A lady to the manor born
November 27, 2011In Mountnugent, it's a case of every hand on the pump. True, clubs, county-wide, without exception, are wont to queue up to adopt a 'beal bocht' stance.
However, there is little doubt but that the gaels of Mountnugent have peformed better than most to work, in dervish-like fashion, to make the very best of their limited resources.
Over the course of the last 12 months, the evidence of Mountnugent's rolled-up-sleeves modus operandi was seen in all its glory on the playing fields.
In tandem with their Munterconnacht neighbours, the creme de la creme of Mountnugent's under 16 football talent exhibited their skills in grand style.
With great dash, vim and vigour and no little skill, Blackwater Gaels trumped their Lacken opponents by 4-12 to 3-11 last August in the U16 Division Three Championship decider.
Not so lucky but no less gutsy and talented in 2011 were Mountnugent's under 14 contingent who reached the Roinn D Championship final.
In what was a classic final, Mountnugent staged a brave climax to come back from being 2-12 to 4-13 in arrears to lose by just 3-15 to 4-13.
Meanwhile Mountnugent's premier football team did their damndest to upset the odds by getting out of their group but losing out to Munterconnacht in their subsequent JFC quarter-final clash.
So what's behind such steady progress, such upward movement and consistency of performances? Many factors of course, including hard work.
Crucially though, the addition of new blood has helped Mounugent to become re-invigorated and re-energised.
Hoping to help the green and yellows to join the bluebloods of Cavan football is Tyrone native Noleen Douglas and outgoing Children's Officer.
In the guise of holding down various roles such as PRO, Noleen has been an ever-present at the coalface of football affairs at Mountnugent for the duration of the noughties.
Noleen describes the past year as having been "an uphill challenge" for her adopted club with the JFC campaign particularly demanding and testing.
She is effusive though in her praise of the collective determination and ambition of all attached to the club's flagship team over the course of 2011.
"The lads showed great commitment during the year and were definitely eager to achieve some success this year," the Dungannon native stated.
"Everyone gelled well, on the playing front and administration front, for the common good; there was a real sense of expectation as well this year.
"We had the same group of players for the league and championship and more often than not the same 15 started the games so they knew each other's style of play very well and knew their team-mates' weaknesses and strengths and hopes were high as the year went on.
"We had subs who were mad to get on and were as hungry for success as the first-teamers and they helped to keep up competition for places."
Sadly, despite a five-star league campaign wasn't quite matched by Mountnugent's JFC outings even if they managed to bank a quarter-final berth.
The club's championship campaign began - without the services of David Givney- with a 0-8 to 1-13 defeat by Shercock in Bailieboro last August.
The writing was on the wall for the would-be losers when they trailed by 0-3 to 1-7 at half-time but even though Mountnugent gave as good as they got thereafter, there was no way back, thus copper-fastening a disappointing opening to the blue riband competition.
With ten fantastic wins in division three of the ACFL under their belt, confidence remained high in the Mountnugent camp and it soon showed.
In their next JFC outing, the team achieved a 2-7 to 0-11 win in dramatic circumstances against Templeport in a fantastic contest in Stradone.
With almost four minutes of added-on time played in the second half, Templeport committed hari-kari by conceding a penalty which was cooly converted by Ciaran Caffrey with what proved to be the second last kick of the ball.
Caffrey's precise finish from the spot brought to a climax a fascinating contest full of honest endeavour, guts and commitment.
The sheer will-to-win and collective ambition on the part of the winners was something to behold as they refused to believe their cause was doomed.
Mountnugent were a tad more inventive and productive in the opening half and, crucially, bagged one of their two precious goals in that period also.
The winners' goal came as early as the 4th minute when Gerard Barkey netted after Templeport 'keeper Daniel Shannon parried Ronan Caffrey's testing effort.
In the subsequent quarter-final, Mountnugent - managed by Johnny Gurk and assisted by Norbert Hanley and Michael Caffrey - came a cropper on the back of a 0-11 to 0-14 defeat to Munterconnacht at Kingspan/Breffni Park.
After trailing by 0-4 to 0-7 at the interval, Mountnugent put in a brave bid in the second half to pull the fat from the fire and a draw looked on the cards.
Ciaran Caffrey levelled the scores with a great point in the 57th minute but Munterconnacht showed they had more left in the tank and although Mountnugent launched the last attack of the game and forced a 45, the ball was eventually cleared leaving Munterconnacht to prevail.
"We badly missed David (Givney) for the championship, especially for the game against Munterconnacht and Reamonn Finnegan," explains Noleen, a highly competent Childrens Officer.
"Our success in reaching the 2009 (championship) final and then this year's league campaign, when we won ten games out of ten, heightened expectations going into this year's championship but the fact that we were so understrength with holidays and injuries meant it was always going to be an uphill challenge.
"Having said that, we thought things were going to go our way when Ciaran (Caffrey) made it 11 points each but unfortunatley Munterconnacht had that bit more in the tank."
Inspired by seasoned campaigners like team-captain Killian Fitzsimons and the likes of Charlie and Joe Adams plus Ronan Kearney and energised by the youthful vigour of such as Ciaran Caffrey and Reamonn Finnegan, Mountnugent can be proud of their 2011 innings nonetheless.
Time is on Mountnugent's side. Players such as the highly regarded duo of Conor Sommers and Adam Patterson will be pressing hard for first team places in the coming year.
While new blood is welcome on the administration front, it is arguably more vital that the turnover of players remains a constant, especially in light of the latest surge of emigration which continues to ravage the country.
In that regard, Mountnugent have been hit pretty hard with promising players such as David Sheridan, Michael Hennessy and John Brady all now working and living in Australia.
"Given the numbers of players we were missing in 2011 because of holidays, injuries and emigration, I think our juniors probably exceeded expectations," Noleen opines.
"The juniors are a bit top heavy in terms of experience over youth but there will be a handful of younger players coming up from the minor ranks."
Elsewhere in the club, the fairer sex had their day in the sun too, reaching the Junior B final only to lose out to an unstoppable Swanlinbar side.
"The ladies football club is now five years in existence and there's a fantastic relationship with the parent GAA club," says Noleen, erstwhile Mountnugent ladies footballer who manages the Family Resource Centre in Killeshandra.
Influenced by her GAA-mad mother, Mountnugent's personable Tyrone import - just two years after 'landing' in Mountnugent - became a key mover and doer in getting the ladies football fraternity up and running as well as acting out the role, for a period, of Assistant Secretary of the County Ladies Football Board.
Fulsome in her praise of the work being done on an ongoing basis for childrens' welfare and protection in all units of the Association, Noleen says the appointment of a County Youth Officer Mark O'Rourke (Ballyhaise) has been a very positive development.
No doubt all Noleen's colleagues in Mountnugent would tell you that her arrival in their midst seven years ago was also a very positive development. Tweet
