So sad to report the death of Kill official Gerry Pritchard who passed away last Saturday. As described by the Kill club. "A great clubman but more importantly a good friend to us all". Ar dheis De go raibh a ainm

We reprint an interview carried out with the then club secretary by Breffni Blue back in October 2012

MORE THAN HOLDING THEIR OWN

2012 was truly a year of transition for the Kill Shamrocks club, with four seniors hanging up their boots at the end of the previous season and as many minors coming aboard. Club secretary Gerry Pritchard explains what happened in a year where league survival was top priority.

While clubs all over the country have been decimated by emigration in recent times, it was retirement that hit Kill the hardest once the 2011 season drew to a close. All in all, four of the Shamrocks starting line-up from that season had took the decision that they weren't going to be available for selection again in 2012, leaving Mickey Lee with a few holes to fill in his team for second year in charge as senior team manager.

Lee had steered his native Drumalee to the intermediate championship title in 2010 and was hoping to make further progress with his newly adopted club after 2011 saw the Shamrocks defeated at the quarter-final stage by neighbours Drumgoon, who, incidentally, would go on to capture the title.

"We were just hoping to finish higher up the table in the league and try and get back into the knock-out stages of the championship," explained secretary and devoted clubman Gerry Pritchard.

"We had about four players that retired after last season and ended up depending on a couple of minors that came into the team. Aaron McIntyre and Ciaran O'Reilly would have been starting for us all year and Brian Crowe would have played a good few games for us as well."

Lee, along with team selectors Gerry O'Hanlon and 2011 All-Ireland SFC referee Joe McQuillan, would draft in the youngsters and put the new-look panel through a tough training regime at the start of the New Year, as major emphasis was put on the team's start to their ACFL Division Two campaign.

First up was a home meeting with rivals Cootehill at the end of February, which saw the town side come away with a narrow 2-7 to 2-4 victory. While it wasn't the ideal start, Lee's charges would bounce back the next day out with an impressive 1-16 to 1-8 win over Cornafean, with a victory over Munterconnacht (0-16 to 1-10) to follow.

"We started off well in the league. We won our first few games but unfortunately the form was poor coming into the championship," said Pritchard.

"Pearse (McKenna) had been playing well for us all year but we lost Anthony Brady and a few others to America in the summer and that took its toll, I suppose."

Kill would open their intermediate football championship campaign against 2010 finalists Drumlane at Max McGrath Park in Redhills, where the Shamrocks finished two points shy of their west Cavan counterparts.

In a game where scores were hard to come by, it was favourites Drumlane that led by a slender 0-5 to 0-4 at half-time, with Sean Gaffney, Conor McCaffrey and Darren Tiernan sending over the points for the Shamrocks. In the second-half, Gaffney's frees kept the pressure on Kill's opponents before goalkeeper Killian Brady pulled off a heroic save to deny Drumlane the net. It was Kill that would regret their missed chances towards the end tough, as they fell to a 0-9 to 0-7 defeat.

Kill (IFC v Drumlane): Killian Brady; Donal Kissane, Barry McMenamin, Ciaran Reilly; Aaron McIntyre, Luke O'Brien, Ray Magee; Sean Gaffney (0-5, 3f), Darren Tiernan (0-1); Conor McCaffrey (0-1), Pierce McKenna, Liam Gaffney;  Damien O'Brien, Niall McCaffrey, Liam Kelly. Subs: Brian Crowe (blood), Shane Tiernan, Barry Kissane.

The following weekend would see Lee's men endure a heavy 1-17 to 1-8 defeat at the hands of Killeshandra in Belturbet, ending their championship hopes and leaving their remaining group game against Ballymachugh a dead rubber affair as neither side had a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals, and no teams would be relegated from the intermediate championship in 2012.

"Drumlane was our first game in the group and we were very unfortunate that day because it was such a low-scoring game and we just couldn't get the ball over the bar," stated the secretary.

"Once we lost that game we were always going to be struggling to get out of the group and the next day against Killeshandra we hit the post twice in the first-half and their fitness was just far more superior to ours in the second-half.

"When we played Ballymachugh in our last game it was a real wet, horrible day up in Ramor and we lost by 3-13 to 3-9. We went down to 14 men in the second-half and that kind of killed us, but the game made no difference anyway because Drumlane and Killeshandra were already through to the quarter-finals."

The championship exit was far from the last interests of Kill's season. Lee's team would still have to assure themselves of Division Two football for 2013, as they restarted their league campaign in September with two games remaining.

Six places from the foot of the table, the Shamrocks would have to take on high-flyers Denn and Crossserlough, both of whom were gunning for promotion, in their last two games, with a trip to Crosskeys up first. On the day, Kill were completely outclassed by the senior outfit, who recorded a 5-12 to 0-7 win at St Matthews Park.

The defeat would send the alarm bells ringing only momentarily among the Kill contingent, as Knockbride's loss to Cornafean on the same day meant that the Shamrocks' safety was assured with 10 points going into their Round 15 game with Crosserlough, and sights are already being set on 2013, according to Pritchard.

"We have a few good minors coming through and if we can hold on to Pearse for another year we'll be hoping to really challenge in the league next year," he said.

"We've fallen at the quarter-final stage in the championship a couple years in a row now and our hope would be to try and get into the semi-finals next year, but you have to be realistic as well. Next year the intermediate championship is going to be very tough for a lot of teams."

"We've fallen at the quarter-final stage in the championship a couple years in a row now and our hope would be to try and get into the semi-finals next year, but you have to be realistic as well. Next year the intermediate championship is going to be very tough for a lot of teams."

Funeral Arrangements

Removal from his residence this Tuesday evening at 6.30pm to arrive at St. Bridget's Church, Kill at 7pm. Funeral Mass on Wednesday at 12 noon followed by burial in Carrickallen Cemetery. House private to family and friends from 5pm Tuesday evening please. Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to the Irish Kidney Association C/O Mullen's Funeral Directors, Cootehill or any family member.

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