Crosserlough GAA is one of less than a handful of clubs in Cavan who can boast three adult football teams. Breen Smith was joint manager of the Black and Ambers' third team that captured a league and championship double in '04 In a year best forgotten by gaels in Crosserlough, the success achieved by the club's third string in '04 in league and championship fare stood out like a piece of coal on a snow-covered lawn. Notwithstanding the fact that the black and ambers boast an almost peerless record in recent years when it comes to fighting it out for the spoils on offer at division three level, the past year was special. Breen Smith, joint-manager with Michael Cronin last year, hoped for silverware in 2004 but admits what was bagged exceeded his personal expectations. "I wasn't sure whether we'd go the distance in either competition but I felt we'd be there or thereabouts. "We were up there at the top of the league all season and looked good but the championship success was a bit of a surprise to be honest," says Breen who also helped guide the club to division three championship success in 2002. One wonders now did the Class of '04 compare to that which scaled the heights two years previous? "The squad last year was much younger with far more minors on the scene. "We were without the experience too of Brian and Pauric Lynch too. "But we set out at the start of the year, not so much to try and win everything in sight but to give the lads who weren't getting a game with the first or second teams a few games over the year. "We felt that if we were able to win a cup or two, that would be a bonus," Breen comments. Playing against most clubs' second strongest sides, the competition in division three has always been fairly dogged for Crosserlough despite their strength in depth and one can understand the dimmed-down expectation of Breen and co. at the outset of the year. Still, as far as the league title race was concerned in 2004, the Kilnaleck-based club looked, from a long way out, to be the team to beat with a stout defence, a workmanlike midfield and an attack with the potential to improve. And as things panned out, other than a draw against Bailieboro at home and a meaningless (2-5 to 0-14) defeat to Butlersbridge in their last game of the season, Crosserlough's Division 3A campaign was blemish-free. The team's championship run was no less imperious. Yes, by the end of 2004 messrs. Smith and Cronin plus all 45 players 'used' over the year had a lot to be proud about. With the championship run on a league basis, Crosserlough could afford to leave it to the final stages of the competition to hit all the high notes. And that's just what they did after defeat in the first round to Shannon Gaels was smoothed over with victories over Mullahoran and thereafter Denn. Into the last four and a 'bridge had to be crossed in late July. "Butlersbridge were one of the teams we thought would be in at the shake-up so we weren't that surprised to come up against them in the semi-final," Breen explains. The 'Bridge duly negotiated, the would-be champions now set about taking the scalp of neighbours Mountnugent in the decider in Ballyjamesduff in mid-August. As things transpired, Crosserlough showed great resilience and will-to-win to secure the ACFL Division Three Reserve Championship title at the expense of a battling Mountnugent side by dint of a 1-13 to 3-3 in what was a hotly-contested decider in Ballyjamesduff. Crosserlough got off to a flier and had three points on the board from Paul Galligan and two from Tomas McEvoy before Mountnugent knew what hit them. However, in their first meaningful attack Mountnugent rocked Crosserlough with a snap goal which levelled the scores. A moment later Mountnugent edged ahead with a point. Crosserlough remained on the backfoot as the game proceeded and another goal by their opponents left the the Smith/Cronin-managed crew trailing by 0-3 to 2-1. Crosserlough came roaring back though and moments later Shane McCabe was fouled in the square and referee Raymond Kelly pointed to the spot. However Colin Lynch pulled his shot wide and Mountnugent were let off the hook, momentarily. Despite this set back, Crosserlough didn't panic and five minutes later they were right back in contention. Paul Galligan won possession on the left, beat his marker and crashed home a great goal to tie the game at 1-4 to 2-1. Thereafter, points from Lynch and McEvoy (two) edged Crosserlough in front but a late reply from Mountnugent left two between the sides at the interval 1-7 to 2-2. Crosserlough had a much better start to the second half and early points from Galligan put Crosserlough in the driving seat. Mountnugent showed a lot of resilience though as the second half gathered pace and they were back on level terms for the third time, 1-9 to 3-3, soon afterwards with a well-taken goal. It was then that Crosserlough really showed their mettle and began to turn the screw. The impressive Galligan restored their lead when he pointed a free and a Adrian Liggett point from a difficult angle moments later added to Crosserlough's momentum. And when the aforementioned Galligan added point another seven minutes from time it seemed as if they were home and dry. Mountnugent showed plenty of grit and determination and threw everything at Crosserlough in the closing stages but to no avail. In the end, Pat Shalvey gave Crosserlough the insurance point deep in injury time to leave the black and ambers 1-13 to 3-3 deserved winners. "Winning the championship was a great lift because the club wasn't going that well at that time. "The lads showed great commitment and heart all year but once they won the championship you could sense that they were hungry to win the league title too." The Crosserlough team, and subs, which won the Division Three Reserve Championship title was as follows: E. McCabe; P. Briody, C. Briody, D. Reilly; M. Campbell, S Brady, D. Smith; A. Liggett (0-1), C. Lynch (0-1); T. McEvoy (0-4), A. Rehill, J. Reilly; R. Reilly, P. Galligan (1-5), S. McCabe (0-1). Subs used; Eugene Hill; Damien Reilly; Pat Shalvey (0-1); Mickey Hill. Crosserlough's push for league honours continued unabated but it was a long slog as Breen confesses; "We didn't have a game from the end of August to the middle of October so it was difficult to keep the lads on the boil. "But a lot of the minors on the team were in good shape and their fitness stood to the team especially later in the year." Indeed the latter part of the year saw the same squad earn a place in the ACFL Division 3A decider courtesy of a 3-8 to 2-3 victory over Butlersbridge in Crosskeys. In careering their way to victory, Crosserlough had to battle all the way and it wasn't really until Thomas McEvoy banged home a goal in the dying minutes of the game that their passage into the final was assured. The decider against Shercock in Bailieboro was a dogged affair which ended in a 2-4 draw, after Crosserlough looked in deep trouble, trailing by 0-3 to 2-4 with just 12 minutes left to play. "They were still seven points ahead with about seven minutes to go but we got two goals and got a draw luckily enough," recalls the former Crosserlough stalwart player. The football played in the replay by both teams was of a much higher quality with the Kilnaleck-based side eventually skipping to a deserved 3-10 to 3-7 victory. Crosserlough were bright and breezy in the opening ten minutes and profited accordingly with a great goal by seasoned campaigner Karl Smith in the opening 11 minutes affording the winners-elect a useful 1-3 to 0-1 lead. Shercock rallied though and by half-time had edged into a 2-3 to 1-5 lead. Shercock went two points in front just two minutes after the restart courtesy of a Jodie Clarke point but after substitute Paul Briody and Thomas McEvoy had pointed, Crosserlough received a big let-off when Shane McPhillips' piledriver ricocheted to safety off the crossbar. The Crosserlough think-tank then acted decisively in attempting to win more possession around the vital diamond area of the field and more potency up front by switching Paul Galligan to midfield and relocating Adrian Leggett into the edge of the square. And in the 13th minute, the move had the desired effect with a fine goal by Adrian Leggett catapulting Crosserlough into the lead. Another goal by Damien Lynch just three minutes later firmly cemented Crosserlough's ascendancy as Shercock worked overtime to keep in touch. But a point apiece by Thomas McEvoy and Thomas Maguire left Shercock facing into a 2-5 to 3-8 deficit with just over ten minutes left in the tie. Once again Shercock rallied and a 1-2 unanswered tally left just a single point between the sides. Crosserlough refused to allow their opponents build on their rather fortuitous goal however and a point apiece by Tom Boylan and Paul Galligan in the final four minutes proved more than enough to copper-fasten their reserve league and championship double triumph. The following was the Crosserlough team, and subs, which accounted for Shercock in the league decider; Damian Reilly; Ciaran Briody, Carl Maguire, Dermot Reilly; David Smith, Colin Lynch, Damian Lynch (1-0); Adrian Leggett (1-0), Declan Reilly; Thomas McEvoy (0-4, one free), Tom Boylan (0-1), Jason Reilly; Thomas Maguire (0-1), Paul Galligan (0-2), Karl Smith (1-1). Subs used; Eugene Hill, Paul Briody (0-1). Aiming high Far from being despondent at the club's failure to hit the high notes at the top level in donkey's years, Enda Reilly is optimistic about the coming football season and raring to go. Way out Kilnaleck way, another dawn brings with it so much expectation and a reminder that the last time the Senior Football Championship cup had black and amber ribbons on it was way back in 1972. However for his part, Reilly genuinely believes that the oracle can finally be worked. He reckons the days of the false dawns, near-misses and tough luck stories can be extinguished in 2005. "Why not? There's enough potential in the squad to give all the other teams a run for it," he says. Including Cavan Gaels? "I don't think the gap between them (Cavan Gaels) and the rest of us is as dramatic as some people say. "We played them in the championship in 2002 in Mullahoran and only lost out by a point in a game that made as big a difference to us as it did to them. "I think if we had won that one, we'd have gone on to win a few more titles." For the present, all belonging to the famed Kilnaleck-based crew just want one title to get the ball rolling. It's been so long since that ball has been rolling for the black and ambers that not too many gaels in the area actually remember when blue riband titles were as common down their way as confetti used to be at weddings at the chapel in Crosserlough. At just 32, Enda Reilly's stint as a footballer and Crosserlough's halcyon days were mutually exclusive periods Like almost everyone under the sun in Cavan, he has heard stories of the club's brilliant seven-in-a-row teams. He has huge respect for such teams and the players involved at that time. And he never gets fed up listening to how the west was won, time after time after time. It doesn't tend to weigh the current players down then? "No. Having said that I can only speak for myself personally. " I'd say it's the same though for the rest of the lads who are still playing. "There's no sense, in my mind, among the players that the achievements of the past teams are hanging like millstones around our necks. "Maybe a lot of the supporters are still very mindful of the how well things went for the club in the sixties and seventies but not the players." No millstone then. But what about an inferior complex or a simple lack of self-belief among recent squads? "I wouldn't say so either. "A lot of the current players have won a lot of medals at underage level and at reserve senior level so they know what winning is all about and what it takes to be a winner. "Unfortunately, we've lost a few league finals over the last four or five years and maybe that hasn't help confidence within the club. "Winning even one of those could have acted as a catalyst to us going onto win the championship," opines Enda whose own underage success saw him scoop premier county under 12, under 14, under 16, minor (twice) and under 21 (twice) medals in times past. As to the pieces which have been missing in the Crosserlough jigsaw during Enda's time as a regular on the club's senior side, the flying forward has some interesting views. "We have never been that far away from getting it right but over the years the team's maybe had a lack of know-how when it comes to making the difference between getting beaten narrowly and winning or maybe holding onto a lead right to the finish. "When I started to play for the seniors in 1992 we were very close to the top of the pile but somehow the killer instinct wasn't there and maybe a bit of consistency too." That consistency that has consistently gone AWOL over the years was again a source of considerable frustration to the Crosserlough cause in 2004, Enda admits. In simple, precise terms, the one-time kingpins of Cavan football just didn't play to the optimum level of their ability often enough over the year, especially in the championship. "We didn't play to our potential at all. We weren't consistent enough either in that we didn't manage to string together any run of wins," recalls the College of Further Studies-based Accounts and Taxation lecturer. Reflecting on the past year in general, Enda - the club's second most experienced player after Philip Smith - sums up the season as being "pretty much a disappointing one." Last year was one which saw Enda and co. flatter to deceive in the championship really. Wins over Knockbride, Belturbet and Ballymachugh were praiseworthy but still could only pitch them into third place in the group behind Kingscourt and Cavan Gaels. Thereafter a classic clash with Mullahoran awaited them. It was a contest which was to go to a replay after a dramatic draw, first time around, in Cornafean. The replay in Kingspan/Breffni Park was a real poor affair, a complete anti-climax for the whole county, bar the Mullahoran supporters, of course. "I suppose we were left to regret not having done the business in the first game when we had enough chances to go through. "In all honesty though, I'd say a draw was the fairest result in the initial game but the second game was just a nightmare when nothing went right for us. "We had only ourselves to blame though." Brother of fellow Crosserlough stalwart Adrian, Enda says that the time is ripe for the current team to make their mark. Last year is one which should be written off as a bitter experience but learned from, he suggests. The team is maybe short another quality forward, he opines, but it's big and strong enough and has enough experience within its ranks to make a sizeable impression in 2005. But what are the ingredients which are missing that, for instance, the Gaels have cobbled together? "They have developed a system of play that suits them well and they have stuck to it and it has worked. "But, for the sake of Cavan football, it is important that they (Cavan Gaels) are prevented from putting a run of championships together in the way that we did thirty years ago or the way Crossmaglen have done in Armagh. "I don't think it would be good for football in the county if Cavan Gaels went onto dominate the championship. "It's up to the other top three or four clubs in the county to step up to the mark though and put real pressure on the champions," says Enda who first came to prominence in Cavan football circles when he featured alongside the likes of Martin McGovern (Killinkere) and Mark Halton (Kill) in the Cavan County Vocationals Schools team which reached the All-Ireland final in 1990. In terms of the club attempting to close the gap on the Gaels, Enda - son of Sean Reilly, Secretary of the club at the time its famed championship winning sequence was achieved - reckons Crosserlough have gone about it the right way. He is fulsome in his praise for the unstinting work that has gone into nurturing young talent at the club and bringing them on so that they're able and willing to take their places at senior club level. "In more recent times, there's been a far greater emphasis on the underage sector in the club. "You have a few former players getting involved and there's now a similar style of football being played at the club up through the grades which is the way forward I think." And contrary to what some people may think outside of the Crosserlough catchment area, the spirit among the black and ambers is beyond reproach. "The passion for football here is as great as ever. "There's an amazing interest in football in the parish. "Right from the start of this year, there's been an average of thirty players turning out for training." It's obvious that Enda rates new trainer Ciaran Reilly very highly. "He trained Mullahoran when they last won the championship so he has a proven track record and we're hoping he'll have the same results with us. "He's very professional in the way he goes about training and the players have respect for him. "Hopefully we'll do the business together," he enthuses. Pointedly, Enda believes that even with the spectre of the team being without four or five of their best players due to emigration this year, Crosserlough have a realistic chance of getting their hands on the top prize in 2005. "There's no an awful lot of ground to make up and if we improve our workrate and play to our potential, we'll go close." And the ultimate aim? "I personally won't be content with anything less than a senior championship medal." Tweet

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