In GAA parlance, the seats don't get much hotter than the one occupied by your average hard-working and diligent club secretary. Some say it's the most difficult post in the business. Not that Killygarry's Andreas McGovern is complaining. Killygarry are on the way up. The dogs in the street are barking as much. Like their near-neighbours from the county town, the red and blacks certainly appear to have the structures in place, their quota of sleeves-rolled-up workers and, pointedly, a bevy of fledgling football stars the equal of any club in the county. It's been a few years now since Killygarry made the best of the rest at intermediate level look decidedly average. Since 1998 the proud, closely-knit club has been making waves at senior level and more than holding their own. Killygarry are on the way up. Those with their ears cocked, their noses to the grindstone and their shoulders to the wheel at grass roots level in Cavan GAA circles will tell you that it's only a matter of time before Killygarry make it to the latter stages of the senior championship. There's no need for any crystal ball-gazing. Killygarry are on the way up and Andreas McGovern, for one, is not backward at coming forward to speak in support of the notion. As someone who has been at the coalface of affairs at the club as a long-time player, assistant secretary and currently secretary, he can safely be said to be clued into the potential inherent in the club. "I don't think we need fear any of the clubs at senior level. We've got some great young footballers coming up through the ranks and the potential we have at senior level is second to none in the county. "I don't think there's much of a gap between the leading teams in the county right now and ever since we won the intermediate championship in 1997, we've been progressing and making ground on the rest. "At this stage, we're intent on being up there with the rest in challenging for honours because we're no longer just satisfied with retaining our position in the league and retaining our senior championship status." Obviously vaulting ambition is the buzzword around Killygarry these days. The winning of the under 16 championship title in 1999 and the minor title the same year, combined with the intermediate championship a couple of years hence, has contributed to the sense of expectation among the faithful in Killygarry. Starlets such as Pauric Cahill, Cathal Keaney, Eoin Smith and Andrew McGovern are as talented as any of their peers in the county and Killygarry appear to have the experienced hands on hand too to make sure that those emerging talents realise their full potential at senior level in the coming years. "Our main objective at underage level is to source the talent, nurture it and then help see that that talent is blooded at adult level at the appropriate time. "At this stage we've done well to consolidate our senior status. It's a while now since we left the intermediate grade and the feeling within the club is that we are now ready to start challenging for honours at senior level," explains Andreas who has been involved in the coaching of the club's under 16 crew over the course of the last three years. So what satisfaction does Andreas get from his involvement with Killygarry GFC? "I get a tremendous amount of enjoyment in helping the club and it's been the same over the years when I was a player. "The secretary's job can be something like a full-time number, especially at the start of the year when all the teams have to be affiliated and there's so much paperwork to take care of but there's a great, hard-working committee of 25 people at the club and I get great support from the members. "The underage involvement is great too because you're able to help fellas improve their skills and work their way up through the grades 'till eventually they're worthy of their places on the senior team. "We'd have around 150 youngsters training and playing matches for the club in any given year and to be part of the coaching teams looking after them gives me a great sense of personal satisfaction. There are a lot of people like me who give a lot of time to Killygarry and that's why we're making so much progress at every level." Mindful of the great surge in interest in ladies football in Killygarry, Andreas says the work being put in in that regard by the likes of Declan Gilsenan, Aaron McGovern and Tony Conaty can only be good for the morale and spirit of the club. "We need to make the most of o.ur resources every year and the more people are attracted to the club the better. We've got a fairly small catchment area to work from with the likes of the Gaels, Lavey, Denn and Drumalee so close to us so if we can encourage all males and females in the area to get involved in Killygarry GFC, all the better." Fulsome also in his praise for the work being done at underage level by the likes of Noel McHugh and his liason with the schoolchildren at Crubany, Corlurgan and Killygarry national schools, the hard-working club secretary says that his beloved club is well positioned, both on and off the field of play, to continue to go from strength to strength. Andreas points to the fact that the club's pitch is one of the best in the county. A purpose built gym - attached to the existing dressing rooms - will hopefully be in place before the end of the coming summer and the development of a brand new training pitch, earmarked for the use of the underage troupe, in the coming months. What with the club's weekly lotto, golf classics and other associated fundraisers during the year continues to keep Killygarry very much in the black, year in, year out, the red and blacks look set to be a key player on the Cavan GAA scene for many years to come. "Everything is in place for us to make a concerted effort to challenge for senior honours in 2002. No expense is spared by the club in having fellas prepared and the material is definitely there. "The seniors did well to get out of their group in the face of opposition from Ramor, Lacken and Laragh and although they went down to Gowna in the quarter-final - after two dodgy penalties - the experience gained by the team in 2001 will hold them in good stead for the coming year and forthcoming years." They had a comfortable enough ride in division one of the ACFL, finishing the season with a flourish by winning three of their last four games to ensure themselves a respectable mid-table position. Killygarry are on the way up and Andreas and co. are aiming to go the way of the Gaels next door. He admits that the county town fellas are the yardstick for Killgarry and the rest of the chasing pack in the county. The relegation of the club's reserve team in 2001 is not what is required though. "We'd have about 25-30 players at adult level each year but we have to try and introduce new, young blood to bolster the squads each year. We need to be aiming to have a strong second team, just like Cavan Gaels have. "Unfortunately sometimes a couple of injuries or a few fellas being on holidays can have a big effect on how our reserve team do. "The club is in good shape though and we can look forward with confidence on all fronts." Tweet

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