Laragh fairly embellished their underage pedigree during the past year with the club's under 14 and minor footballers grabbing silverware

At this stage, it's like an annual sure thing in Cavan football circles. In horse racing parlance, we see Laragh Utd cropping up with the appendage nap following on in quick pursuit. . . .at least at underage level.
Granted things went pear-shaped for the intermediates, dropping down to the world of JFC for the first time in the club's history.

However, the Laragh die-hards are intent on keeping their focus on reclaiming the high ground of the seventies and eighties when the Oliver Plunkett Cup wintered oh so regularly at PJ Duke Park.
Those who manned the forts at minor and under 14 levels and oversaw the best of the club's fledgling talent this past year showed that they are in it for the long haul. Men like Ray Maguire and Thomas McKenna were integral members of those two underage management teams in 2011.

Reflecting on Laragh's annexation of the Division Four MFC title, the aforementioned Maguire says the lessons learned from the earlier testing league campaign helped United go the distance in the blue riband competition.
"The league results were disappointing with a lot of defeats but fellas who wouldn't be considered our strongest players got a lot of experience and valuable games from the campaign all the same," says mentor Maguire.

"Finishing bottom of division four wouldn't have done much for our confidence but we always knew that if we got certain fellas back to full fitness, we'd be in with a good shout of at least making the final of the championship."
As things panned out, Laragh enjoyed morale-boosting and eye-catching victories over Cuchullains and Knockbride en route to making the MFC final where their opponents were Blackwater Gaels i.e a Maghera/Munterconnacht/Mountnugent amalgam.

The final proved to be a cakewalk for Laragh as they sashayed their way to a facile 8-20 to 1-4 victory at Kingspan/Breffni Park.
Laragh's metamorphosis from league also-rans to championship supremos was spawned as early as the 4th minute when man-of-the-match Conal Donohoe notched an opportunist goal to put United into a 1-2 to 0-2 lead.
"Conal had a back injury for most of the league so having him for the championship and a few others, who weren't available to us also because they had concentrated on their under 16 division one games, meant a huge difference too," explains Ray who worked alongside Paul Cooney (manager) and fellow selector Niall Reilly with the club's minors.

For the remainder of the final against Blackwater Gaels, the scores came thick and fast with the umpires being brought into focus almost every 90 seconds in a whirlwind of activity.

By the end of the first quarter, Laragh led by 2-4 to 0-2 and were already seen to be playing with the kind of swagger and composure so racy of classy and competent footballers.
The lights remained stuck on green for the orange-clad crew and they showed more than a touch of class and killer instinct in storming their way into a 5-12 to 1-2 interval lead.

It was a case of deja vu in the second half with no question mark whatsoever over the destination of the spoils with each sector of the Laragh team impressing as they racked up a massive 22 point winning margin.
Surely the Laragh think-tank couldn't have imagined things could have worked out so well for their charges in the county final?
"No, we weren't expecting to be such a gap between us in the final, especially after we saw Blackwater beat Belturbet in their last game in the group.

"In fairness, our lads played very well in the final. They worked well as a team, played to their potential and were very hungry to get their hands on county medals because this was a group of players who hadn't actually won a county final before."
And the future for the club's all-conquering minors?
"They're a good bunch with a good bit of talent. They knuckled down for the championship and got what they deserved and I'd be hoping that they go on to make an impression at minor level next year.
"The big challenge for us coaches at the club is to keep all of them keen and eager to improve as individuals and as a group of players."

Laragh Utd (MFC Div.Four final v Blackwater Gaels):
Joseph O'Donoghue; Niall King, Eoin Donohoe; CJ McCabe (1-0), Patrick O'Sullivan, Philip Smith; Gene O'Rourke, Shane O'Rourke; Sean Tierney (1-2), Cian O'Rourke (0-4), Jason Walsh (0-2); Liam McKenna (0-7), Conal Donohoe (5-5, three frees).
Subs used; Darren Brady; Glenn Smith (1-0); Darren Fitzpatrick; Ciaran Cooney.

Meanwhile, Thomas McKenna is no less effusive in his praise of the club's under 14 footballers who clinched the Roinn B title, after a replay.
Faced by an equally ambitious and determined Killygarry side, the Stradone-based lads had to pull out all the stops to get their hands on the silverware.

"I think we were the better team over the two games," mentor McKenna stated. They trained hard and worked hard and did everything they were asked to do. We had good 'engines' all around the field and forwards who could score."
Sourced from Laragh National School and Clifferna National School, Laragh's finest are described by McKenna as a "team of equals more than a collection of a few stars."

The team showed particular signs of being the best of the rest by getting the better of a fine Belturbet team by a single point at the Rories HQ.
"I think the lads improved gradually during the year, improved with every game they played and ended up being unbeaten in the league"
In the drawn game, Laragh must have felt they had the cup in their hands when they led by five points with just ten minutes left in the tie.

However Killygarry pulled up their socks and rallied to claim an unlikely draw at the 3G pitch after they led by 1-5 to 1-4 at the interval with Ryan Conway the Laragh first half goalscorer.
The class which the Laragh lads showed in taking on the creme de la creme of talent representing Lacken, Knockbride, Killygarry, Templeport, Drumlane, Bailieboro and Belturbet was to come to the fore in the second half when Pauric Reilly latched onto Jack McKenna's inviting delivery to bury the ball in the Killygarry net to give Laragh a 2-8 to 1-7 lead.

Young Reilly's 60th minute point seemed to have sealed the deal for Laragh but a Killygarry point deep into injury time forced a replay.
Assisted by selectors Colm McKenna, Liam Brady and Gary Smith, the aforementioned McKenna says that the would-be title winners were "lucky to get a draw in the first game but the lads showed real character and got that wee bit of luck too that all champions need," Thomas opined.
"Fair play to Killygarry, they had their homework done for the final and they had improved as a team, like us, during the year."

Ultimately, Laragh proved to be the superior team, winning by 2-14 to 1-6 in the replay at Drumalee thanks, in part, to a blistering second half display.
United came into their own in the second half, out-scoring their opponents by 2-9 to 0-2 to run out emphatic 11 point winners.
As indicated by their team-manager, Laragh's victory was based on a brillant team ethic with all sectors of the team excelling, especially on the restart.

Ironically, Killygarry had the better start and led by 1-2 to 0-0 after just four minutes before Laragh slowly but surely got into their stride after Eoghan Cooney's point in the 7th minute opened their account.
Two crucial Killygarry goal misses in the 21st and 24th minutes were to prove a watershed though as Laragh kept in touch, trailing by just 0-5 to 1-4 by half-time.

But two brillant Jack McKenna points thereafter helped level matters, 0-7 to 1-4, and then Eoghan Cooney blasted the ball to the net in the 33rd minute to give Laragh a lead they would never subsequently relinquish.
Laragh went onto produce a sparkling final 20 minutes, scoring 1-6 and keeping their opponents scoreless in the process with Jack McKenna's goal after 43 minutes the veritable clincher.

With crystal ball in hand, team-manager McKenna is hopeful that the vast majority of the 24 players who started training with the club's under 14s in February last will stick to the cause and prove worthwhile additions to the club at senior level in years to come.
"It's hard to know what way their careers will go down the line because there'll be a lot of distractions waiting on them as they older but I'd be hopeful that most of them will be as keen as they are at the minute because they all want to play football and they're ambitious too."

Laragh Utd U14 Roinn B final (replay) v Killygarry:
Fergal O'Rourke: Peter Donnelly, Fergal McKenna, Aaron Reddington; Paul Smith, Patrick Cahill (0-1), Ian Leddy; Stephen Cooney, Ryan Smith; Jack McKenna (1-4), Conor Tully (0-1), Eoghan Cooney (1-2); Pauric Reilly (0-3), Ryan Conway, Conor O'Rourke (0-3).
Sub used in drawn game; Hayden Smith. Tweet

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