Silverware and Mountnugent haven't always been regular bedfellows but 2002 heralded a change in fortune in that respect as Juvenile club secretary Patrick O'Shea is happy to acknowledge. Blue riband junior successes in 1988 and '92 still remain fresh in the memory down Mountnugent way. But gaels residing at the coalface of GAA matters there will tell you that the local landscape wants freshening up by this stage. Things have gotten a bit stale around that quarter of the Meath border and playing intermediate football is by now overdue. God be with the days, the really seasoned locals lament, when the former 'Red Hands' were positioned in pole position in Cavan football circles; when such luminaries as Mick Higgins, Eugene Finnegan, Tony Tighe, Connie Kelly and Peter Donohoe were in their element in the famed green and yellow. But in 2002 a new, young and just as vibrant bunch of players emerged to take their place in the pantheon of winners from the Mountnugent stable. And while the club's juvenile committee secretary Patrick O'Shea ain't about to predict a flow of talent akin to that represented by the heroes of the 'forties, he does have high hopes for the Class of 2002 who swept to the Under 13 Roinn D Championship title. "They're a great bunch, easily managed and well-disciplined. And they've loads of football in them too with quite a few very skilful players on the team," Patrick enthuses. Of course, given the times that are in it, we must be careful not to write about the 'lads' for on the Mountnugent squad that beat the best of the rest so convincingly at Under 13 level last year, Deborah Kelly and Imelda Brady were key members of a stout defence. Mountnugent's brilliant success in 2002 was the highlight of the year for the small rural outfit. The title-win was all the more remarkable given the travails experienced by the club in recent times at various levels. For instance, in 2002, the club found itself unable to field a team at Under 12 level even though there were at least five very good players at that age-group. Unfortunately too many of the players were over-age and ineligible. So what was the lie of the land as the Spring gave way to early Summer last year? "Expectations weren't that high. At the start of the year I don't think anyone involved at juvenile level in the club were of the opinion that the Under 13s were going to finish the year with some silverware. "The panel was small in number and we expected the opposition to be a little strong for us. Our main aim was to try and give the youngsters as many games as possible and to keep them involved in football, simple as that," Patrick confesses. So the pressure was off. Truth to tell though,it was never really on, in fact, as the season got underway for the Mountnugent Under 13s and their hard-working mentors. Up on the horizon before too long lay the team's first opponents in the championship, namely Shannon Gaels in Blacklion. Even in the days running up to the game, the Mountnugent think-tank had doubts over whether the club could even field a team against the west Cavan outfit. "We weren't totally certain that we could field a team and told Bord na nOg of our problems in getting enough players together. "But we went ahead and entered the competition, knowing that if the worst came to the worst, we could give our opponents a bye. But as things worked out, we were 99% certain on the day before the match that we would have a team alright. "The game itself against Shannon Gaels turned out to be an exciting, typically frenetic affair played on a greasy sod in adverse weather conditions. "The match ended in a draw which was a fair result for both teams. I think both Shannon Gaels and ourselves deserved to get another crack at it because there was nothing between us on the day." The replay in Mountnugent was, literally, a whole different ball-game. The homesters ran out comfortable victors. "Stephen Smith gave the players a good pep talk and the team seemed to play with a lot more confidence second time around. "They seemed to have more self-belief also and were by far the better side in the replay," Patrick recalls. With an opening round win under their belts, the Mountnugent players' ambitions seemed to go up a notch or two, that little bit extra was put into training and even the team-management began to sense that something was in the offing. Yet the word pressure remained in all lexicons bar that pertaining to the Mountnugent camp - the emphasis remained on the value of taking part, enjoying the games and doing one's best. Mountnugent proceeded to meet Munterconnacht in the semi-final in Kilnaleck. The winning camp approached the game in philosophical mood. Mountnugent had reached semi-finals at underage level in previous years but had fallen short of the target. The Kilnaleck venue hadn't exactly been a lucky ground either for the yellow and greens. In the event all sorts of monkeys were cast off their backs by the champions-elect. Roaring free from the starting blocks, Mountnugent showed themselves to be in electrifying mood in scorching into a 2-7 to 0-1 lead. And while Munterconnacht rallied well thereafter to bang in a brace of goals, the green and yellows held firm to secure their passage through to the county decider. "Munterconnacht were a good side and are always doubty campaigners but fortunately we had enough left in the tank in the final ten minutes or so to hold out. "The players never panicked even when Munterconnacht were at their best. Two wins out of two at that stage was more than we could have hoped for at the start of the year. Getting to the final created a great buzz around the club too," Patrick informs us. It was an eagerly-awaited final - a local derby match which saw underdogs Mountnugent pitted against neighbours Ballymachugh in early September. By now the Mountnugent crew could almost see the glittering prize in front of them on the winners' podium at Kingspan/Breffni Park. "By the time we got to the final, the players sensed that they were in with a real shout. Very few of us along the sideline dared to think that we'd come out on top but I think the players went into the final in a confident mood," says Patrick, father of the team's right half-forward Thomas. But Patrick admits now that, in hindsight, he wasn't surprised that the Stephen Smith-coached outfit did indeed emerge victorious. The hard-working committee man talks about the team's never-say-die attitude, about their great team-work and excellent discipline in coming to terms with what was a truly morale-boosting campaign for the Mountnugent club as a whole. As for the game itself, well once again Mountnugent got off to the proverbial flyer on what was a wet and difficult surface. Thanks in part to a goal apiece by David Gibney (penalty) in the 9th minute and Graham Paterson (22nd) the would-be winners were 2-6 to 0-1 to the good by the time Ballymachugh got into their stride. But the Ballyheelan-based lads found Mountnugent's cushioned lead too much to retrieve even though they pressed hard right to the final whistle to leave Mountnugent 4-10 to 2-4 victors at the long whistle. "To see the delight on David Gibney's face as he lifted the cup after the game rounded off a really great year for all-concerned. It's been five or six years since the club won anything at underage but it was well worth the wait to see such happy players at the final whistle." And the future for this particular group of players? "I think if we can get a team of mentors to look after them and the players stick together, they can go on and do very well at the various older age-groups and levels. "The players showed a tremendous will-to-win and real grit and those are characteristics which any mentor would be glad to build on. "I think the players have a bright future as a group, especially if you consider the additions that will be coming on stream from other good squads that's there at the moment. "There's been a lot of work done at underage over the years with the likes of Ned Reilly and Leonard Tierney plus Stephen Smith last year helping greatly to develop the talent available and hopefully that's the way things will continue to go," Patrick concludes. And so say all of us! And the players who featured for the Mountugent Under 13 squad in the county decider were; Richard Brady; Eoghan Smith, Imelda Brady, Deborah Kelly Joseph Tuite, Sean Plunkett, Graham Paterson, David Gibney (capt), Thomas O'Shea, Kenny Quinn, Raymond Cassells, Kevin Plunkett, Ciaran Caffrey. Subs; Liam Smith, Feichin Tuite, Marcus Gaffney, Barry Gibney, Ronan Finnegan, Michael Paterson. Tweet

Most Read Stories