Attention would-be JFC winners of the near-future. Shercock are fast approaching on the rails. The writing may have been on the wall around about the streets of Shercock but local gaels found it difficult to imagine the dream becoming a reality. After all, when was the last time a brace of underage titles had been bagged by the local GAA club in the same year? It was that long ago, in fact, that even those who had busied themselves on the local football scene for more years than they cared to remember could scarcely finger the exact year. But the dogs in the street(s) in the east Cavan town seemed to barking the same message as the 2002 season grew legs. Slowly but surely, the word was coming through, loud and clear, and the writing on the wall was daubed in block capitals; a watershed year for the under-pressure club was at hand. And so it proved. Between the months of July and October, Shercock GFC was afforded the opportunity to welcome home two all-conquering teams to the town. The acquisition of silverware at under 14 and under 16 levels made 2002 a very sweet year for the yellow and green brigade. "The numbers are improving every year, it seems, and with the minors winning last year too, things are looking good. We'd like to think that by 2008 a lot of these fellas will be challenging for places on the senior team," joint team-manager O'Reilly comments. In challenging for places down the line, the self-same under 14 players certainly got in some practice last year. And therein lies one of the reason why Shercock proved to be the best of the bunch at Roinn C level, according to the aforementioned team-mentor. "It was only 13-aside and you had players fighting from the start of the year to get their place on the team. "That's what we wanted and, in fairness to all the players, everyone responded wholeheartedly throughout the year." For the first time ever, Shercock were able to field teams, on their own, at under 12, 14, 16 and under 18. Yesterday's heroes now see their children taking up the game and wearing the club jersey with pride. The clans who were so prominent in Shercock's glory years of the seventies are back in the forefront of the push to establish a winning pedigree at underage level. Yes, things are working out a treat in Shercock at grass roots level these days! But back to the story of how the under 14s and minors covered themselves in glory. Under the supervision of Gerry O'Reilly and Peter Burns, the local under 14s were first to lead the way to the winners' enclosure. By winning the Roinn C League, Shercock's classy group of starlets lay down a marker for the future growth and development of the club. En route to the final of the competition, Shercock's under 14 troupe overcame a Gowna/Arva amalgam in Virginia. In what was a terrific advertisement for underage football in the county, a somewhat understrength Shercock team battled hard for their due reward. "Even at that early juncture, Gerry reckoned that the team had the ability to challenge for outright victory in the competition. "We knew they had a lot of potential. They had shown a lot of good form at under 10, community games level. Four years ago they impressed in beating a very good Killinkere side and they've taken it on from there. "They were very enthusiastic all year, eager to learn and improve their skills," the former star player advises. But nothing would be easily won either though. In fact the final against Cuchullains proved to be a titanic struggle between two very evenly-matched teams - and it was the Mullagh-based lads who opened the scoring after three minutes to get Shercock pulses racing. Within two minutes though, the town team had edged into the lead by the odd point in three with points by Cathal O'Reilly and Glen McEnaney. In what was a real rollercoaster ride for both teams, the lead swung back and forth before a free by the aforementioned McEnaney levelled matters at 0-4 apiece with 22 minutes played on the clock. Two minutes later, Shercock secured a vital breakthrough when Shane McPhillips gathered possession after the ball was blocked down and promptly fisted it to the Cuchullains net. Thereafter the would-be losers gained a lot of possession but stout Shercock defending thwarted their efforts with a brace of fine saves by Emmet O'Reilly doing the needful. As things transpired, Mickey McEntee broke through to put Shercock 1-5 to 0-5 in front and continuing to play direct football, the champions-elect put further daylight between themselves and their opponents at the interval when Cathal O'Reilly lobbed the ball over the bar after Michael O'Reilly's mighty kick-out had put Shercock on the offensive. On the restart, Shercock retained the initiative and a converted free by Glen McEnaney maintained the pressure on Cuchullains. However a well-taken goal by Terry Keating for Cuchullains in the 41st minute levelled matters at 1-6 apiece and it was really a case of game on! Shercock pushed forward with intent from the kick-out and a fine point by Glen McEnaney was swiftly followed by Shercock's second goal, this time from a converted penalty by Shane McPhillips after the same player was the victim of a foot block. The pace of the game was unrelenting. Conor Smith for Cuchullains and Shercock's Shane McPhillips exchanged a point apiece in as many minutes as the play ebbed and flowed with monotonous regularity. Then with the game delicately poised, Glen McEnaney gained possession 45 yards from goal before running at the Cuchullains' defence at pace and then rifling the ball high into his opponents' net from all of 30 yards. "Glen's shot was unstoppable. And it was the crucial score of the game. Cuchullains were badly rattled by Glen's goal. Up to that stage, the winning of the game was very much in the melting pot," Gerry recalls. With seven minutes remaining, the game followed a predictable route from there to the finish with Shercock holding their ground and Cuchullains desperately playing a game of catch-up. For good measure, Kieran Ward tapped over another Shercock point. And while the Mullagh-based lads did find the Shercock net with two minutes to go, it was an archetypal case of too little too late. Shercock were worthy 3-9 to 2-8 victors. So what future lies ahead for the famed green and yellows? "They're a very good group of players and I'll be surprised if they don't do well at under 16 next year," Gerry predicts. A case of watch this space then folks! For the record, the Shercock team that defeated Cuchullains was as follows; Emmet O'Reilly, Michael O'Reilly, Joseph Shankey, Dean McPhillips, Mickey McEntee, Daniel Clarke, Cathal O'Reilly, Shane McPhillips, Glen McEnaney, Kieran Ward, Barry McIntyre, Edward McDermott, Andrew Sloane. Subs; Niamh Treanor for Kieran Ward; Phil Smith for Daniel Clarke (inj); Daniel Clarke for Philip Smith. And what of the club's equally successful under 16 crew? Winners of the Division Three Championship, the squad were a credit to themselves, their parents and their mentors, Jodie Clarke (team-manager), and selectors Plunkett O'Reilly, Paddy O'Reilly, Jimmy Carroll and Gerry Sheridan. With some 85 training sessions under their belt, the Shercock under 16s couldn't have been better prepared in 2002 - and didn't it show! Even losing out in the league semi-final to Kildallan wasn't going to distract the town team from scooping the championship title. Beating Ballinagh early on in the campaign was a tremendous confidence-booster, team-manager Jodie Clarke admits. "Ballinagh had dropped down from division two so we expected them to provide us with a tough game in Ballyhaise. So to beat them gave the lads a lot of confidence and self-belief," Jodie confirms. And thereafter victory over Denn in the quarter-final was a further boon to morale in the camp of course. The semi-final saw the team come out against Killinkere at the Kingscourt venue. "It was another tough game. We had beaten them earlier in the league in Shercock but there was never any real danger of our lads being over-confident going into the championship meeting - they knew it wasn't going to be easy." Shercock were full-value for their win then? "I think so, but in fairness to Killinkere, we got the breaks and won by a handful of points which might have been a bit flattering though. We got the goals at the right at vital times." And so to the final against near-neighbours Drumgoon. "I saw Drumgoon play Redhills in their semi-final in Redhills and I thought they had a very strong team. Shercock hadn't a great record against Drumgoon at underage level in recent years so the odds were that we'd have to play very well to turn things around." So how did the turn around come about? "Our lads improved dramatically over the year and they probably played their best stuff in the final itself with some really quality football. "Their first 20 minutes of football was as good as you'd see at any level. "We ran away with it from the opening whistle and by the time we were 1-7 to 0-1 in front with only about ten minutes played, we knew that the lads could only throw it away. "But they were never going to do that and we won the game very comfortably in the end." Looking at the short-term future prospects of the outgoing under 16 squad, the ace marksman says the fact that the lads won the club's first ever minor competition will be a hard act to follow but "if they keep improving at the rate they did in 2002 and show the same interest, they have every chance of winning something at minor level." The history-making Shercock minor line-out was as follows; Michael Reilly, Declan McIntyre, Patrick McGee, Dean McPhillips, Liam Reilly, Michael McEnaney, James McElroy, James Ruxton, Mickey McEntee, John McDermott, Cathal O' Reilly, Shane McPhillips, Niall Byrne. Subs; Glen McEnaney for Cathal O' Reilly; Noel Carroll for James McElroy; James McElroy for James Ruxton. Tweet

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