Crosserlough have been in the doldrums for the past few years - far from the halcyon days between 1966 and 1972 when they reigned supreme as Cavan kingpins. Team Manager 'P' Cahill, a stalwart player from that era, is happy to report that the tide is changing, writes John Loughran. P Cahill had a successful career on and off the field with Crosserlough. An integral part of the legendary team that won seven consecutive Senior Football Championships in the late 60's and early 70's. He also coached the club to Under 21 success in the late 80's. So when he took over as team manager at the start of the year he set his sets high. He recalled: "We failed to make the knock-out stages for the previous two years. We had tried outside managers and it didn't work for us. I felt there was great potential in the team, that is why I got involved." In the dark and dank evenings of January 2001 'P' wasn't sure just how far his relatively young and inexperienced charges could progress in the league and championship. Potential is one thing, realising it is a completely different matter. "If you had to told me at the start of the season we would get to the League Final and lose in the semi-final of the Championship, I think I would have settled for that," he recalls. Crosserlough got their championship campaign off to a winning start when they accounted for Ballymachugh on a 2-8 to 0-7 scoreline in Mullahoran. "We were really up for it, going into that game. It was a local 'derby' with an awful lot at stake." While they recorded a double scores victory over their near rivals 'P' described the victory as "workmanlike" rather than comprehensive. "We weren't great in the first half, but it all came right for us in the second half. We were pleased to get the win all the same.' Killinkere, who drew with Kingscourt in the opening round provided second round opposition at Breffni Park. 'P' was felt his charges had the ability to notch up a second victory. "We beat them in the league by a couple of points so we were quietly confident." Crosserlough got the expected victory, 1-12 to 0-11, but is was a lot closer than expected. The victory guaranteed Crosserlough a place in the knock out stages for the first time in three years. Buoyed by the knowledge that a quarter final berth had already been secured they were intent on topping the group. Their final group fixture against Kingscourt, was a rip-roaring affair with the lead changing hands on numerous occasions. 'P' recalled: "Kingscourt went three or four points up in the first half. We turned it around and led by two points at one stage in the second half. It was nip and tuck all the way. A draw was a fair result in the end." The draw assured them them of top spot in the group. Mullahoran had proved something of a jinx over the last number of years, but 'P' was happy when they were pitted against their old adversaries in the quarter final. He was actually looking forward to the challenge. "For some reason we all wanted Mullahoran. They had beaten us for the last few years but we beat them earlier in the Denn Tournament so we knew we had the beating of them." 'P's confidence was justified and his charges recorded a very comfortable 2-13 to 1-10 victory at Breffni Park. The Mullahoran hoodoo had finally been layed to rest. "Everything went right for us on the day. We picked off our scores from all angles. There is no doubt it was a our best performance of the season." The wheels finally came off the Crosserlough wagon when they met Gowna in the semi-final. They were comprehensively beaten in a 1-11 to 0-4 in a bruising encounter. However, 'P' feels Gowna weren't 10 points a better team. "The sides were level (0-3 each) at half time. "We played with the wind in the first half and should have been six or seven points up at the break. We missed a great goal chance and kicked four of five bad wides. I am confident we would have held out against the wind if we had that type of lead." The defeat will long remain in the manager's memory as will some of the "tactics" employed by the opposition. "There was a lot of off the ball stuff especially in the first half. We are basically and young and skillful team and some of the hitting in the first half was absolutely disgraceful." The conquerors in the semi-final, Gowna, were beaten by Cavan Gaels. However, 'P' feels that Crosserlough would have given a good account of themselves in the final had they been able to overcome Gowna. "Cavan Gaels are a young and skillful team. I think 12 of the team are under 21. They play a similar style of football to ourselves. I have no doubt we would have run them close." His theory was borne out in the League final when they ran the Gaels to five points. "The Gaels were the better team on the day. We are in the top four in the county and we are capable of beating anybody on the day. We just didn't play to form that day against the Gaels." En route to the League final, they exacted some revenge for their championship defeat when ousting Gowna in the semi-final. "Phil Smith was suspended for the semi-final of the championship. Phil did well all year for us and was a big loss on the day. He was back for the League semi-final. We were happy to gain revenge on the day, but we would have rather have beaten them in the championship." 'P' has been returned as manager for 2002, as have selectors Benny Byrd, Seamie Reilly and Brian Lynch. The quartet are happy to be back at the helm for another year and are quietly confident that Crosserlough can bridge that 30-year gap and reclaim the Senior Football Championship once again. To that end the club embarked on a winter indoor training programme as far back as December to prepare the troops for the battles head. "We are doing gym work with the younger guys to build them up. Physically they weren't strong enough this year," 'P' commented. He continued "Four players made their championship debuts this year - Jonathan Crowe, Patrick McCabe, Patrick Reilly and Karl Kelly. This year we converted John Higgins from a half forward to a half back. He made his debut last year. They were bitterly disappointed by the defeats but they will have learned from the experience." 'P' believes the club's best chance of success is in harnessing this wealth of young talent and blending it with the experience of men like of Phil Smith, and Finbar and Enda Reilly. The return of Martin Donoghue who missed most of the season through injury and a sojourn in US will also boost the club's prospects in 2002. Bubbling under there is another pool of talent ready to burst through from the minor ranks to stake their claim for a starting place on the senior team. Michael Lyng, Padraig McKiernan and Mark Lynch will all be hoping to make the breakthrough in the next year or so. When 'P' and his cohorts took their first tentative steps towards returning Crosserlough to the upper echelons of Cavan senior football, they knew there was an abundance of talent at their disposal. 2002 could be the year they finally make deliver on the potential. "Most of the lads on the team weren't even born the last time we won the championship. As I said we feel we are amongst the top four teams in the county and we feel we can go on and win it next year," he concluded. A Vintage reserve Demonstrating admirable grit and ambition, the reserve team footballers of Crosserlough made it third time lucky for the black and ambers with a well-merited 2-9 to 0-10 win over keen rivals Mullahoran at Ballymachugh in an entertaining Reserve League Division One League decider. Following county final defeats in as many weeks, the win for Crosserlough was just what was required to engineer some festive cheer for the Kilnaleck-based club. That said, for all the winners' redoubtable resolve though, the players certainly put their backroom staff and supporters through the gamet of emotions as they toiled to find the consistency which would have sealed their opponents' fate well before the finish. Indeed, the Kilnaleck-based club had a rollercoaster ride to the winners' enclosure. Out of the blocks in lightning fashion to lead by three points to nil after 11 minutes, Crosserlough then failed to add to their tally until the 37th minute when they cut their opponents' lead to two points. However, over the course of the next 19 minutes, they added a goal and three points without reply to all but seal the issue. Despite their penchant for making palms sweat and hearts pump on and off the field, there's no doubt but that the Crosserlough players were deserving of the spoils. The theory that they made life hard for themselves brooks no debate though. Played on an understandably yielding, gritty surface, this was a final which was predictably close, claustrophobic at times and never less than gripping. In the end - as in most finals - it was goals that counted in the context of delivering the silverware. In this respect, a converted penalty by Jimmy Higgins in the 56th minute after his team-mate Pauric Clinton was grounded in the square having collected a rebound off the crossbar was all-important. Higgins' effort catapulted his side into a 2-7 to 0-9 lead and Crosserlough never looked back thereafter as Mullahoran seem to run out of steam and inspiration. In a game which was fairly redolent of the type of fractious affairs common to such deadly rivals, both teams had a player dismissed in the 14th minute when Crosserlough's Brendan Tully and Mullahoran's Brendan O'Reilly got their marching orders for an off-the-ball indiscretion. In an otherwise full-blooded but wholly sporting encounter, both sides gave it their all but Mullahoran's failure to match their first half display with a similar effort on the restart and, as stated, the concession of goals at vital times proved fatal. Mullahoran clearly edged matters on both the scoring and possession fronts in the first half. Defending the dressing-room end of the pitch, the Dreadnoughts were clearly up for it and despite falling 0-0 to 0-3 behind determinedly fought back to get within a point of their opponents with ten minutes played. It was then that Crosserlough got through for their first major. In arguably the best move of the match, Paul Galligan gained possession in the middle of the field and his fine delivery forward to the 20 metre line was cleverly flicked on by Pauric Clintion into the path of the supporting Raymond Reilly who promptly rifled the ball into the back of the Mullahoran net. Crosserlough proceeded to flatter to deceive though in attempting to add to their 1-3 to 0-2 lead and indeed were fortunate not to concede a goal of their own but Kieran Shiels couldn't get enough purchase on his side when nipping in behind the Crosserlough full-backs. Undaunted by Crosserlough's healthy lead, Mullahoran drove forward in numbers and four answered points between the 18th and 24th minutes deservedly gained parity for them as Crosserlough heaved a sigh of relief that Phil Brady's effort in the 24th minute went over instead of under the crossbar. It was rearguard action type football from Crosserlough from there 'till the half-time break as Mullahoran continually won the ball from the Crosserlough kick-out and but for some desperate defending and, to a lesser degree, the soft ground which made kicking difficult, Crosserlough's lead would have been whittled away much more quickly. As things transpired, the Dreadnoughts went on to add another two points to their tally in the first half with James Briody and veteran Gerry Sheridan on target. For their part, Crosserlough did find some encouragement from the last attack of the half but Pauric Clinton screwed his shot narrowly wide of the goal when under pressure. Behind by 1-3 to 0-8 on the restart, Crosserlough fell further behind five minutes into the second half when Kieran Shiels did the needful for Mullahoran but a brace of frees by Clinton steadied Crosserlough nerves as the minutes ticked by. Playing more direct, more purposeful football and now playing down towards the scoreboard end of the ground, Crosserlough began to gain a decisive grip on the exchanges around the middle of the field and fine points by Jimmy and John Higgins in the 51st and 53rd minutes - putting the side in front for the first time since the 23rd minute - fairly reflected the team's growing ascendancy. And with the aforementioned penalty conversion four minutes from the end of ordinary time, Crosserlough's four point lead appeared to be just about adequate. And so it proved. Mullahoran did hit back with a Kieran Shiels point in the 59th minute to leave just a goal separating the sides but it failed to inspire a last-gasp comeback. Instead, it was Crosserlough who piled on the pressure in injury time with a brace of points, including a great final effort by Paul Galligan, putting the icing on the cake for the black and ambers. Crosserlough; D. Clarke; J. Reilly, C. Briody, S. Brady; P McCabe, John Higgins (0-1), M. Lynch; B. Tully, P. Galligan (0-1); Jimmy Higgins (1-2), M. Donohoe, T. Boylan; K. Kelly, P. Clinton (0-4), R. Reilly (1-0). Subs; P. McKiernan for J. Reilly; D. Reilly for M. Lynch; M. Campbell for S. Brady. Mullahoran; D. Cadden; P. Galligan, M. Reilly, M. Smith; B. Brady, F. Brady, P. Sheridan; C. Briody (0-2), S. Reilly; J. Briody (0-2), M. Reilly (0-1), P. Brady (0-2); K. Sheils (0-2), G. Sheridan (0-1), B. O'Reilly. Subs; C.M. Reilly for J. Briody; O. Hartin for S. Reilly. Ref. B. Seagrave. Tweet

Most Read Stories