Conor Shannon is one of Killeshandra's 'senior citizens' at this stage. He recognises that the time for the Leaguers to strike is now. Killeshandra's return to junior ranks was supposed to be spring-loaded. But that's not how it has turned out with less than flattering seasons in 2002 and 2003 firming in the club's latter-day status as a club apparently well-removed from the peleton of Cavan football. Ill-luck, the ravages of injuries to a number of key players and a dearth of self-belief have been invariably put forward by club insiders as mitigating factors in explaining why the Leaguers have struggled to make it back to intermediate level. Relegation to junior ranks in 2001 hurt all and sundry about the town and its environs. But that hurt has yet to translate into the sort of stimulus which yields major victories. It has failed to inspire the players into re-claiming their hitherto intermediate status. Long-serving player Conor Shannon accepts that a significant upturn in the team's fortunes is needed . . and fast. "We're not a young team, at least compared to a lot of other teams we come up against. "Time's moving on and it's time we made the right sort of impact. "There must be at least four of the team around the 32 mark and a few others like myself are only a couple of years younger. "We have to show a bit more leadership this coming year because we can't just expect the younger lads to make the running," adds Conor, brother of Emmet, a member of the 1991 IFC-winning Killeshandra panel. These days, Conor is one of the players that most GAA folk outside of Killeshandra identify with, especially when the crystal ball-gazing season kicks-in, like now. Some pundits say that when our man Shannon is on fire, Killeshandra are notoriously difficult to beat. But, sadly, 2003 was a year in which the town team weren't at all difficult to beat and when Conor didn't hit the high notes. "At the start of the year, I thought we had as good a chance as any team to win the championship or the league. "I expected us to at least get to a final and it was very disappointing not to even do well enough to get out of the group. "A lot of things didn't go well for us and I didn't help by going missing for a while during the season," Conor explains. "2003 didn't turn out the way we expected. "We thought we'd handle Shannon Gaels easily in the first round of the championship but they beat us well. "Then the Mountnugent game was a nightmare for me personally." A missed goal perhaps or just a pure stinker? "I fouled one of their players but then he whacked the free straight at me. " I kicked out at him and caught him on the sole of the foot which earned me a straight red which I didn't think I deserved. "And when a previous suspension from an earlier league game against Crosserlough was brought into account, the county board handed me a three month ban. " It was a rush of blood to the head which cost me but I should have been a lot cuter. "I let the lads down and having been captain of the team in 2002, I should have shown more responsibility and a better example," the 29-year old reflects. Unfortunately for Conor and the rest of the Killeshandra lads, the team dropped out of the championship race with not much more than a whimper when losing out to Mountnugent in a group play-off. The disappointment felt by the Leaguers after the do-or-die game in Terry Coyle Park is a memory still vivid in Conor's mind. Having to watch proceedings from the stand made the day even more miserable for the strapping midfielder. One wonders did he think, that day in Terry Coyle Park, that Mountnugent would go onto reach the junior championship decider? "I didn't fancy them to go much further after the group, no way. " The junior championship is a bit of a lottery when it comes to trying to pick out a winner but they weren't a team I considered to be potential winners. "The likes of Kildallan and Shercock were ones that I felt had a good chance of going the distance." So a year that started off so brightly ended up being written off by the Saffrons. Conor admits that he had never been as fit as he was by the end of last Spring while the return from injury of Adie Burns, arguably the team's most consistent attacker, augured well for Killeshandra's chances of making a decisive impact in 2003. "Training went really well at the start of the year and I personally felt that we had probably the strongest squad in place that we had in a long time. "Ollie Sheridan and Stephen Burns were looking over the management of the team and they were getting a good response from everyone. "The training was good and interesting and we got off to a good start in the league, beating Lavey and playing some good football into the bargain. "Our tails were up and it looked like we were heading for a place in the last eight. "But then a few injuries kicked in and we started to go off the rails. "And because the league meant nothing to nobody, it was hard for everyone to rise their game as the season went on." Conor was a member of the Killeshandra team which secured a dramatic win over Drumgoon in the Division Three league decider back in 1997 in Ballyhaise. Not surprisingly, the towering midfielder 'cum attacker hopes that with Stephen King at the helm for the coming year, the team can belatedly make rekindle its form of old. "I don't always find the training and the slog during the bad weather the easiest but you always think that this is going to be your year and that keeps you at it. "I think we can do a lot better this year. There are no teams that we should be afraid of taking on." But with the commitment that's required, even at club level, increasing all the time, Conor knows that sacrifices will have to be ongoing from everyone for Killeshandra to hit the jackpot come the firm sod and high bounce of the ball. As a welder who invariably works on shift, Conor has to consciously engineer the time to make training/matches. He doesn't expect the rigours of football life in that respect to get even easier in the coming year. "Definitely there's a greater commitment from players at club level these days. " I'd notice an increase even in the last couple of years but it's not overdone yet in my opinion. "Anyway you have to enjoy the training and matches while you're young. "I can get reasonably fit fairly early in the season and you feel a lot better for it." What about the commitment needed from players to play at senior inter-county level? "I wouldn't have the commitment to do what has to be done in that arena. "The sort of time and effort that has to be put in by the Cavan players wouldn't appeal to me at all." Are there enough young fellas in the county willing to put in the necessary time and effort though to make the premier Breffni Blues' side? "I think young fellas are as keen as ever to try and get a game with Cavan but it's a pity when you see good club footballers like Art McSeain of Cornafean and Ballinagh's Adrian Maguire not getting a decent chance to stake a place on the panel. "There are a lot of quality footballers around the county but maybe the county team needs a bit more power and strength in some areas. "I'm sure Eamonn Coleman will see to it that the players give it their best shot, just like we intend doing this year." Tweet

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