.
The game itself was a thrilling one with both teams throwing caution to the wind and attacking one another. Indeed, Bailieborough's first meaningful attack they rattled the net through Paddy Bird to take the lead for the first time after Swanlinbar had tapped over two early points.
Swanlinbar hit back with two goals of their own however but despite that setback the home team stuck to the task well and points from Niall Kelly and Paul O'Reilly were followed by a goal from James Fulton as the Shamrocks dragged themselves back into the game with the scoreboard showing 2-6 to 2-3 in favour of the visitors at the interval.
The second half proved to be just as interesting as the first with scores galore but Swanlinbar held on for a crucial win by the smallest of margins by 3-09 to 2-11.
The team to play that day was: Bailieborough Shamrocks: Alan O'Mara, Shane Dillon, Peter Clerkin, Calvin Daly, Thomas Cooney, Declan O'Reilly, Conor Tierney, Niall Comey, Barry McMahon, Jeffrey Martin (0-1), Niall Kelly (0-4,2f), Paul O'Reilly (0-2), Paul Sharkey, Paddy Bird (1-2), James Fulton (1-2f). Subs: Dessie Reilly, Sean Cooney, Damien O'Reilly
O'Mara looks back on that opening game against the west Cavan team as one the club could and should have won.
"I remember coming off the pitch that day thinking we should have taken something out of it. For our first game we actually played quite well and they were still in good shape after their run in the All-Ireland competition. I suppose they were probably that wee bit fitter and sharper than us at that stage but we really should have taken at least a point."
In saying that, there next game this give them a glimmer of hope as they edged passed Butlersbridge in a nail-biting affair that finished 0-8 to 0-7 in favour of the Shamrocks.
As it turned out, things did spiral downhill as the club lost six games on the bounce to leave them in a perilous situation. However, with their backs to the wall the Shamrocks start fighting and a mini-revival gave themselves a glimmer of hope. A win over Drung on June 16 doubled their points tally in the table and that was quickly followed up with a draw against Cootehill and an impressive away win over Kill on a 1-11 to 0-8 score-line.
Unfortunately, things dipped again for the Shamrocks and their search for survival was derailed when a one-point defeat at home to Killinkere was followed by a draw with neighbours and fellow strugglers Knockbride.
Despite those poor results, the team's fortunes were still in their own hands with two games to play against Shannon Gaels and Shercock and the opportunity of championship football to reinvigorate them in the meantime. As already mentioned though the knockout competition made matters worse for them as they slipped to three defeats in as many games in the group.
It's clear from talking to the young goalkeeper that it was a frustrating season for all involved with the team. After that win over Kill, O'Mara says he couldn't help but think that things were falling into place at the right time like they have in previous years for the Shamrocks.
"Our form picked up and we went unbeaten for four or so games which was a great boost. During that losing streak...it was just horrible. The banter was gone from the dressing room and I suppose what was an even bigger concern was that we weren't showing any pride or fight. We were just rolling over and letting teams spank us."
"But when we started picking up points you just couldn't help but think that things were coming right at the right time. We went into the championship expecting to give it a good run," he said.
However, that was not how things panned out as all three group matches ended in defeat. Drung were first up for them but a disappointing second-half performance saw the Shamrocks relinquish a half-time lead.
Cootehill hammered another nail in the coffin on a score-line of 0-12 to 1-4. Five scores was a disappointing return from 60 minutes of football and by analysing their scoring returns for the year it was clear that was one of the main reasons the Shamrocks were struggling.
In their final group game against bitter rivals Knockbride, the men in red were playing for nothing but pride as they already knew they were heading for a IFC relegation playoff. A win would have done the team's confidence the world of good but instead they got an absolute sucker-punch as Knockbride scored a fortuitous goal at the death to snatch a victory on a scoreline of 1-9 to 0-9.
Heading in the relegation competition Bailieborough's confidence was no doubt knocked but they had to recover in time for the crunch game of their season against Laragh United.
On a blustery day in Munterconnacht, the Shamrocks played arguably their best football of the year as they cruised past the Stradone based outfit with eight to spare.
In a tense first-half, Niall Kelly was difference as the attacker slotted over two sublime points to help his team into the ascendancy. Up by two at the break they were far from in a comfortable position though after throwing away similar leads in previous games. Thankfully for all involved with the team they bucked the trend and went on to become victors by a comfortable margin.
Goals from Damian O'Reilly and Eoin O'Sullivan in the second-half were enough to ensure that their intermediate status would remain intact for another year.
The team to start that day was: Alan O'Mara; Gerry Clarke, David Rooney, Kieran O'Reilly; Calvin Daly, Niall Comey, Declan O'Reilly; Conor Tierney, Barry McMahon; Peter Clerkin, Paul O'Reilly, Paul Hanley, Niall Kelly; Eoin O'Sullivan, Paul Cooney Jr, Damian O'Reilly. Subs: Michael Argue, Ciaran McCabe
Reflecting on the season, it is clear that O'Mara thinks the team underachieved this year.
"There is no denying that fact," he said "For a club our size and the history that we have to be fighting for survival in the Intermediate championship is unacceptable. We had injuries, lads went away but every other club is dealing with the same challenges.
"We have a young team there and this year there was a large turnover from previous years. The management blooded a lot of new players, the likes of Michael Argue, Gerry Clarke and Eoin O'Sullivan and they will help us going forward. We can't keep talking about the future though and using age as an excuse. We have to start performing and we showed in patches this year that we are more than capable of competing at this level when we were willing to knuckle down and work hard. We just have to look to do that more consistently."
Away from the Shamrocks struggles the O'Mara household had quite a successful season with Alan and his brother Billy in goals for the Ulster winning U21 and minor teams, respectively. Another Shamrock, Michael Argue, was a key part to the well oiled minor machine and he should prove to be a valuable asset to the club going forward.
With both players excelling in their positions an interesting battle will be in place as the siblings battle it out for the club's number one jersey. Neither of them play outfield but the older brother insists there will be no falling out in their house.
"I taught him everything he knows but not everything I know," he said amidst a chuckle.
"Ah no all joking aside, I couldn't have been happier to see him do well. I have been playing competitively on the underage teams with Cavan for five years now and had many disappointments so he doesn't know how lucky he is to win Ulster in his first year with the county. Winning our Under 21 title was my best ever moment in sport. It was just unreal and such a feeling. It was weird sitting in the stand with Gearoid McKiernan a few months later and watching the minors follow in our footsteps. Being honest, I was more nervous watching him play than I was when playing.
"He is always joking around the house that he can kick it further than me and only there last week he bet me €100 that he will be the number one in Cavan ahead of me someday. It's just a bit of brother banter and I laugh him off and call him a miniature goalie because he hasn't hit the six foot marker yet - even with the mop of hair he has," he joked.
Away from the men's side of things, the Ladies section of the club excelled this year which is a well earned reward for the continued hard work that has gone in to that section in recent years.
In football, the ladies beat Swanlinbar in Mullahoran in the final of the Division Four 9-a-side League, while in Camogie they were unlucky to lose out to a talented Drumgoon side in their final. Tweet
