125 years and counting
November 27, 2011A club with one of the proudest traditions in the county, Maghera MacFinns GAA continue to plan for the future as their depleted senior team grind it out in the bottom section off the All County Football League and Junior Football Championship.
In 2011, the club made a marked improvement overall, according to new chairman Jim Brady, as they won three games in Division Three to avoid another bottom place finish, while in the JFC they earned themselves a play-off after the group stages, where their season was ultimately brought to an end by Ballyconnell First Ulsters.
When Sean Pearson was brought in as senior team manager at the start of the year optimism in the club allowed itself to grow. The Gowna man had been around the block with numerous different outfits around the county and when he came east the take over the MacFinns he helped to install self belief a passion in a group of players that had become too used to defeat.
"Sean Pearson was in charge of the senior team this year and he had Ambrose Tobin and Jim Geraghty in as his selectors," explained Jim Brady, who took over from Jason Fitzsimons as chairman at the start of 2011.
"Our aim for the year, realistically, would have been to finish mid-table in the league and get to the quarter-finals of the championship.
"We just have the bare panel of players, so we haven't really got the numbers to be challenging as strong as other teams in the junior at the moment. The club is at a point where the underage is going quite well but the senior team is struggling and until we bring a few of the underage players through we have to accept that it's going to stay that way."
A 2-18 to 0-4 thumping at the hands of Laragh in Stradone at the end of March was by no means the ideal start to Pearson's team's season, but improved performance against Mountnugent and Munterconnacht helped to raise spirits and come the fourth round they would have their first win of 2011 when they saw off the challenge of Templeport by 1-8 to 1-4 in Maghera.
The win was a sorely needed one and provided the players with the incentive to battle on in their bid to avoid another season at the foot of the third tier and come the first weekend in May they would come agonisingly close to their second win on the bounce when they travelled to Michael Cully Park to take on Pearson's former charges Arva. In an absorbing encounter, it was the home side that scraped through by the skin of their teeth to deny their brave opponents on a 1-6 to 0-9 score-line.
"We had a very competitive year," Brady enthused. "We could have taken points from a lot of games which we didn't, for one reason or another, but overall it was a big improvement on previous season.
"Sean Pearson brought passion and pride in the jersey for the players. There was a new sense of pride in representing the club for the players and there was a better level of commitment from them in training."
Another narrow defeat to Ballymachugh (1-11 to 1-9) didn't hinder the team's will any, as another trip west would yield Maghera's biggest win of the season in mid-May when they scored a 3-8 to 1-4 win over Corlough at St Patrick's Park. Unfortunately though, defeats to Ballyconnell First Ulsters and Laragh would ensure in Maghera's next two games to kill off any outside chance of a top four finish, before a 2-10 to 1-10 victory over Templeport in mid-July lifted spirits in the camp once more heading into the junior football championship at the end of the month.
Maghera's three-team group consisted of Munterconnacht and Corlough, and having held a decent record against the latter in recent season Pearson's men approached their championship campaign confident that they could book themselves a rare quarter-finals place.
First up though were their neighbours in Munterconnacht, whom were tipped a major contenders for the Sean Leddy Cup having come off the back of a strong league campaign and handing Corlough a 2-18 to 0-3 hammering in the opening round. Maghera would go into the game hoping to put up a better challenge to their rivals when they met in Virgina in the last weekend of July, but being reduced to 13 men didn't help their cause and the only scores they would post for the entire hour would be from Christy Bradley, Brian McHugh and James Brady (2) as the MacFinns fell to a heavy defeat.
"Munterconnacht would have been one of the favourites to win the championship and when we played them in Virginia we had put it up to them in the early stages," said Brady.
"We lost two players during the course of that game but it was still a good competitive game up until we lost our centre-back. From there on Munterconnacht built on their lead and we were well beat in the end by a stronger team."
The defeat meant the stakes were upped when Maghera met Corlough the following weekend at PJ Duke Park in Stradone, where a place in the last eight would be up for grabs. Maghera enjoyed the better share of possession during the first 30 minutes, with veteran forward Brian McHugh solid from frees, but they would be sucker punched a superb Corlough goal which sent the west Cavan side in at the break leading by 1-2 to 0-4.
McHugh brothers, Brian and Fergal, shot Maghera into the lead early on in the second-half, but Corlough hit back to lead by three before Paddy Tobin and James Brady fired over points for the hungry underdogs to leave just a point between the sides with five minutes to go. However, Maghera's hopes would be crushed when in a flash when Corlough won back possession in their own half and found Ronan Kelleher in front of goal and he finished to the net to secure a 2-7 to 0-10 win for the westerners.
"I suppose you could say that us and Corlough are two teams that are struggling at the moment and on day it was a game that could have went either way," said Brady "But we were caught out a bit at the back that day and even though we probably gave our best performance of the championship, it was Corlough that came through to move on to the quarter-finals and not us."
The defeat sent Pearson's men crashing into a 'do-or-die' play-off with Ballyconnell First Ulsters in Stradone at the end of August. After a sizzling start from the town side, Maghera hit back with point from Jason Fitzsimmons and Brian McHugh to trail by just 0-6 to 0-5 at the interval.
In the second-half, Ballyconnell were denied a certain goal thanks to a brilliant save from Martin McGrath in the Maghera goal and things stayed even until the final quarter when the First Ulsters pulled away with points from Darragh McGovern and Ronan O'Reilly. Pearson's charges never threw in the towel though as Brian McHugh and Fitzsimmons grabbed late points, but come the final whistle it was Ballyconnell that moved into the quarter-finals on a 0-17 to 0-10 score-line.
Maghera (JFC play-off v Ballyconnell First Ulsters): Martin McGrath; Christy Bradley, Sean O'Connell, Declan Brady; Joey Hanley, Fergus McHugh, Kevin Lynch; Tommy Tobin, Seamus Cahill; Paddy Tobin (0-1), Brian Duffy, Eddie Moore; Brian McHugh (0-5, 5f), Jason Fitzsimmons (0-2), James Brady (0-1). Subs: Gene Clarke for J Brady (inj), Shane McHugh for E Moore, Raymond Brady for G Clarke, Pauric Brady for D Brady, Kevin O'Connell for P Tobin.
"We were still a player or two short through injury and suspensions and it was always going to be an uphill battle against them (Ballyconnell First Ulsters)," Brady said on the defeat.
"There were some very good displays by some of our players on the day and they put in a good effort, so we have to commend them for that, but on the day again were well beaten by a stronger team."
Despite all of their championship games ending in defeat, the Brady feels that an improvement was made overall in 2011 by Maghera, whom showed a more competitive streak throughout the season in both league and championship.
"There has been improvement," he insisted. "There's a good attitude among the players and strong commitment. Unfortunately, we're not getting those good players that other clubs in the county are getting to come through every two years or so. Hopefully, in three of four years time we will have a few players that come through to make us stronger and then the whole thing will become more enjoyable for the club.
"The smaller club requires a bigger effort, there's no doubt about that. Bigger clubs have bigger strength everywhere, whether it be with numbers or sponsorship, and everything kind of falls into place for them. In Maghera we have to be patient with regards to players coming through, but financially we're in a good position with good facilities. Every Saturday morning we would have over 100 young players on the pitch training and playing, so you'd have to feel the future is bright for the club."
Blackwater Gaels capture U16 title
In early August, the Maghera/Munterconnacht and Mountnugent amalgamation, Blackwater Gaels, delivered Under 16 championship success by defeating Lacken a thrilling Division Three final at Kingspan Breffni Park.
Having defeated St Josephs (5-9 to 2-13) and Lavey (3-11 to 2-12) on route to the final, the Gaels saved their best performance until last against the young men from Lacken, whom fell behind to a riveting start from the would-be winners.
Blackwater Gaels opened up a 2-4 to nothing lead after 12 minutes, with goals from Josh O'Reilly and Sean Hendrix putting them in the driving-seat early on. It took Lacken until the quarter hour mark to get their first score past a stern Blackwater defence and by the 24th minute all that separated the sides were two goals. Two minutes before half-time the Gaels would land another killer blow when full-forward Adam Reilly picked up possession and smashed into the corner of the net for a third major, but Lacken crucially grabbed a goal of their own on the eve of the interval when they trailed by 3-7 to 1-6.
In the second-half, the sides swapped scores back in fourth until a poor clearance from the Lacken goalkeeper landed to Dylan McAleer and the centre-forward lobbed to the net to open up a nine-point lead for the Gaels. Lacken staged a mini-revival to score 1-2 without reply to make the last ten minutes nervy for their opponents but the superb Adam Reilly, along with deadly attacker Adam Rehill, kicked the points late on that assured Blackwater Gaels of the title on a 4-12 to 3-11 score-line.
The amalgamated club's minor footballers would go on to reach the Division Four championship final at the end of August but, unfortunately, wouldn't taste the same success when they met Laragh at Kingspan Breffni Park.
Blackwater Gaels (U16 Div 3 final v Lacken): John McConnell, Colm Matthews, Brian Dunne, Aaron Brady, Barry O'Reilly, Sean Hendrix (1-0), Jack Lawless, Ian Goldrick, Matthew Finnegan, Dylan McAleer (1-1), Adam Rehill (0-6, 3f), Adam Reilly (1-5, 2f), Josh O'Reilly (1-0). Subs: Sam Dowds, Ciaran Duffy.
U14s taste championship success
September saw the club's Under 14 footballers stun a fancied St Finbarr's side to scoop the Roinn E Championship title on a 3-4 to 1-9 score-line after a splendid performance at Kingspan Breffni Park.
In the end, it was a last-gasp goal from Michael Muldoon that saw the young MacFinns men snatch victory from the jaws of defeat after having trailed by six points heading into the closing stages of this thrilling decider. Aaron Cummins' goal shot Maghera into the lead early on in the game and two accurate frees from Michael Muldoon helped carried the would-be winners in at the break with a 1-3 to 0-4 half-time lead.
St Finbarr's flew out of the traps for the second-half and moved into the lead when Ben McIntyre rifled to the net of Evan O'Reilly Delaney's goals, but their was a 'never-say-die' attitude about this Maghera side and it shone through in the dying stages when they dug their deepest as Aaron Brady set-up Michael Muldoon for a cracking goal. The same player was presented with another chance of raising the green flag, just after substitute Killian Clarke had popped over a point, and did so when he took a pass from Conor McHugh and fired in his third goal to secure a sensational victory for the MacFinns.
Maghera (U14 Roinn E final v St Finbarr's): Evan O'Reilly Delaney, Peadar Doughty, Brendan McConnell, Conor McHugh, Dylan Donnegan, Aaron Brady, Patrick Ryan, Kyle Tiernan, Niall Yore, Aaron Cummins (0-1), Michael Muldoon (3-2, 2f). Subs: Daniel Reid, Killian Clarke (0-1).
Marking 125 years in existence
This year sees the Maghera MacFinns club celebrating 125 years in existence. Maghera were the first team in Cavan to win the county senior championship by beating Kildallan in the final of 1888 and they went on the Ulster final that year, losing out to Monaghan's Inniskeen Grattans. The club will bring out a special book at the end of 2011 to help mark the special anniversary. Tweet
