Drumgoon GFC was the recipient of a major sympathy vote from the clubs of the county following their dramatic defeat in the 2000 JFC final. In many ways justice was done last autumn when the yellow and blues made history in finally hitting the jackpot. Kevin Carney reports. Once the whipping boys of Cavan football, the Drumgoon club is on the up and up and if proof was ever needed to confirm their burgeoning status within the county's pantheon of wannabes then their success last year in winning the blue riband junior crown, the division two league and junior C championship titles was proof positive of Drumgoon's onward march up the rankings. After the club's nightmare defeat in the 2000 Junior Championship decider, no one in the county doubted Drumgoon's determination to go one step better as a new championship season beckoned. In many people's eyes, the yellow and blue-clad outfit was almost - in horse racing parlance - a 'nap' for the big prize in 2001. However the best laid plans of mice and man often go astray and Drumgoon's opening salvo in the 2001 Junior Football Championship suggested that potential banana skins abounded. Mid-July saw the would-be champions open their campaign in nearby O'Reilly Park, Cootehill with a defeat being suffered to major rivals Butlersbridge on a score of 1-8 to 1-12 despite the fact the team enjoyed a major slice of the possession, mainly through the sterling work of midfielders Jim McNally and Seamus Morris. Round two of the series of matches in Section C saw Drumgoon cruise to an expected comfortable win over bottom of the table team Corlough. Drumgoon's 0-20 to 2-7 win over the west Cavan crew in Belturbet in driving wind and rain was as impressive as it was emphatic as the match favourites flew off the blocks with Ian O'Reilly and Peter Hand getting their side away and running with two early points. With the aforementioned Hand in unerring form from placed balls and the midfield pairing of McNally and Morris in almost total control, the Drumgoon forwards were literally spoiled for good ball over the hour. Despite conceding a rather soft goal, Drumgoon were well positioned in leading by 0-9 to 1-3 at the interval. Thereafter Drumgoon were content to pile on the points against their back-tracking opponents. And even though Corlough never threw in the towel and snatched a good goal in the second half, the introduction of Keith Fannin and Paul McCabe helped work the oracle for Drumgoon as Corlough were forced to concede a plethora of frees which proved fatal to their hopes of causing an upset as the aforementioned Hand proceeded to compile a personal tally of ten points. Next up for the champions-elect was Maghera. Once again, Drumgoon left nothing to chance as they out-fought, out-witted and ultimately out-gunned their gutsy opponents with a brand of football - yielding 2-17 over the hour - which was more often than not straight out of the top drawer As such, after three games Drumgoon progressed through to the quarter-finals as runners-up to the 'bridge in Section C. A meeting with neighbours Shercock beckoned. Played in Cootehill on a perfect day for football, the local derby, for once, lived up to the preceding hype as both sides gave it their all in a thrilling contest which eventually ended with Drumgoon triumphing by 2-11 to 0-9. Goals are invariably precious commodities in championship fare and so it proved as Drumgoon bagged an all-important brace on their way to a thoroughly impressive and none-too flattering eight point win. Drumgoon threatened the Shercock goal with every attack and it was no surprise when their first goal came after just five minutes. That said there was more than a touch of good fortune about Drumgoon's breakthrough as Peter Hand's speculative shot saw the ball take a wicked spin off a divot to deceive the advancing Shercock 'keeper before making its way into the empty net. And then no sooner had Shercock opened their account with a point in the eighth minute but Drumgoon hit their opponents with another body blow which, ultimately, proved of major significance in deciding the issue. Drumgoon's Brian Bates took advantage of another dodgy bounce of the ball to flash a shot against the Shercock bar. Unfortunately for Shercock, Drumgoon's Ian O'Reilly was alert to the rebound the quickest and his fisted effort duly found the net. With Keith Fannin playing the third midfielder role to a tee, Drumgoon continued to have things very much their own way as they proceeded to comfortably consolidate a splendid 2-4 to 0-6 interval lead. Indeed, early points on the restart from Paul McCabe and Peter Hand put Drumgoon on easy street as the tempo of the game lessened understandably in the hot conditions. With Shercock flattering to deceive in bidding to get back into the match, Drumgoon showed off their strength in depth by introducing the likes of Paddy McCabe, Martin Clerkin, Paul McCabe and Shane McGorry, all of whom served the cause excellently over the hour. Drumgoon were on a roll by this stage and few punters doubted that even a spirited Redhills side was going to block their passage through to the county decider when the sides met in an eagerly awaited semi-final tie at Breffni Park. In the end, Drumgoon had little difficulty in booking their place in the county final as they careered their way to a facile 0-17 to 0-4 victory. In polishing off their opponents, Drumgoon left their best wine 'till last, having led by just 0-7 to 0-4 at the interval - a lead, it must be said, which didn't at all reflect Drumgoon's dominant share of the possession in that opening half. Once again, the midfield pairing of McNally and Morris was very much to the forefront as Drumgoon engineered another impressive victory over ambitious, if limited, opponents. Redhills were on the back football from the very start of the match with their defence simply unable to cope with the speed and movement of the ball demonstrated by the Drumgoon players. Drumgoon led from pillar to post and once they sped into a 0-3 to 0-0 lead, an air of predictability wafted its way over proceedings. Redhills opened their account with a point after 11 minutes but a further point from Adrian Crossan two minutes later reflected Drumgoon's determination not to allow their opponents to gain in confidence. Drumgoon finished the first half on a high note when Michael A. Hannon pointed following a textbook passage of combination play. Amazingly, Redhills failed to register a score in the second half as Drumgoon secured a vice-like grip on the exchanges in nearly every sector of the field. There was simply no stopping Drumgoon in the second half as they pushed forward at every opportunity. With 42 minutes played, they led by 0-10 to 0-4 and from there on it was one-way traffic as Drumgoon piled on the misery for their hapless opponents. In booking their place in the final, the only source of concern to Drumgoon was a shoulder injury picked up by midfielder Seamus Morris during the game. And so to the final itself. With virtually the same squad in place from 2000, the Drumgoon management team of Paddy Bates, Michael Fitzpatrick and Michael Hannon were in buoyant mood imbued with the knowledge that their charges wouldn't lack for hunger, experience or tactical nous in attempting to deny Kildallan the silverware. Conquerors of Butlersbridge in the semi-final, Kildallan had impressed in finishing as runners-up to Templeport in Section A of the championship, over the course of which they had compiled a tally of 6-61 so nobody connected to Drumgoon was taking anything for granted as the 5,000-strong crowd assembled at Breffni Park on September 30th last. Preceding the senior final between Gowna and Cavan Gaels, the blue riband junior decider proved to be a cracking contest with Drumgoon justifying their favourites' tag by securing a 1-10 to 0-7 victory. Playing into a stiffening breeze in the first half, Drumgoon took some time to settle into their stride but, still, they managed to open the scoring in the eighth minute when man of the match Philip McDermott popped over a neat point. Even though Kildallan ended a run of poor wides with a point after 18 minutes, a point apiece by Paul McCabe and Keith Fannin edged Drumgoon into a 0-3 to 0-1 by the 21st minute. The play continued to swing from end to end but it was Kildallan who found the scoreboard on the next two occasions to gain parity with some four minutes remaining in the half. After Drumgoon received a bit of a let-off when a Kildallan forward struck the post with a fierce shot, the would-be winners were pegged back to level terms, 0-4 apiece, at the interval when Barry Rudden sent over a free for the west Cavan men. Drumgoon were a much more focussed, decisive and incisive team on the restart with Adrian Crossan leading the way with an early point to edge his side back into the lead. Drumgoon now began to move into top gear and a Peter Hand converted free in the 39th minute signalled the commencement of an unstoppable surge by his side to the winning post. However entering the final quarter, Kildallan trailed by just a solitary point. And despite having a player dismissed in the 48th minute, the Ballyconnell-based side managed to level matters with eleven minutes to play. The pressure was now on Drumgoon and when Kildallan edged a point in front in the 54th minute, suddenly the omens looked good for the white and reds. Fortunately, Kildallan failed to score again. In contrast, Drumgoon went into overdrive and a levelling point by Peter Hand in the 55th minute kick-started a tremendous flurry of score-taking. Three brilliant points in injury time by Jim McNally, Philip McDermott and Brian Bates were greeted by tumultuous roars from the Drumgoon supporters as they helped embellish Drumgoon's grandstand finish. Kildallan now needed a goal to save the day. However it was Drumgoon who struck gold instead when Peter Hand's lob into the square was rammed home to the Kildallan net by Edward Jackson. Kildallan simply couldn't come back from the dead. It was to be Drumgoon's day - a historic day and one never to be forgotten. The team, and sub, that made history against Kildallan was as follows: John Reilly; Paul McEnroe, Colm Hannon, Martin Clerkin; Michael A. Hannon, Edward Jackson (1-0), Keith Fannin (0-1); Jim McNally (0-1), Paul Crossan; Philip McDermott (0-2), Ian O'Reilly, Paul McCabe (0-1); Peter Hand (0-3), Adrian Crossan (0-1), Patrick McCabe. Sub; Brian Bates (0-1). After the championship celebrations had wound down a tad, minds turned to the unfinished business of the club's bid for A.C.F.L division two honours. After a tremendously consistent campaign which saw them drop only three points over the course of the thirteen game series, the Drumgoon lads approached their semi-final tilt with Ramor United in confident mood. Played at the tail-end of November at St. Ann's Park, Bailieboro, the game was played in bright sunshine and, in truth, Drumgoon matched the unseasonal weather by fashioning an equally bright 1-12 to 1-5 victory. The would-be league winners got off to a flying start, firing over a total of nine points inside the opening 19 minutes before Ramor belatedly opened their account with a quick brace. A fine opportunist goal by veteran David McDonnell just before the close of the first half appeared to present Ramor with a window of opportunity. However, in defending an interval lead of 0-9 to 1-4, Drumgoon were in no frame of mind to allow the Virginia-based lads sneak into the decider. The dismissal of a Ramor defender early in the second half was a springboard Drumgoon scarcely needed but yet took full advantage of to power their way over the finishing line with a beautifully taken goal by Adrian Crossan just on the stroke of the third quarter setting the scene for a fully deserved seven point triumph for Drumgoon. Thereafter Ballinagh, 2-10 to 1-8 conquerors over Ballymachugh, awaited Drumgoon in the league final which was fixed for Terry Coyle Park on December 2nd. On a bitterly cold day, the fare served up by both teams was indeed heart-warming and thoroughly entertaining with in truth neither team deserving to lose as they battled their way to a thrilling 1-11 to 1-11 draw, after extra-time. The replay at Ballyhaise was a much more clear-cut affair with Drumgoon enjoying much the better of things. The issue was never in doubt with a goal by Paddy McCabe in the eighth minute helping to catapult Drumgoon into a five point opening quarter lead. It was a lead they never subsequently looked like relinquishing and it was no surprise that they proceeded to hang on to win comfortably by 1-5 to 0-2, having led by 1-3 to 0-2 at the interval. What a year! Captain Fantastic! In 2001 Drumgoon GFC swept all before them in claiming the Cavan Junior Football Championship title. For good measure they also careered to the All County Football League division two and Junior C Championship titles. Kevin Carney talks to team-captain Martin Clerkin about his club's glorious year. Can it really get any better for Drumgoon football club? That's the question on the lips of a lot of gaels in Cavan right now as the yellow and blue tide threatens to scatter the opposition to the four corners of the Breffni county. Those au fait with the football landscape in Cavan aren't too surprised about the emergence of the proverbial dark horse from the north of the county. The pace of their advance may have caught some on the hop though. In truth though and in the best tradition of sporting cliches, it's been a case of onward and upward for Drumgoon for the guts of ten years now. It's actually been that length of time since the club kick-started a renaissance at underage level which, in double-quick time, began hauling in trophies like they were going out of fashion. The seeds of undiluted graft and commitment rendered at juvenile level in years past has begun to manifest itself at Drumgoon, big-time, on the biggest stages in Cavan football circles and even further afield. In this latter respect, one awaits the conclusion of the club's ongoing and so far highly impressive forway into the novel Ulster junior club championship competition. Martin Clerkin, outgoing captain of the all-conquering Drumgoon team of 2001, is himself a product of the aforementioned underage academy of sporting excellence. Like most of the current premier Drumgoon team he has garnered enough underage medals on his sideboard to give a body a migraine. The last season though saw the inspirational defender add some prized adult honours to his burgeoning collection. Clerkin and company's achievements in winning the 2001 Junior A Championship and the ACFL division two title got Drumgoon noticed by Cavan football's intelligentsia like never before. And that's not to mention the kudos the club earned from adding on the Junior C championship crown. Our man Clerkin is understandable revelling in the club's new found fame: "It's great, long may it continue. The club had to survive for long enough without any success hopefully now we can keep winning cups and keep bringing good young players up through the ranks because that's where it all started for us. "You'd have to give a lot of credit to our management team of Paddy Bates, Michael Fitzpatrick and Michael Hannon. They've done a great job in moulding us all together. "Also, there has been a lot of work done at underage level over the last 15 years or so and all that work is beginning to show at adult level now. In 1986 the club won its first ever underage title when winning an under 12 title. By this stage everyone on the first team has at least one underage county medal to their credit. "Unfortunately for years we had a lot of good footballers but not the experience that was needed to win county titles. Now there's a core of four or five players in place who are in their middle twenties and older who complement the younger lads on the team," enthuses Martin who, at 25, was the senior citizen at the back for Drumgoon's as they stormed to their league and championship double last year. Aside from the undoubted football talent at hand, Drumgoon's finest have arguably the most passionate and loyal band of supporters in Cavan at their shoulder. Club supporters countywide will tell you that, more often than not, Drumgoon's visiting support very often outnumbers the home support at league games during the course of any given year. Certainly there's little doubt but that Drumgoon's elite footballers have a lot going for themselves as they prepare to acquit themselves well - for the first time ever - in division one of the ACFL and the intermediate championship too. So roll on the intermediate championship? "Sure. Most of the teams who'll be there or thereabouts in this year's intermediate championship played against us in last year's league and we beat them all. The likes of Ballinagh, Cootehill and Denn will be gunning for the championship too but with a bit of luck we can get one over them again." And any question of pressure coming to bear on the players to put back-to-back championship title wins together? "The more successful a team gets the more pressure there is on the players to keep the winning run going and we're no different. "Some of our supporters were probably expecting us to win the junior championship before we actually did but with all the underage success we've had throughout the years those sort of expectations are probably understandable. "The fact also that we have have Edward Jackson and Colm Hannon on the current senior county panel, Adrian Crossan, Michael and Colm Hannon on the under 21s and Paul McEnroe and Brian Bates on the county minor panel helps increase expectations among our supporters too but we'll live with that. "Anyway I don't think playing in the intermediate championship will be a huge step-up for us though. As I said we're not afraid of any of the intermediate teams that we'll be coming up against." Reflecting on the team's heroics in 2001, Martin says the Drumgoon players' confidence grew game by game on the way to their blue riband junior success. The team's dramatic defeat at the hands of Cornafean in the corresponding final was, Martin admits, a hell of a blow to get over though: "It too a couple of months for us to get that defeat out of our system. The depression which swept over the club after the Cornafean game was unbelievable but fortunately we had a few good wins in the league after the championship which put us into the semi-finals of the league. Those wins helped us get over the junior final defeat. "In a way getting beaten in the 2000 final helped us in a big way to turn things around in 2001 because none of the players wanted to experience the sort feelings again that we had in the losing dressing-room at Breffni Park after the Cornafean game," adds Martin whose brother Sean was a panelist on the aforementioned winning Drumgoon sides last year. And so Drumgoon were fated to come good in 2001? "Not really but I personally thought that we were the best team in the championship and that it was really up to us if we wanted to lift the cup. "A number of the younger lads came on a lot, both physically and mentally, from the time we lost to Cornafean to the end of the 2001 championship and that made a big difference to the quality of the team. "Again the commitment of the players was tremendous last year. We had even two car-loads of players coming down from Dublin for training sessions during the week for about six weeks before the championship started. A great spirit was built up and I don't think I've ever been involved with such a determined group of players." And that self-same spirit could well drive Clerkin and co. up to senior championship ranks sooner than even their most ardent supporters could possibly imagine. This time next year will surely tell a tale in that respect. Another final, another cup! Finishing the year as they started it, Drumgoon put the icing on the cake for 2001 with a tremendously exciting Junior C Championship campaign which culminated in the club lifting the title after an impressive win in the final over Butlersbridge. A magnificent comeback in the semi-final against Redhills which yielded them a 1-7 to 1-6 victory marked this Drumgoon squad out as a determined, ambitious outfit and so it came to pass that the 'bridge were always going to be up against it when the sides met at Killygarry in the subsequent decider. Drumgoon began the final in an impressive manner and early points from Barry Crossan, Sean Clerkin and a brace of frees from Niall Fortune got them off to a whirlwind start. However, the 'bridge proved to be worthy finalists and a goal by Ronan Flanagan got them right back in the match as the first half gathered pace. Like true champions though, Drumgoon responded to their opponents' goal in appropriate fashion with a goal by Aidan Fitzpatrick putting Butlersbridge on the backfoot once more as the first half ended with Drumgoon holding a two point lead. An unfortunate knee injury suffered by midfielder Patrick Moynagh threatened to upset Drumgoon's plans but the relocation of Michael Fitzpatrick to centre-field helped steady the Drumgoon ship. Indeed, it was a pass by the aforementioned Fitzpatrick which served to put the issue beyond doubt as Sean Clerkin made the most of the pass to rattle the Butlersbridge net with a terrific shot. Thereafter a converted free by Charlie Coyle put Drumgoon further ahead and although the 'bridge hit back with a fine goal, it was a case of too little too late as Drumgoon polished off what was an ultimately comfortable 2-10 to 2-4 win with a brilliant point by Sean Clerkin. The following is the all-conquering Drumgoon Junior C side, and subs, that defeated Butlersbridge in the county final: Gerry Hughes; Liam McDermott, John McDonald, Declan Boyle; Barry Crossan, Niall Crossan, Ronan Crossan; Paul Crossan, Patrick Moynagh; Aidan Fitzpatrick, Charlie Coyle, Declan McDermott; Michael Fitzpatrick, Sean Clerkin, Niall Fortune. Subs used; Michael Murray, Ciaran Lennon, Shane O'Connell. Tweet

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